Stinson leads the way for English girls basketball team

PEABODY ? The last time the Lynn English High girls basketball team played Peabody, the Bulldogs scored just 19 points. But the last time English played Peabody, the Bulldogs didn’t have Catherine Stinson available.Stinson, a freshman, scored a game-high 15 points to lead English to a 53-50 win over the Tanners, Friday night, at Peabody High.The Bulldogs (10-7) are just one win away from clinching a tournament berth that seemed unlikely a month ago.”We have to win one out of five, and we don’t leave the city of Lynn,” English coach Fred Hogan said. “We don’t have to get on a bus the rest of the way.”After watching Stinson score 10 points in the first half, Peabody played a modified box-and-one on her, with Mary Kate Helas guarding Stinson, a guard at the foul line and three players down low. Helas held Stinson scoreless until the final minute, but Stinson didn’t force her offense and let her teammates contribute.”That’s the first time she’s seen that, and she handled it well,” Hogan said. “She’s our quarterback now. She understands her job.”Peabody’s strategy almost worked. The Tanners (6-9) tied the game in the third quarter, but never took the lead as English’s LaShaunda Hogan (12 points) hit some big shots and Diondra Woumn (8 points; 10 rebounds) was a pest on the offensive glass.Brittany LeFave led Peabody with 13 points, while Carolyn Scacchi and Carli Giacchino had 10 each. Scacchi also grabbed 19 rebounds.”They (Tanners) should have been rewarded for playing four good quarters,” said Peabody coach Jane Heil. “We played well for four quarters, but English played a little better.”The Bulldogs played a whole lot better in the first quarter, sprinting to a 15-2 lead behind seven points from Stinson. Giacchino hit a 17-footer just before the buzzer to make the score 15-4 at the end of the opening period.Giacchino continued her strong play in the second quarter, scoring eight points as Peabody closed its deficit to seven points before Stinson and LaShaunda connected on 3-pointers to boost the lead back to 26-14. The Tanners closed the half on a mini-run with a post-up hoop by Scacchi and a 3-pointer from LeFave, offset by a putback by English’s Deidre Newsom to make the score 30-21 at halftime.LeFave canned a couple of 3-pointers as Peabody started the second half on an 8-0 run. The Tanners finally tied the game at 33-33 when Scacchi nailed a jumper from the free throw line on an in-bounds play with 4:20 left in the third quarter.Peabody tied the game twice more, and a free throw from Scacchi made the score 38-38 at the end of the third quarter.Miranda Hogan followed her own miss with a putback to increase English’s lead to five (45-40) with 4:34 left, but Peabody didn’t go away, and a couple of free throws by LeFave brought the Tanners back to within two with 2:44 remaining.LaShaunda Hogan made a runner through the lane, and then Woumn scored on a rebound and added a free throw to boost the lead back to five. Peabody had to foul in the last minute and put Stinson on the line, where she made three of four free throws. A 3-pointer by Katie Brunelle just before the buzzer accounted for the final score.