The Bromfield School’s girls varsity basketball team defeated the Ayer Shirley Regional High School Panthers by 9 points last Sunday, Jan. 16. The home game was originally scheduled for Jan. 7, but was postponed due to snow. Despite playing with fewer varsity players, the Trojans brought the final score to 43-34.
Despite being heavily guarded, senior Chloe Scornavacca goes up for a shot. (Photos by Lisa Aciulewicz)
Bromfield led at the end of the first quarter 16-7. Bromfield co-captain Natalia Dutkewych scored 6 points, and Ayer Shirley sophomore Ava Murphy sank a 3-pointer. Bromfield made several points from rebounds, some requiring repeated attempts, drawing cheers from the crowd as the shot clock ticked down.
Early in the second quarter, the game was stopped as Ayer Shirley’s top scorer was helped off the court after she fell while running to defend against a Bromfield attack. The referees did not call any fouls against Bromfield, and the game continued without Murphy.
A minute later, sophomore Theresa Arakelian flushed another 3-pointer for the Panthers. Bromfield co-captain Chloe Scornavacca scored 4 points, sophomore Kennedy Dylewicz scored 7, and Nora Clarke added 2 more on free throws, increasing Bromfield’s lead to 29-16 at the end of the first half.
The game grew more heated in the third quarter and, while few points were scored, Bromfield was awarded eight foul shots and Ayer Shirley nine. Junior Alison Gravelle scored Ayer Shirley’s only points, sinking a 3-pointer at 4 minutes 48 seconds. The quarter ended with Bromfield ahead 37-19.
In the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, Ayer Shirley was awarded 11 free throws but scored only 2 points. One free throw was revoked when a teammate moved to catch the ball before it was thrown.
Panther player Victoria Salmon left the court in tears when she was pushed with 25 seconds left in the game. Arakelian then took, and missed, two free throws. No points were scored for the remainder of the game, and Salmon returned to the court in the final seconds.
Co-captain Tallie Dutkewych fights for the ball in an intense game against rivals Ayer Shirley, Jan. 16, which the team would go on to win by 9 points.
Bromfield Coach Anne McWaters said she was happy with the win and that her team performed well despite playing shorthanded, with three players being brought up from junior varsity. She said, “It worked out great. The girls that were here gave it everything they had.”
Before the game, McWaters told her team, “Whoever wants the ball more in this game is going to be the team that wins it,” and she later said that Dutkewych’s leadership and drive contributed to Bromfield’s victory. She also credited Nora Clarke, who came up from JV and scored 6 points. “She really stepped up, came into her own, and she did great out there.”
McWaters said the Trojans should be proud of this win. “I have nothing but good things to say about them. It was a tough team we just went against, and they all executed well while they were out there. ”
The game brought Bromfield’s record to 2-1 and Ayer Shirley’s to 2-2. Bromfield’s next game was scheduled for Jan. 18 at Tahanto Regional High School.
Olivia Muller-Juez is a Bromfield sophomore.
