Tag: Erin Foley
Foxboro Pulls Away From Dracut, Secures D2 State Title
LOWELL, Mass. – As the final seconds wound down in Saturday night’s Div. 2 state championship game at the Tsongas Center on the campus of UMass Lowell, Foxboro junior guard Camryn Collins was forced to watch the action from the bench. The Hockomock League MVP fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, but she watched her teammates step in and step up to close out the victory.
“It was a little weird,” Collins admitted when asked about having to be on the bench, “but I had full confidence that they were going to do whatever Lisa wanted them to do. During the season we had a lot of games that we would come out for a good lead, so I think it was just a matter of saving the lead and playing how we know how to play.”
While the focus will always be on Foxboro’s three leading scorers, the Warriors got a total team effort on both ends of the court in the final, leading by double figures for almost the entire second half and running away with a 73-53 victory. It is the program’s fourth state title and third in the past six years.
“It just never felt comfortable, but we dug in,” Foxboro coach Lisa Downs said. “Everyone contributed and that’s kind of been a theme all season. It’s always been team over me and, honestly, that wasn’t from me that was all them. It was just an awesome team to coach this season.”
Collins added, “Our coach always says, play Warrior ball, so we just come out here, you may not always see it on the court but we’re always working behind the scenes. I can always depend on what they can do.”
It was a fast-paced start to the game, with both teams knocking down big shots and racing up and down the floor. All the attention was on Collins guarding Dracut’s dynamic scorer Ashlee Talbot (28 points), but it was Emma Felker that gave the Middies an early boost. The center buried a corner three and had nine of the team’s first 13 points.
Collins (15 points and three assists) had four early points, including two off a stolen inbounds pass, but also picked up two fouls. Ava Hill came off the bench and gave the Warriors a huge lift. She drilled a three and then went hard to the basket for a transition layup that made it 16-13.
Kailey Sullivan (18 points and three assists) nailed the first of her four threes to extend the lead to six, but Talbot finally got going with a pull-up jumper and a pair at the line. Collins found Sullivan on a nice backdoor cut to close out the first with a 21-17 lead.
After the early foul trouble for Collins, Erin Foley picked up Talbot to start the second. Foley only scored three points (all at the line) but she dished out six assists and did her best to close off driving lanes and force Talbot into long-range efforts.
Sullivan buried a three and freshman Kylie Sampson came off the bench and hit one after a good kick-out by center Addie Ruter (18 points and 15 rebounds). Talbot answered with a three that cut the lead to 29-24, but Hill knocked down a jumper and Sullivan was on target from distance again to push the lead to 10 for the first time.
After Talbot hit a pair at the line, Hill sent Foxboro into the locker room up 36-26 with another baseline jumper. She had nine of her 11 points in the first half.
“She has that capability on any given night,” Downs said about Hill. “She was helping on defense the way that we had been practicing all week, she was hitting those key shots, and she was being strong with the ball. She was the dynamic player we needed tonight.”
Felker hit a three early in the third quarter that made it 38-29, but that would be as close as the Middies would get in the second half. Collins made up for lost time in the third quarter, taking the ball to the rim and knocking down her lone three of the night. She scored nine points in the frame to help Foxboro start to pull away with an 11-0 run.
She also had plenty of help. Ruter twice scored by crashing the offensive glass, spinning one shot just over the rim and through, and also took a nice pass from Collins for a finish at the rim. Isabelle Chamberlin (four points and six rebounds) also got in the act, swishing a rare elbow jumper.
“Everybody has a role on this team,” Collins explained. “So if Kailey and I come down and hit shots, if we come down and get it into Addie in the paint then she’s going to hit those shots, because we can depend on each other for that.”
Collins slid baseline for a reverse layup and Sullivan hit another from deep and Foxboro led by as many as 23. Talbot would score five points to cut the gap down to 20 heading to the fourth.
Over the final eight minutes, the game felt like it was still in the balance because of Dracut’s ability to score in bunches, but in truth the Warriors never really lost control of the outcome. Dracut never got closer than 13 points.
“I feel like the third quarter was when we made that explosion offensively, but it never felt safe,” Downs said. “Ashlee Talbot can shoot lights out at any time and then she can dish if we help off of people.”
Ruter started the quarter with a short jumper and Chamberlin got a bucket to push the lead to 63-43. Talbot was doing her best to keep the Middies alive with a couple of deep threes and Brodie Gannon hit a corner three that made it 68-53 with 2:13 to play. Foxboro was relying on its free throw shooting to put the game away, going 11-of-19 at the line in the fourth.
