FOXBORO, Mass. – Nearly five minutes into Friday night’s Round of 32 game, Foxboro was still searching for its first made basket. Ava Hill picked the pocket of a Holliston guard and threw the ball ahead to Camryn Collins for a layup. Megan Simpson banked in a runner to tie the game, but then Kailey Sullivan came up with a steal and turned it into a layup at the other end.
It was still early in the game, but that 6-4 lead was one that the Warriors wouldn’t relinquish. Foxboro shook off the slow start in its first tournament game and ran away from Holliston for a 68-35 victory, booking a return to the Div. 2 Sweet Sixteen and earning head coach Lisa Downs her 200th career win.
“We just trusted each other,” Collins said about not getting past the slow start. “Our mantra this year is next play, so we just focused on the next play, making sure that we worked hard each possession.”
“Historically, every year our first game is our worst game,” Downs said. “I just had to remind them that we got here for a reason, that we’re a very good team but we need to take a couple deep breaths and just relax out there. Offensively all of the shots were just flat because we had nerves.”
Collins (17 points, five steals, and four assists) was the star early in the game for Foxboro. In a first quarter in which the Panthers committed 12 team fouls (there were 25 combined fouls in the first half) and Foxboro was just 4-of-10 at the line, Collins was on the attack, driving hard to the basket.
The junior, who was recently named Hockomock League MVP, scored six in the first quarter, but turned it on in the second to help the Warriors build a commanding halftime lead. Twice Collins turned a steal directly into an uncontested layup, scored on a drive to the rim, and made a nice cut and got the pass from Sullivan for two.
“No matter what happens, we always pride ourselves on defense,” she explained. “We want to stay tough on defense because that’s what being a Warrior is all about and we don’t want to disappoint Coach Downs.”
Sophomore Addie Ruter looked a little nervous in the first playoff game of her career, but in the second quarter she set that aside and started to provide the inside presence that has made Foxboro’s offense so dynamic this season. Ruter scored eight of her 14 points in the quarter and had 12 of her 21 rebounds by halftime. She got a couple of baskets by fighting for offensive rebounds and also got a nice dish from Collins for two more.
After a rough start to the game, Foxboro went into the locker room with a 32-16 advantage.
Sullivan was having a rough shooting night through the opening 16 minutes of the game, struggling to find the range and going into the break with just six points. In the third quarter, everything changed.
Holliston tried to make a little comeback, with Simpson (19 points) knocking down a three, but Sullivan made sure to instantly quell any momentum by matching it on the other end. A second three followed to make it 40-23. Freshman Kylie Sampson stole the ball on one end and made a nice outlet pass to spring Sullivan for a layup.
Even after Collins was forced to the bench with her fourth foul, Sullivan kept Foxboro’s offense humming. A tough floater plus the contact put the Warriors up 20 and she got another jumper after Ruter kept the possession alive with an offensive board. Sullivan had 13 of her game-high 21 points in the third.
“She’s my treacherous twin,” Collins said about Sullivan. “We just love playing together, we bounce off each other, play well together, and it’s just good team chemistry.”
Downs added, “It’s huge. No team can concentrate on just one of them. If Cam’s getting their focus then Kailey is going to be wide open and vice versa. It’s a luxury that I’m very happy to have.”
Ruter would keep things rolling in the fourth with six points. Foxboro’s shooters came alive as well, with Erin Foley, freshman Adrianna Porazzo, and senior Maddie Maher all burying shots from the perimeter. Freshman Keagan Maguire got some playing time and made a nice post move for a basket as well. Isabelle Chamberlin also chipped in with 10 rebounds.
It started out as a tight, tough game, but turned quickly into the expected romp for the Warriors and Downs took the opportunity to share her career milestone with several former players who had come to watch the game.
Downs reflected, “I’ve been fortunate to have some great players over the years, but more important I’ve really met some young women that are now parents. As rewarding as it is to be a coach and get the ‘Ws’, it’s equally as rewarding to build those relationships and now I’m friends with these girls who i coached who are now adults.”
“For them to reach out me when they’re in mid-20s, late-20s to say hi or to ask for advice, that’s the most rewarding part.”
Foxboro (20-1) has now won 16 straight game and will host #12 South High, which beat Hanover on Friday, in the D2 Sweet Sixteen on Tuesday night.
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