Junior Maegan Cullinan brings the ball down court. (Photos by Christina Perini)
The Bromfield varsity girls’ basketball team cruised to victory and notched their first league win, 54-39 against rival Tahanto in Harvard this past Friday.
Aided by a season-high 14 points from junior Kirsten Sundeen and a 12-3 run to start the second half, Bromfield improved to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the Midland Wachusett D League. Tahanto fell to 1-9 overall and 0-6 in the Midland Wachusett D League.
Sophomore Amanda Accorsi added 10 points, and freshman Hannah Lochiatto contributed seven points on the night for the Lady Trojans, while junior Maegan Cullinan scored nine points off the bench. The Tahanto Lady Stags were led in points by sophomore Mary Kate O’Day with 16, senior Bridget Looney with 11, and sophomore Julia O’Brien with six.
The inside game proved to be key for the visiting team in the first half, as their game plan trended towards feeding forward Looney the ball down low. A quick lay-in by freshman Abbey Pacl at the buzzer cut the deficit to one point in Tahanto’s favor at the end of the first quarter, 10-9.
Freshman Hannah Lochiatto takes an outside shot.
An amazing pass
Despite early foul trouble the Trojans showed toughness and grit in the second quarter. Fueled by an amazing cross-court pass and lay-in from Lochiatto to Accorsi to give the Trojans the early lead in the second quarter, the offense finally opened up for head Coach Mike Davidson’s squad. Looney’s nine points led all scorers at halftime, while Cullinan’s seven points and Accorsi’s six points in the second quarter gave the home team a slim 22-18 lead going into halftime.
A quick lay-in by Lochiatto at the beginning of the third quarter finally put the momentum on the Lady Trojans’ side. Lochiatto’s lay-in started a 12-3 run by the home team, and they never looked back. Showcasing an impressive half-court zone offense and renewed effort in distributing the ball, the Lady Trojans racked up a combined 18 points from Lochiatto, Sundeen, Accorsi, and Pacl in the quarter to pull away for good.
‘Never comfortable with a lead’
During a third-quarter time-out taken by Tahanto, Coach Davidson could be heard telling his players, “We are never comfortable with a lead,” which the Lady Trojans truly took to heart. Despite O’Day’s eight-point outburst in the fourth quarter, the Trojans were able to hold on for their first league victory of the season.
“We always say there’s no such thing as a comfortable lead,” said Cullinan after the game. “We keep adding to our lead until the game is over.”
Davidson was pleased with the effort and fight his team showed in the second half, citing an emphasis on passing and protecting the ball. He hopes that the train (and the wins) can simply keep rolling through next week. “Hopefully this can springboard us into a positive week,” he said.
Greg Maynard is a senior at Fitchburg State University and a Harvard Press intern.
Michael Jarosz is a junior at the Bromfield School.