Even as Collins sat the final four minutes and Sullivan was forced to the bench late in the quarter with an injury, the result was never seriously in doubt. Ruter capped off her impressive playoff run with another put-back in the closing minute, and by then the party had started on the bench and in the stands.
The state championship trophy was heading back to Foxboro (24-1).
“It’s so awesome,” Collins said, still clutching the trophy. “I’m so blessed to be here with these girls who are so deserving. We’ve been talking about this since summer league, so we’re just so glad that we can come out on the court and execute and win. It’s awesome.”
When the team’s relative inexperience (no seniors in the regular rotation) is mentioned, Downs responded, “It’s amazing. They play like they’ve been here before and none of them have. If you were looking at the roster, you’d see a whole bunch of sophomores and junior but you’d never have known that if you see them on the court.”
Showing Gritty Side, Foxboro Rides Defense to D2 Final
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – In the quarterfinal against Chicopee, Foxboro went on a run over the second and third quarters that turned the game into a rout. Monday night’s Final Four game at Bridgewater-Raynham High, against top-seeded Walpole, was never going to be comfortable.
With only five wins all season of less than 20 points, the Warriors rarely play in tight games, but to reach the Div. 2 final, they were going to need to bear down, fight through every half-court possession, and show that there is a gritty side to their game.
No problem.
Foxboro closed the game with a 14-3 run, a stretch filled with huge hustle plays on both ends of the floor, and secured a 51-34 win over the Timberwolves, booking a return to the state championship game for the first time since being named co-champs in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
“No,” Foxboro coach Lisa Downs succinctly replied when asked if she was surprised that her team could put in a defensive performance like this. “I think these girls do it day-in, day out and they rely on each other out there. Our help defense has improved so much. They just work as a great unit out there. I was thrilled with how they executed.”
Junior guard Erin Foley added, “We came into it knowing they work hard on offense, they push on offense, they’re very aggressive, very fast, so we worked on our help defense all week. We worked hard, everyone worked together, and we go the job done on defense.”
Right from the start, it was obvious that this was not going to be a shootout. Both teams were physical, aggressive, and fundamentally sound on the defensive end, making each possession a test of patience.
Foley got the night started by burying a corner three. After Walpole got the next six points to grab the lead, Kailey Sullivan (12 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks) drilled a straightaway three to tie it. It was the only basket of the first half for Sullivan, the team’s leading scorer.
Brooke Walonis (seven points) scored the next four to put Walpole back in front, but Foley (10 points, six rebounds, and three steals) snatched an offensive rebound and went up strong for two. Camryn Collins (game-high 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals) would take a nice feed from Addie Ruter for a layup and then sliced down the lane for two and a 12-10 lead after one.
If anything, things got tighter in the second quarter. Catie Hurley (seven points) was a tough matchup for Ruter in the paint and she restored Walpole’s lead with an and-one, then added another tough finish at the rim. Collins answered with a drive and a nice look-ahead to Foley for a transition bucket.
“Cam, her athleticism was on display for everyone to see tonight,” Downs explained. “The amount of times that she was able to get a tip out there, and that led to a lot of turnovers that she instigated and we were able to score off those as well.”
After Collins hit a pull-up jumper from the top of the key, the game was tied at 18 apiece. The Hockomock League MVP capped off an eight-point quarter with a pair of free throws and a layup on the break to put Foxboro ahead by four going into the locker room.
Downs was pleased to be in the lead, even with Sullivan and Ruter (two of the team’s three leading scorers) held to just three points. She explained, “I knew the fouls had the potential hurt us (Collins and Ruter each had to sit with two), but we did what we needed to do, hit our free throws. That’s a quality team that can shoot from the outside and is very physical inside so we needed to make sure we maintained our composure out there.”
The third quarter was a struggle for both teams, combining for just 15 points total. Walonis drained a three and Isabelle Adams (seven points) knocked down a jumper off an offensive rebound to put Walpole ahead 24-23 with nearly half of the quarter played.
Foxboro closed every quarter well and the Warriors used an 8-0 run to grab the lead back. Collins drove and dished to Isabelle Chamberlin (five rebounds, two blocks, and two charges taken) for her lone basket of the night. Collins then dove on the floor to keep a possession alive at mid-court, fired a pass to Chamberlin, who fed it to Sullivan for a layup.
With the Foxboro crowd’s energy adding to the team’s momentum, Collins again drove, drew multiple defenders, and found Foley for a huge three right in front of the student section.
