Swampscott girls romp to first-ever state championship

WORCESTER – The journey that had so many roadblocks and missteps along the way finally ended happily for the Swampscott girls basketball team today.The Big Blue can proclaim themselves state champions.Swampscott put a resounding exclamation point on the end of the sentence this morning at the DCU Center in Worcester with a 72-38 victory over previously-unbeaten Quaboag for the Division 3 title.I’m on such a high right now,” said coach Jack Hughes. “I have so much emotional energy right now I could go out and play.”I wouldn’t be that great, of course,” he said. “I probably couldn’t even get the ball up.”Hughes was wise to let the girls do the playing, because once they settled in, there wasn’t anything the Cougars could do. Nimkar and Beaulieu, playing in their last-ever games for Swampscott, went out in style, scoring 27 (Beaulieu) and 24 (Nimkar) points.”Allie is over there crying her eyes out,” said teammate Kara Gilberg, who added an important 16 points to the cause. “That’s how much this means to her.”Beaulieu and Nimkar were on the team that, as freshmen, suffered an excruciating defeat at the hands of Cardinal Spellman in the Boston Garden. For the next two years, they suffered osses in the Division 3 North semifinals to Pentucket. This year, they finally broke through.”I can’t believe we finally did this,” said Beaulieu. “I’m just so incredibly happy for everyone.”We’ve been a true team all year,” she said. “The nicest bunch of girls ? we pick each other up, we’re friends off the court .,,. we truly like each other.”An indication as to how well the Swampscott girls understood their roles can be gleaned from the box score. Starters Tara Gallagher and Marissa Gambale did not score, and Nimkar, Beaulieu and Gilberg scored all but five of the rest of the points (those five coming after the issue was long past doubt, and the subs were in).”They all know their roles,” said Hughes.Gamable is the point guard, and, as such, focused primarily on setting the other girls up and playing defense.”And she was phenomenal,” said Beaulieu. “She’s so underrated ? she was so good that their guard couldn’t even get anything going.”Gallagher, said Hughes, did all the dirty work.”Playing the tough defense ? and setting screens,” Hughes said. “Her role will change next year, of course, but that’s what we asked her to do.”Unlike Pentucket and Williams, the Cougars stuck with their 1-3-1 zone defense long after it was obvious Swampscott was picking it apart easily.”That’s what they do,” said Hughes. “We scouted them on line, and they didn’t pressure, and they weren’t used to getting pressure.”And that played right into Swampscott’s hands.”That’s our game,” said Gilberg “Run, run, run.””I’m truly amazed,” said Nimkar. “We really wanted this game, and we were going to do anything to get it.”Right now, I feel proud,” she said. “I’m proud to come from Swampcsott, and I’m proud of our accomplishments.””It feels so good,” said Hughes, “to be the first basketball state champion from Swampscott. Whatever happens, nobody can ever do better than this. They can equal it ? but they’ll never go better.”