Senior co-captain Callie Frackiewicz led Bromfield to a 61-46 victory at Ayer Shirley Monday, Feb. 24, propelling the girls basketball team into the district quarterfinals.
The 11th-seed Trojans beat the favored sixth-seed Ayer Shirley Panthers largely due to an incredible 30-point performance by Frackiewicz: nine baskets, including five 3-pointers, and seven free throws. Although she contributed almost half the team’s points, Frackiewicz credited her coach’s and team’s roles in the win.
“Together as a team, …” she began to say to an interviewer after the game before Coach Bob Miller surprised her with a hug, “… and coach gave us a nice pep talk too,” she finished with a laugh.
As the underdogs in this Central Massachusetts Division 3 first-round tournament game, the Trojans rose to the challenge. From the opening tipoff, they challenged the Panthers with an aggressive man-to-man defense. Two minutes into the game, sophomore Chloe Scornavacca got the Trojans on the board with the first of her nine points for the game. This gave Bromfield the lead for the time being, but the quarter ended with the Panthers leading 11-10.
Bottom row left to right: Callie Frackiewicz, Natalia Dutkewych, Annabel Ashe, Olivia Kehoe, and Isabelle Kehoe. Middle row: Madison Hood, Chloe Scornavacca, Romy Hermans, Kellie Sundeen, and Julia Kimball. Top row: Allie Donahue, Andrea Bradshaw, and Ashley Sampson. (Courtesy photo)
The second quarter was marked with tight team defense. Junior Isabelle Kehoe and sophomore Anabelle Ashe held Ayer Shirley’s top scorer, Stepha Hart, at bay. Two deep 3-pointers from Frackiewicz enabled the Trojans to leave the floor with a half-time lead of 24-19.
The Trojans returned to the court with a palpable intensity matched only by that of the Trojan fans in the stands. The fans erupted with cheers when Frackiewicz stole the ball and charged the hoop for a layup in the last 30 seconds of the third quarter. Ten seconds later, junior Olivia Kehoe stole the ball and with several Panthers chasing her, passed the ball to Frackiewicz, who scored another layup with only seven seconds remaining.
In the fourth, Romy Hermans drew an offensive foul that was a crushing blow to Ayer Shirley as they worked to get back into the game. Sophomore Natalia Dutkewych ended the game by nailing two free throws and dribbling out the last 18 seconds of the game, bolstered by boisterous cheering from the crowd.
Frackiewicz aptly summed up the team’s emotions: “The last time we were in playoffs was when I was in eighth grade,” she said. “This is my first year [back in] varsity basketball, so I think it’s kinda surreal—being the first and last.”
The team hopes to continue winning with its next playoff game against third-seed Leicester Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m.
Lauren Walling-Sotolongo is a Bromfield junior.