“Tonight I came into it thinking it’s the No. 1 seed, what do we have to lose?” Foley said about her best scoring night of the playoffs. “It’s a great shooting night for everyone and I did knock down some threes. I was happy about that, it got us off to a great start.”
Downs, who praised Foley and Chamberlin for rising to the challenge with the top scorers struggling, remarked, “Erin was assigned Adams to just shut her down and really make her life a living nightmare, and she did that. She wreaks havoc on defense. She has that energy, that little spark we needed because everyone does focus on those three and when one or two of them are having a lot of pressure on them we need someone to step up.”
Adams started the fourth with a reverse to get back within three, but Foxboro scored seven straight to open up a double-digit advantage. Ruter sank a baseline jumper for her first points of the night and Sullivan drilled a three after Collins skied for a rebound and kicked it out to the wing. Sullivan came up short on another three from the corner, but followed her own shot and knocked down a floater.
Walpole wasn’t going quietly. Freshman Bella Bingham got a pair at the line and leaked out after a rebound by Hurley for a transition basket, getting the Timberwolves as close as six.
Ruter, who was scoreless for three quarters, started to take over. Another big hustle play gave the Warriors a second opportunity and Chamberlin slipped a pass to Ruter for two. With 3:45 to go, Ruter buried a tough turnaround over Hurley to restore the 10-point lead. She finished with her fourth double-double in four postseason games, scoring 10 points (all in the fourth) and grabbing 10 boards.
Foxboro hit 8-of-12 free throws down the stretch, pushing the lead to 17 and allowing the Warriors to count down the final seconds before celebrating a chance to play for the state title.
“We had a great team our freshman year with Katelyn Mollica, Jordyn [Collins], all of them, we thought we’d make it far but then COVID happened,” Foley said when asked about what this run means. “It’s great to have a long run in this tournament and we’re already here and we’re at the state championship.”
Riding a 19-game win streak, Foxboro (23-1) will face No. 6 Dracut, which upset No. 2 seed Medfield, at the Tsongas Center at a date and time to be determined.
Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 03/10/23
Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Division 2
#2 Mansfield, 77 vs. #10 Marblehead, 50 – Final
#3 Sharon, 61 vs. #6 Nashoba, 65 – Final
Girls Basketball
Division 2
#5 Foxboro, 76 vs. #13 Chicopee, 30 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. When Ella Florence hit a hook shot late in the first quarter, Chicopee had cut the Foxboro lead to 12-10 and it looked like the Warriors had a battle on their hands. Kailey Sullivan drilled a three and hit a tough floater to close out the first and Foxboro was off and running. The Warriors would go on a 57-5 run from the first quarter into the fourth, finding an unstoppable gear and cruising into the Div. 2 Final Four. Sullivan knocked down six three-pointers and finished with a game-high 26 points (and six rebounds). Sophomore Addie Ruter had another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while also dishing out five assists and blocking two shots. Camryn Collins had another outstanding all-around game, scoring 15 points, grabbing six boards, five steals, and three blocks. Erin Foley added seven points to her typically strong on-ball defense. Foxboro’s starters were able to rest in the fourth quarter, where Maddie Maher and Kylie Sampson each buried threes and Reese Hassman added four points. Foxboro will face top seed Walpole in the state semifinal at a date, time, and location to be determined.
Ruter’s Towering Performance Carries Foxboro Past South
FOXBORO, Mass. – In the opening round, Foxboro coach Lisa Downs said that sophomore center Addie Ruter looked nervous at the start and it took her a quarter to get into the flow of the game. Apparently, Ruter got all the nerves out because in Tuesday night’s Div. 2 Sweet Sixteen game against previously undefeated South High (Worcester), she dominated.
Ruter scored a career-high 31 points (19 combined between the second and third quarters) and pulled down 16 rebounds, taking advantage of the size mismatch in the paint to power Foxboro to a 71-55 victory and a spot in the quarterfinal.
“I tried my hardest to calm my nerves before the game,” Ruter explained, “and I came out strong knowing that I had the advantage and that I was going to keep doing that. It’s definitely a confidence booster, those first few points, and then you keep it rolling.
Foxboro coach Lisa Downs said of Ruter, “They didn’t have a lot of height, so we knew we had to get it into her offensively and she did a great job of keeping the ball up. She did a really great job of timing her jump, keeping the ball up, and going up strong with it.”
Early in the game it was a contrast of styles. Foxboro was trying to get the ball to the rim, whether on dribble drives or with Ruter posting up, while the Colonels were bombing away from three. Arianna Gonzalez (17 points), Jaiyla Colon (12 points), and Jaizzy Santiago (eight points) each knocked down triples for South in the opening quarter.
