PEABODY — The Bishop Fenwick girls basketball team faced the Whitman-Hanson Panthers Wednesday night to conclude its regular season, winning 68-48 in its home gym.
The victory was largely in part to a 20-2 run that stemmed from the final minute of the second quarter into the opening minutes of the third.
Fenwick led by three (24-21) with one minute remaining in the first half. Junior guard Kate McPhail (nine points and four rebounds) then connected on back-to-back three-pointers to begin the Crusaders’ run.
On the following possession, Tess Keenan (five points) joined in on the action, drilling a deep three to end the quarter on a 9-2 run which gave Fenwick a 32-23 halftime lead.
When asked about the run McPhail and Keenan sparked, Crusaders’ head coach Adam DeBaggis described it as “huge.”
“They really work hard every day. They played great tonight,” DeBaggis said. “They’re playing tough and confident.”
It was just the beginning for the Crusaders, who scored 11 unanswered points to start the third quarter, highlighted by another deep three from McPhail.
“Our defense was really good which created transition baskets,” DeBaggis said. “I think we were just being smart. Unfortunately, a lot of games this year we haven’t executed, but today, we did.”
Fenwick led 54-33 after the third quarter, outscoring the Panthers 22-10 in the frame.
The Panthers continued to battle and, at one point, cut things to 11. DeBaggis said his team took its foot off the gas.
“No one has ever won a game in three quarters,” DeBaggis said. “We tried to get back into it and get back [to] playing aggressive. We gathered our lead by playing really good defense.”
The Crusaders’ defense was active and engaged throughout. Fenwick finished with 12 steals alongside six blocks and 15 deflections.
“They’re a really tough opponent so [if we] take away what we did today… that would be nice,” DeBaggis said.
Cecilia Kay of the Crusaders was all over the hardwood, finishing with 26 points to go with 14 rebounds and five blocks. Teammate Celia Neilson contributed with 14 points, four assists, and six steals.
DeBaggis described the game as his team’s “best effort all year.”
