After a successful campaign last season, ending with a state championship, the St. Mary’s girls basketball action was back underway Friday night. St. Mary’s hosted Woburn Memorial to tip off the season, and the Spartans withstood the early pressure from Woburn to win 50-48.
In the first quarter, it was Woburn who seemed to fuel its own energy with its shooting from distance. Captain Amber Hayden showed her range early with a 4-point play, followed up with another three moments later.
Woburn would open up a 10-5 lead early, leading to St. Mary’s head coach Jeff Newhall calling a timeout with 4:15 left in the first quarter.
“We made a lot of mistakes, and [we] couldn’t get settled in the game. We were just going too fast and making a lot of unforced errors,” Newhall said of the first half.
The Spartans came out of the timeout with a full-court press and a 5-0 run. Junior forward Michelle Azzun provided a spark off the bench with her defensive presence and rebounding. However, the run was snapped with another Hayden three-point shot. The first quarter ended with Woburn up 15-10.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth showing. Every time St. Mary’s went on a run, it was either Hayden or sophomore Mckenna Morrison who would respond with a shot from distance. The Spartans cut the game to two points at half, trailing 26-24.
Newhall was full of praise for how Woburn played and how well the team was coached under Stephen Sullivan.
“They are fundamentally sound and are a very well-coached team. They run very good sets, they’re crisp, and they set good screens,” Newhall said.
One adjustment Newhall made was to call off his full-court press. He believed the press was creating too many opportunities for Woburn and its shooters.
“The emphasis [was to run] back and pick up at the three-point line,” Newhall said.
Niya Morgen and Northeastern commit Yirsy Queliz would control the pace in the second half. Morgen finished with 17 points while Queliz grabbed 14 of her own.
St. Mary’s started the second half with a 7-2 run. The team consistently attacked the rim and would get a layup, or draw a foul. Newhall believed his team was settling for too many jump shots in the first half, and wanted his girls to drive the ball more.
“We tried to get their post players away from the hoop… Drive the ball downhill, get near the hoop,” Newhall said. “That is what helped settle the game.”
Morgen and Queliz continued to control the tempo of the game and constantly looked to get the ball to the rim, or get the ball to senior guard Kellyn Preira who worked in the post so she could take her defenders off the dribble. Preira chipped in with 15 on the night.
Even though St. Mary’s was more efficient on the offensive end and played better defense in the second half, Woburn would not go away. The Spartans made crucial free throws in the final minute of the game to preserve their lead and get the all-important first victory of the season – the final score reading 50-48.
St. Mary’s next game is Monday, December 12 at 6:30 p.m. where they host Cardinal Spellman.
After the girls game, the boys team faced nationally ranked St. Benedict’s Prep. of New Jersey. Though the Spartans played hard until the final buzzer, it was the visitors who would walk out with the victory 66-46.
The Spartans will look to rebound quickly as they travel to Cardinal Spellman on Monday, December 12 with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m.
Mark Aboyoun can be reached at [email protected]