Foxboro was willing to work the ball around in the half-court, probing for an opening. Ruter got off to a quick start, burying a pair of foul line jumpers. An Erin Foley defensive rebound turned into a run out bucket for Camryn Collins (16 points, nine rebounds, and five assists), and Kailey Sullivan (20 points) beat her marker off the dribble for an and-one.
Ruter added two more on an offensive rebound, but South got a basket in the closing seconds to cut the gap to 15-11 after one.
Collins hit a tough runner and then her steal led to a Sullivan layup to push the lead to six. South got baskets from Gonzalez and Santiago to cut the deficit to just two, but the Warriors put together a 10-0 run to take control of the game. The Colonels never got closer than eight from that point on.
After Ruter got the run started with a baseline jumper and another put-back, Sullivan helped open up the gap by drilling a pair of threes.
“That was huge for us,” Downs said about Sullivan getting going from the outside. “We saw against Holliston (in the first round), she was missing a lot in the first quarter and she kind of sets the tone. You saw that first shot go in and it was a sigh of relief. We just played a little more relaxed.”
Bryan Bascones, who had the unenviable task of trying to match up with Ruter in the paint, would grab an offensive rebound to make it 32-24, but Ruter answered with back-to-back baskets and Foxboro went into the locker room up a dozen.
Sullivan kept firing away to start the second half, draining her third three and then getting to the rim with a nice move on the baseline. Foxboro was dominating on the glass. In addition to Ruter and Collins, Foley finished with six rebounds and Isabelle Chamberlin grabbed 10 boards for the second straight game.
Downs said, “We had to prevent those outside shots from going in and I think we did a better job of that in the third quarter, just getting out over the screens with our guards and getting a hand up to contest the shots. Obviously the rebounding, we weren’t giving them a second opportunity most times, so they were getting one contested shot.”
Colon tried to bring the Colonels back into the game with a three and a pull-up jumper after a steal, but Sullivan hit a floater, Ruter knocked down a jumper, and Collins nailed a three to go back up by 15.
Foxboro pulled away early in the fourth, pushing the lead to as many as 20 points. Collins made a nice slashing drive for two, Ruter continued to pound away in the paint with six more points, and Ava Hill splashed a three. Santiago and Niama Bleou both hit from beyond the arc and Foxboro got a little sloppy with the big lead, but Collins got another bucket in transition to close out the game and ease any fears of a later comeback.
“It’s lots of fun,” Ruter said of her first playoff experience. “It’s definitely tense, but if you trust your teammates then it’s great.
She continued, “Over the season, we’ve built a lot of trust (in each other). I know, coming into the season, the first few games, I kind of felt like I’d been playing with them my whole life even though it was really new. It’s great team chemistry.”
Foxboro (21-1) will put its 17-game win streak on the line and try to book a place in the Final Four against No. 13 Chicopee, which upset No. 4 Westwood, at home on Friday night.
Foxboro Rolls Past Holliston and Into Sweet Sixteen
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.
Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/21/23
Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Foxboro, 91 vs. Medfield, 57 – Final – Foxboro’s 22-point first quarter was a sign of things to come as the Warriors’ offense had its best performance of the season in a 91-57 victory over Medfield in the championship game of the Warrior Classic. Senior Sam Golub and sophomore Ryan Kelley buoyed the big start from the hosts as Golub drained a trio of threes for 11 of his 24 points while Kelley hit a pair of triples for nine of his career-high 17 points to set the tone early. Foxboro was even better in the second as Alex Penders erupted for 12 of his game-high 28 points, Golub added 10 more points, and Ian Foley came off the bench to sink a pair of threes for a total of 32 points in the second, and a commanding 54-24 lead at halftime. Foxboro will close out the season on Thursday against Melrose in an endowment game.
King Philip, 64 vs. Falmouth, 51 – Final – King Philip senior Will Laplante shined in his final regular season high school game as his 25-point performance anchored a 64-51 win over Falmouth in the consolation game of the Crosby-Couto Tournament at Somerset-Berkley. The Warriors had a modest three-point lead after eight minutes thanks to three from Tommy Martorano, Brandon Nicsatro, and Laplante but extended its advantage to double-digits (29-19) by halftime with a strong second. Laplante had 10 points in the second lone while Martorano (14 points) added five more. Laplante tacked on two threes in the third quarter and one more in the fourth, and senior Grant Kinney (11 points) splashed in three more three-pointers in the fourth to keep KP ahead.
