MILFORD, Mass. – Milford finally connected on some shots, making as many field goals in the final minute of the third quarter as the Hawks knocked down in the entire first half. The 14-1 run completed a comeback from 13 points down and gave the hosts a five-point cushion in the fourth quarter, their largest lead of Tuesday night’s game.
North Attleboro could’ve let down and allowed the night to continue getting away, but for the second straight game the Rocketeers found a second wind in the final minutes. The visitors answered with a 10-0 run of their own, regaining the lead and the momentum.
Sparked by a seven-point fourth quarter from senior Ava McKeon, North was able to get the stops it needed and made several clutch shots for a come-from-behind 47-43 victory and a sweep of the season series.
“We tend to have that one quarter where become cold and we can’t hit,” explained North coach Nikki Correia. “What I’m proud of them about is that we’re starting to learn you can get down, basketball is a game of runs, and we talked in the locker room about how we need to keep our heads up and play tough and play strong and they played through that. I thought we did a good job rebounding at halftime.”
It certainly didn’t look like North would need a comeback of any kind after the first quarter. Milford was held to just three free throws and fell behind 16-3.
North went 8-for-10 at the line in a foul-filled opening quarter that saw both teams reach the bonus. Sam Sweeney (game-high 16 points, eight rebounds, and four steals) provided an early boost for North offensively, scoring off an offensive rebound and taking a nice pass from Katie Corsetti (12 points, six rebounds, and six steals) for a layup. Corsetti also hit a short jumper after a steal for one of North’s four made baskets in the first.
Correia said, “To start the season, if we did have a lead, then to break the press we thought if someone is ahead we have to throw it up, but we said we don’t have to force it. Sam Sweeney’s gotten better at being able to read that. Let’s just set up the offense, calm it down, and finding nice sweet spots for her.”
The second quarter was almost a mirror image of the first. This time it was the North offense that stalled, as Sweeney’s jumper was the lone basket for the visitors, who also went just 1-for-6 from the line.
“Recently we’ve dug ourselves into big holes to start games and unfortunately we’re not, typically, built offensively to come back from a 16-3 deficit,” said Milford coach TJ Dolliver. “We did it tonight and we mostly did that by getting stops and getting good looks. Turnovers was mainly what the 16-3 lead was from and sometimes it takes us a while to settle in. Once we did, we came back strong.”
Milford finally found its footing on offense. Erin Michelson (seven points and six rebounds) leaked out in transition and scored off a long pass from Brooke Ferreira (seven points, six rebounds, and four assists). The Hawks were 6-for-12 at the line in the second (as the teams combined for 24 fouls in the first half) to climb back into the game.
After Ferreira drove through the lane for a bucket, Aliza Syed (eight points) drilled one from beyond the arc to cut the North lead to three at the break.
Dolliver said, “We made it ball game and that’s a testament to the girls. We go down like that and it’s easy to roll over and just give up but the girls don’t do that and that’s important.”
North started the second half quickly to extend the lead back to as many as six points (28-22). Sweeney knocked down a jumper and turned a steal into a layup. Khatrina Leger answered with four straight points for the Hawks, but Corsetti got a steal and short jumper and Maryellen Charette, who battled foul trouble in the first half, scored on a put-back.
Suddenly, Milford found another gear on offense. After scoring only 16 points in the first half, the Hawks matched that total in the third quarter alone. Milford also got contributions throughout the roster, as 10 different players got on the score sheet even without key forward Emily Croteau.
Ava Baglione started the comeback with a runner on the baseline. Syed got free from straightaway and buried her second three-pointer to cut North’s lead to just 29-27. With close to 30 seconds remaining in the third, Cae Pellegrini let fly from a step behind the line and her straightaway three banked in to put Milford in front for the first time in the game. Freshman Katelyn Kearnan then made a nice cut and got a pass from Ferreira for a layup to make it 32-29 after three quarters.
Kearnan would get a steal and a layup to start the fourth as well, completing the 14-1 run and giving Milford its largest lead of the night. North needed a spark and McKeon (nine points, eight rebounds, and five steals), who was frustrated by fouls in the first half, gave the Rocketeers a lift with a big put-back.
Sweeney would knock down a pair of jumpers from the right corner to put North quickly back in front 35-34. Corsetti then made a nice move on the right block and finished at the rim and Charette (seven points and six rebounds) got a layup off a McKeon dish. After Michelson got free on an inbounds play, McKeon responded with a tough, baseline drive to restore the five-point lead.
“They all work hard, but she’s somebody who can keep her composure and realize that she needs to a leader,” Correia said about McKeon. “She said to me on the sideline, ‘I got this coach’ and I just said, ‘Settle down, watch the reaching, and play your game.’ When she plays her game, she plays under control and takes what they give her.”
Olivia Baglione got two points back with a good rebound and finish in traffic, but McKeon sliced through the lane for two more to keep the Hawks at arm’s length. Ferreira tried to give the hosts hope with a lefty drive that made it 45-40 with 30 seconds left, but North twice made one-of-two at the line and Michelson’s three at the buzzer was mere consolation.
“It was a last-minute thing yesterday that Emily was sick,” Dolliver said. I told the girls before the game, Emily plays pretty much 30 minutes a game and that production needs to be brought up by someone else and they did it. Second and third quarters we played great, but we need to find a way to sustain that for all four quarters.”
North Attleboro (5-12) will host division-leading Franklin on Friday, looking to pull an upset and have a say in the league title race. Milford (4-12) hosts Hopedale on Thursday before a visit from King Philip one night later.
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