Senior Kirsten Sundeen prepares for a layup in a game against Tahanto. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Junior Amanda Accorsi fights to hold on to the ball as a Tahanto player tries to steal it.
Junior Lindsey Hoggins tries to find space to take a shot.
Girls’ varsity basketball secured an 8–5 record this week after adding two wins, one against Gardner Wednesday, Jan. 21, and another over Tahanto Friday, Jan. 23. Both were tight games, with scores of 54–53 after double overtime and 45–42, respectively.
The girls’ win against Tahanto was not an easy one. Repeated baskets from Tahanto junior Mary Kate O’Day threatened Bromfield’s lead more than once. O’Day scored a total of 20 points for her team, including one three-pointer. She currently holds the number-one spot in the state, with 213 total points this season and an average of 21.3 points per game, according to the Worcester Hometeam website.
Bromfield started the game with a couple of baskets from junior Amanda Accorsi and senior Kirsten Sundeen and dominated the first quarter offensively. A series of perfect passes led to another Accorsi basket, and despite Tahanto’s persistent offensive and defensive pressure, the score favored the Trojans at the end of the first half, 30-23.
The third quarter also saw most baskets from Bromfield players, including Sundeen, sophomore Abbey Pacl, junior Meghanne Fitzsimmons, and seniors Kyra Doher and Amy Jorgensen. O’Day ended the quarter with two missed foul shots and two more points for the Stags, but she wasn’t done yet.
Narrow win for Gardner
After an opening basket from Jorgensen in the fourth quarter, O’Day sank a foul shot and two more baskets, closing the lead Bromfield had gained earlier in the game. Tit-for-tat play ensued as both the home and away crowds went wild. In the final minutes Bromfield took multiple foul shots but failed to put the ball through the net. The door was open for O’Day and her additional six points before the buzzer, but, ultimately, it wasn’t enough to usurp Bromfield’s game-long lead.
Perhaps the Trojans’ most exciting game of the season to date, though, was against Gardner. Sophomore Lexi Norcross clinched the game-winning basket with a well-placed foul shot after two overtime periods.
Because of the blizzard this week, the girls’ games on Monday, Jan 26, Tuesday, Jan. 27, and Wednesday, Jan. 28, were postponed. Their next game is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30, away at West Boylston.
Casey Russell is a senior at the Bromfield School.