Stoughton, 79 vs. Milton, 53 – Final – Stoughton used six first-half three pointers to build a 15-point halftime lead and never looked back, knocking off Milton in the championship game of the Moscardelli Tournament at Quincy High. Jayden Costa-Haywood, Jarred Daughtry, and Anthony Alessi connected from downtown in the first and sophomore Matt Greenspoon splashed in three three-pointers in the second quarter alone as the Knights staked a 37-22 lead at halftime. Costa-Haywood continued on in the second half, recording 16 of his game-high 27 points after the break. Greenspoon added two more triples in the fourth to finish with 15 points while Alessi and Daughtry both chipped in with eight points.
Girls Basketball
Foxboro, 61 vs. Brookline, 53 – Final – Foxboro closed out the regular season with an impressive win against a team ranked in the top five in Div. 1 in the final of the Warrior Classic. The Warriors had a big lead at halftime, but Brookline stormed back and eventually tied the game at 47-47 in the fourth quarter. Foxboro went on a 14-4 run to regain a double digit lead and close out the win. Camryn Collins, despite battling foul trouble in the second half, finished with a team-high 23 points and was named the tournament MVP. Kailey Sullivan added 17 points and was named to the all-tournament team, and Addie Ruter scored 10 points. Isabelle Chamberlin provided 10 rebounds, including a couple clutch ones in the final minutes, and Erin Foley played strong defense against Brookline’s talented perimeter players.
Boys Hockey
Canton, 2 @ Boston Latin, 0 – Final
Girls Hockey
King Philip, 2 @ Milton, 2 – Final – Katarina Precobb and Kelly Holmes both found the back of the net and Mallory Johnston made a pair of saves to lift KP in the shootout after the game stayed tied through regulation and overtime. KP trailed 2-1 late in the third period but Nicole McDonald got a tip on a shot from the point, wrong-footing the goalie and tying the game with just 34 seconds to go. In the OT period, KP had several chances to win it, with McDonald, Precobb, and Holmes all denied by the Milton goalie on good scoring opportunities. Precobb started the shootout by going top shelf and Holmes beat the goalie five-hole. On the other end, Johnston stayed with the shooters, twice keeping her pads down to make the saves and send KP to the final of the Milton February Break Tournament, on Thursday afternoon against Bishop Stang at the Ulin Rink.
Foxboro Overcomes Gritty OA For Perfect League Campaign
FOXBORO, Mass. – For the second time this season, Oliver Ames went into a game against Davenport division champion Foxboro without a pair of its usual starters. In the first meeting, three weeks ago, the Warriors cruised to a 40-point win. On Friday night, things went very differently.
Foxboro jumped out to a 13-point lead at halftime, but rather than let the game get away OA rallied to get as close as two points late in the fourth quarter. It was a rare test for the Warriors, who won 14 of their first 17 games by at least 23 points, but they showed resolve to make enough plays down the stretch and pull out the 58-52 victory.
With the win, Foxboro completed a perfect 16-0 Hockomock League campaign. It was the first time in her 12 years as coach that Lisa Downs had a team run the table in league play.
“I knew we had a lot of potential, but I honestly wasn’t thinking undefeated Hockomock season because each team gets better every time they step on the court and by the time you face a team the second time around, they’re going to have improved,” Downs said. “This group of girls that I have this season, their team chemistry is ridiculously good. They all just want each other to do well.”
OA dropped back to .500 on the season with two games to go, but it was a sign of the progress that a young roster was making under first-year coach Brittany Engle.
“I think it just shows a lot of growth that they were committed to executing the game plan,” Engle explained. “I thought the girls were committed to just playing loose, playing as a team, playing hard, and just everybody being aggressive. I think it was a good team effort.”
Sarah Hilliard was out injured and Kaydance Derba wasn’t able to start for the Tigers, so OA leaned on its bench at the start of the game and they provided a spark of energy that got the visitors off to an 11-4 start.
Annie Reilly and Kamryn Derba both drilled threes and Avery Gamble got out on the break to score two of her five first-quarter points. OA couldn’t have asked for a better start, but the league champs stormed right back.
Foxboro went on an 11-0 run to close out the first and grab the lead. Camryn Collins (20 points and four steals) got the comeback started with a short fall-away jumper and Erin Foley knocked down a jumper after an Ava Hill steal and assist. Collins scored on the break, two of her nine points in the first, and Hill took a nice dish from Kailey Sullivan (14 points) for a layup.
“It’s nice to be able to rely on that,” Downs said about Collins’ production, “and she’s just so athletic that defensively I can put her on whoever got hot that night. She’s just Miss Reliable.”
