LYNN — Perhaps it was the early jitters that came with playing on its home floor for the first time this season that hampered the English girls basketball team during Tuesday’s Northeastern Conference battle against Winthrop. Despite those struggles, the Bulldogs, behind a 29-point second half, did enough to walk away with a 45-34 win at Paul F. Cavanagh Field House.
“A win’s a win and we’ll take it,” English coach Mackenzie Charles said. “(Winthrop coach Joe Lowe) has those girls playing hard. He’s doing a good job at Winthrop and they’re going to be better when we see them again.”
Winthrop hung tough with English through the first three quarters and trailed by just two baskets, 31-27, heading into the fourth. That’s when the Bulldogs mounted a double-digit lead to seal the deal. Getting there, said Charles, was a total team effort.
“I was happy to see some of the younger girls get in the game and really help us,” Charles said. “Matty Laurino came in and gave us some valuable minutes because we got in some foul trouble. Rosie Chheang came in toward the end of the game and really gave us some good minutes. It was really good for those girls to gain some varsity experience.”
Jessica Ruiz was English’s lone scorer in double-figures at 11 points. Julianna Perry, Kylia Reynoso and Mashayla Johnson each finished with nine points. Maylin Echevarria controlled the post with 11 rebounds.
Carolyn Kinsella paced Winthrop with 11 points. Maura Dorr scored nine and Maddie Stiglets added seven.
The Vikings, limited by injuries, struggled to score consistently.
“We lost Grace Galoris and Lily Pulsifer, who’s averaging a double-double,” Lowe said. “For us to come into a tough environment and just battle is really what I care about. It says a lot about the girls that are in there just fighting when they’re shorthanded.”
Dorr and Kinsella hit a basket each to give Winthrop a swift 4-1 edge in the first quarter. Echevarria found Perry for a 3-pointer, knotting the score at 4-4. Reynoso gave English the lead back at 6-4 on an easy lay-up in transition but Stiglets’ floater brought the Vikings even again. Nia Sams’ hoop ended the first quarter with English up 8-6.
The Vikings matched English basket for basket in the second quarter and ended the half trailing 16-15.
Johnson’s 3-pointer midway through the third quarter brought English’s lead up to 23-17 and Reynoso added a lay-up to put Winthrop in an 8-point hole. Winthrop proceeded to piece together a 9-2 run, cutting English’s lead to 27-26. But the next two buckets belonged to the Bulldogs, who carried a 31-27 edge after three quarters.
English distanced itself over the next few minutes. Reynoso drilled a 3 to put English ahead 36-27. Johnson and Perry each swished a pair of free throws, bumping the lead to 40-27. Chheang effectively sealed the win with a corner 3 that extended English’s advantage to 43-29 halfway through the quarter.
“That was good for Rosie’s confidence because she’s been working on that shot,” Charles said.
“Mashayla hitting a couple three’s helped us and then Kylia getting a couple steals and fastbreaks, that’s really what we want to do more. We didn’t do enough transition basketball.”
The Bulldogs (5-1, 5-0 in NEC games) host Revere Wednesday (7).
“We’re getting better,” Charles said. “We have to manage the season because it’s a marathon, not a sprint. We’re starting off well but we have to keep that momentum.”
Winthrop (2-3) travels to Charlestown Thursday (3:45).
“We haven’t played a full game healthy this year,” Lowe said. “We’re still fighting and in everything. I’d love to see how we actually play when we get a full team back. Until then, we’re just going to keep working. This group of girls brings it every day and I’m proud to coach them.”
