In a Wednesday matinee at Manchester Essex Middle School, the Hornets (3-1) and Big Blue (2-2) fought until the final whistle, but Manchester Essex escaped with a 32-28 win.
Despite the loss, Swampscott head coach Katelyn Leonard was all smiles and proud of her team’s performance.
“This team never quits,” Leonard said. “They’re really young, inexperienced, and they stick together.”
Swampscott’s Victoria Quagrello (nine points) and Jessica Ford (six points) led the way offensively, while Lilian Gosselin sparked the team with her hustle and physicality to go along with four points.
The Big Blue didn’t score their first points until 5:19 remaining in the first quarter. Leonard said her team’s offense is, as of late, reliant on forcing turnovers, something that couldn’t be done early on.
“Lately, our defense has been our offense,” Leonard said. “We got off to a slow start.”
Her solution: “rebound.” Leonard called a timeout after the early scoring drought, leading to three straight baskets to end the first quarter – headlined by Samantha Ward burying a corner three to put Swampscott up 7-4 after one.
“We were giving up so many offensive rebounds and it was making us kind of stale,” Leonard said. “I said ‘if we can grab boards [and] get out and run, we’re going to score some points,’ and it really helped us.”
Swampscott kept the momentum going in the second and took a 16-13 lead into halftime. The highlight of the quarter was a tic-tac-toe passing play between Gosselin, Quagrello, and Anna LoGiudice, ending with a wide open LoGiudice layup.
After cold shooting from Swampscott and strong perimeter defense from the Hornets, Manchester Essex took a 20-16 lead with 3:23 remaining in the third. Shortly after, Gosselin finally scored for Swampscott after shaking two defenders and finishing at the rim.
“She’s just such a tough player,” Leonard said. “She’s so reliable that way, and she’s intimidating for other players. She’s a strong athlete and I can’t say enough great things about her.”
In the fourth, it was all Ford for Swampscott. A play-of-the-game candidate started her burst as she tracked down her own mid-range miss before scoring a layup. Ford followed it with a swish from the elbow, and another deep two with two minutes left to cut the Hornets’ lead to 27-26.
With a chance late, the Big Blue missed a tying three then stepped out of bounds to give possession back to Manchester Essex. The final score read 32-28 in favor of the host Hornets.
Swampscott still stands at .500 heading into the New Year. The Big Blue travel to Peabody to take on the Tanners on Tuesday with tip-off set for 7 p.m. No matter the opponent, Swampscott will be ready according to Leonard.
“Even though they’re not perfect, they’re always giving 100 percent,” Leonard said.