Momentum carried over to the second, as Foxboro would score 22 points and open up a double-digit advantage. Six Warriors scored in the quarter to help push the lead.
Kamryn Derba (18 points and six rebounds) hit a deep three and Reilly (14 points and six rebounds) drove to the basket to cut the Foxboro lead to 26-22, but the Warriors would go on an 11-2 run to close the half. Collins got that run started with a straightaway three. Addie Ruter (eight points and six rebounds) got a pair of scores in the paint and Foley got a layup after a Collins steal.
Sullivan added a transition bucket to close out the half for Foxboro. Derba would make a late free throw to cut the lead to 13 at halftime, but it looked like the Warriors were on the brink of putting the game away, Instead, OA came storming back in the third.
“We talked about mental toughness,” Engle said. “Especially with a young team, a couple mistakes in a row or a couple calls that don’t go your way and that starts getting in their heads and momentum swings. We’re always talking about next play, next play, next play and chipping away. I thought that was their best job at bouncing back.”
The Tigers put together a 16-6 run. Maddie Homer (seven points) drained a corner three that got the visiting bench going and Reilly continued to make plays on both ends of the floor. She scored on a put-back and took a nice pass from Katherine Farley for a layup in traffic. Homer hit another jumper and Derba knocked down a deep three and it was suddenly 43-40.
“Annie Reilly was huge tonight,” Engle said. “She really looked to attack. She always does the little things. She has great instincts, she hustles, and she makes all those right plays, but she doesn’t usually look for her offense. I’m so proud of Annie, she was huge tonight.”
As they had all night, the Warriors closed the quarter well. Hill continued to make big plays, as she sliced through the lane to finish, plus the foul, to stem the OA tide. She finished with seven points, five rebounds, and three steals off the Foxboro bench. Isabelle Chamberlin chipped in on the glass, pulling down 11 rebounds, as the Warriors got big contributions from role players.
OA trailed 48-40 going into the fourth and once again, the Tigers rallied. Derba hit a short, pull-up jumper in transition then Homer made a baseline drive and nice dish to Maeve Horsman, who was cutting down the lane. After another Derba pull-up on the break, OA cut the lead to just two.
Engle said of Derba, “She’s just such a competitor that at the end of the day she wants to win. We need to find the best shot and if it’s a rhythm three then it’s a three or if she can beat her player off the dribble and take the floater then that’s the best shot. Her shot selection is getting better and she’s being aggressive and that makes our team better.”
Sullivan was able to get loose for a layup, but then Homer slipped behind the Foxboro press to answer right back for two. After Sullivan hit a pair at the line with 4:06 to go, Chamberlin banked in a rare jumper to push the lead back to six. OA kept battling and Kaydance Derba hit two-of-three at the line to make it 56-52.
The Tigers got a big stop at the other end, but Sullivan, who had a rough shooting night, read the outlet pass, picking it off and then making the tough finish over Derba at the basket to effectively seal the victory.
“That was huge,” Downs said. “I always have to remind myself that she’s a sophomore. I always picture her as a senior because I feel like I’ve had her forever. She wants the ball in the end-of-game situation like that. It’s pretty rare for a sophomore to have ice in her veins like that.”
She added, “Our defensive rotation wasn’t working well and we made some adjustments and they did what they needed to do. We did enough to get by and beat a team that gave us a much harder game than the first time around.”
Foxboro (17-1) will close out the regular season with the Warriors Classic, starting with Tewksbury on Monday. On Saturday, Oliver Ames (9-9) heads to St. Mary’s (Lynn) to face Dartmouth in the opener of that end-of-season tournament.
Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/14/23
Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Franklin, 41 @ Attleboro, 36 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Canton, 56 @ Foxboro, 58 – Final – Canton’s Caden Mirliani drained a go-ahead three with 30 seconds to go but Foxboro senior Ryan LeClair answered with a triple of his own 10 seconds later as the Warriors secured a season sweep of the Bulldogs with another thrilling win. The Bulldogs came out of a timeout with 35 seconds left down by two (55-53) before quickly finding Mirliani in the corner for three and the lead. Foxboro’s Alex Penders penetrated to draw extra in the lane before kicking it out to LeClair for three. Canton had a pair of looks but came up short as Foxboro took the win. Canton had a dream start as they raced out to a 18-3 lead in the first quarter. Sophomore Ryan Kelley provided a big boost with eight of his nine points in the second and Penders scored six of his 14 as the Warriors battled back to cut the deficit to 30-23 at halftime. The momentum stuck with the hosts as they outscored Canton 16-7 in the third to surge ahead 39-37 going into the fourth. Ryan Cotter scored had 9 of his 11 points in the second half for Foxboro and senior Andrew Finn had a pair of threes in the third to help put the hosts ahead. Canton’s Jamaal McConnell had a game-high 15 points while Zaza Francoeur and Mirliani each had 11 points.
