BOSTON – It was not a thing of beauty down the stretch for the St. Mary?s girls? basketball team on Saturday but the result is one that coach Jeff Newhall and the Spartans will gladly take.
Led by 17 points from freshmen Olivia Nazaire and 16 from Marnelle Garraud, the Spartans gave coach Jeff Newhall his 200thcareer win with a 58-50 win over Bridgewater-Raynham at the Jean Yawkey Center on the campus of Emmanuel College.
?I thought that we were able to dictate the pace,” Newhall said. “These kids are just basketball players. It doesn?t matter who the opponent is or where the game is, they know how to get the job done.”
The Spartans (12-3) took control of the game with an 11-0 run in the second quarter, keyed by the inside dominance of Nazaire and Temi Falayi, to open a 35-16 halftime lead.
St. Mary?s kept firing on all cylinders in the third quarter as Falayi, Garraud, Nazaire and Kayla Carter combined to put together a 16-6 burst that blew the game open and gave the Spartans a 51-22 lead.
Nazaire?s performance was especially important as she was in the starting lineup for the first time this year, replacin Gianna Moschella, who was out with an injured knee.
?Olivia really played outstanding,” Newhall said. “And all of our young kids have really stepped in and played well.”
The Trojans didn?t quit and they gradually began to climb their way back.
Emily Kenneally led the comeback attempt with four three-pointers in the second half on her way to a game-high 20 points. Her hot shooting helped lead a 13-0 run that turned a 21-point deficit into a 58-50 game with just under a minute remaining.
The Spartans, however, were able to run out the remaining seconds for the win.
?Those are the things you go through when you have young kids playing,” Newhall said. “But for the most part, I thought that we played really well.”Garraud and Nazaire helped the Spartans get out of the gates in a hurry as they combined to score all but two of their team?s 20 first quarter points as St. Mary?s led by eight after a quarter before putting the hammer down.