King Philip, 63 @ North Attleboro, 35 – Final – King Philip erupted for 23 points in the second quarter to turn a tie-game into a big win on the road over North Attleboro. The Warriors and Rocketeers each had 10 points in the opening eight minutes before KP caught fire in the second. Senior Will Laplante scored 10 of his game-high 22 points in the second, senior Tommy Martorano added six of his 17 points, and sophomores Tommy Kilroy, Brandon Nicastro, and Jack Assini each added to the scoring as King Philip surged ahead 33-14 at halftime. After an even third quarter, the Warriors held the hosts to four points in the fourth to secure the win.
Mansfield, 72 @ Stoughton, 37 – Final – Mansfield built a double-digit lead in the opening quarter, doubled it by halftime, and never looked back in a bounce back win on the road over Stoughton. A strong start saw the Hornets stake a 19-9 lead after eight minutes, and that 10-point lead turned to 20 as a balanced offensive effort led to a 34-14 halftime lead. Eddie McCoy scored a team-high 18 points, Trevor Foley added 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, and Davon Sanders added 13 points and 6 assists for the Hornets, who finished with 11 three-pointers.
Milford, 56 @ Taunton, 69 – Final – After a close back-and-forth opening quarter, Taunton dominated the second to build a lead that it never surrendered to earn a season sweep of the visiting Scarlet Hawks. Milford Andrew Rivera continued his strong stretch as he came out on fire with 11 of his game-high 24 points in the opening quarter, helping the Hawks stake an 18-16 edge after a quarter. Freshman Jakari Innocent drained a three with six minutes to go, sparking a 20-4 run to close out the half. Troy Santos hit one of his four three-pointers, Chris Volcy had a pair of layups, Tyson Carter added six of his 10 points, and Gerry Cardoso chipped in with two free throws to put Taunton up 36-23 at half. Innocent finished with a career-high 19 points, Santos had 10 points, and both Volcy and Carter chipped in with 10 points apiece. Rivera added seven rebounds to go along with his 24 points while freshman CJ Farrell chipped in with nine points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
Sharon, 79 @ Oliver Ames, 51 – Final – Sharon couldn’t have scripted a better start, opening with a 24-0 run that gave the Eagles all of the separation they needed the rest of the way. Sharon sank four threes in the opening eight minutes and had five players register points to stake a big lead that it never surrendered. Nate Katznelson scored seven of his team-high 19 points in the first, Matt Baur added six of his 17 points, both Ryan Brown and Jack Bates hit a three and had five points in the first, and Tyler Goodman tossed in a triple of his own for the Eagles, who led 41-24 at halftime. Sophomore Cole Craffey led OA with 13 points, senior Chris Elias added 12 points, and freshman Soren Lolonga chipped in with 11 points.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 51 @ Franklin, 61 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Foxboro, 65 @ Canton, 30 – Final – Foxboro extended its win streak to 12 games and stayed unbeaten in league play heading into the Hock finale on Friday. Addie Ruter continued her impressive sophomore season with a game-high 20 points. Camryn Collins scored 15, Erin Foley had 14, and Kailey Sullivan finished with a dozen points for the Davenport division champs.
North Attleboro, 38 @ King Philip, 37 – Final – North Attleboro was able to hold off KP down the stretch to pull off the road win. North’s 2-3 zone helped limit the Warriors offensively, with Katie Corsetti and Maryellen Charette doing their best to try and slow down the league’s leading scorer Emily Sawyer in the paint. The game was tied at halftime and heading into the fourth quarter. North outscored KP by one over the final eight minutes to earn the win. Sawyer got KP off to a good start with six points in the first, but Ava McKeon’s six-point second quarter helped the Rocketeers even the score at 17 apeice going into the locker room. Sawyer had four points in the third, but Sam Faria scored six for North and it was 27-27 going into the fourth. McKeon added another four points and Faria added three more to help North do enough to get the win. Jackie Bonner drilled a three with 30 seconds left that got the Warriors back within one but they weren’t able overcome the deficit. McKeon and Faria led North with 10 points apiece, while Corsetti aded eight. Sawyer finished with a game-high 15 and Bonner added eight points on a pair of threes.
Stoughton, 33 @ Mansfield, 57 – Final – Abby Wager scored 34 points, powering Mansfield to a third straight win. Wager was dominant from the opening tip, scoring 12 of Mansfield’s 14 in the first quarter and then adding 10 more in the second and another nine in the third. The Hornets led by only one after the first and extended the advantage to 35-21 at halftime. In the third, Wager had nine of the Hornets’ 11 points, but it was Mansfield’s defense that stood out, holding Stoughton to just two points to break the game wide open. Ella Palanza added seven points and Natalya Gill had six in the win. Raina Tat was Stoughton’s top scorer with 11, including seven in the second half, while Katrina Varnum had eight and Kirsten McKay hit a pair of threes for seven points.
Taunton, 40 @ Milford, 45 – Final – Brooke Ferreira celebrated senior night by scoring a career-high 16 points and helping the Hawks rally from an early deficit to pull out the win. Taunton grabbed the lead in the first, as Cali Melo, who hit four three-pointers and finished with a game-high 21, scored seven points in the opening quarter. Milford only managed five points and one made FG in the first, but rallied with a 13-7 second quarter to tie the game at halftime. Ferreira and Emily Croteau each scored four in the quarter. Ferreira got going in the third, scoring seven of Milford’s 13 to help the Hawks open up a six-point lead. Taunton outscored the Hawks by one in the fourth, but couldn’t overcome the deficit on the road. Croteau helped Milford out with 10 points and Erin Michelson added seven. Skylar McCrohan added eight points and Chelsea Bousquet had six for the Tigers.
Oliver Ames, 65 @ Sharon, 58 – Final – Despite allowing a combined 51 points from Jasmine Davis and Rachael Hager, OA was able to sweep the season series with the Eagles and move above .500 for the first time this season. Sharon jumped out to the lead in the first, as Hager buried three from beyond the arc and sparked Sharon to a 14-11 edge. OA would come back in the second to grab a two-point edge going into the locker roon. Sara Hilliard scored six in the second and Avery Gamble added four. Davis started to heat up with seven of Sharon’s 11 in the second. Kamryn Derba caught fire for the Tigers in the second half. The freshman had nine points in the third, helping OA take the quarter 17-13 and extend the lead to six. Hager, who had her best game since her return from injury, nailed another pair of threes to keep Sharon in the game. The fourth quarter was a shootout. Derba added another six points and the Tigers went 13-of-15 from the free throw line to score 21 points. Davis was proving unstoppable on the other end, scoring 13 of her game-high 32 in the fourth, as the Eagles scored 20 as a team. Davis knocked down a pair of threes and was 9-of-11 from the line on the night, while also grabbing 24 rebounds. Derba scored 19 to lead OA. Hilliard added 15 points and six steals and Gamble had 12 points and seven boards. Hager scored 19 for the Eagles, grabbed five boards, and dished out three assists.
Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/07/23
Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 69 @ King Philip, 66 – Final (OT) – Attleboro junior Neo Franco exploded for a career-high 38 points, including a clutch three-pointer with under a minute to go in overtime to help the Bombardiers return home with a hard-fought win over King Philip. A layup from KP sophomore Tommy McLeish gave the Warriors a 65-63 lead but Franco took an extra pass from freshman Connor Houle and sank a three from the corner to give Attleboro a 66-65 lead with 49.1 seconds to play. Franco and KP’s Tommy Martorano each hit a free throw before Attleboro sophomore Hayden Crowley hit two from the line with 7.5 seconds left. KP got off a look before the buzzer to tie it but it was off the mark. Franco had a quiet first quarter (two points) but got it going with a trio of triples in the second and had 15 points at half. After just one three in the third, he scored 20 points between the second half and overtime to lead Attleboro to the win. Crowley finished with 10 points and Justin Hanrahan hit three three-pointers in the third, helping Attleboro turn a 26-25 halftime deficit into a 42-39 lead going into the fourth. KP senior Will Laplante scored 10 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, Martorano finished with 15 points, and senior Grant Kinney had 12.
Stoughton, 51 @ Canton, 63 – Final – Canton juniors Zaza Francoeur and Jeremiah Predin combined for eight of Canton’s 11 made three-pointers and the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half for a win over neighboring Stoughton. Francoeur hit five threes on his way to a career-high 23 points while Predin had three triples and finished with 13 points. Canton staked a 34-28 lead at halftime and doubled up on the Black Knights (14-7) in the third to create a double-digit advantage. Stoughton senior Obi Dike dropped a career-high 24 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Foxboro, 64 @ Sharon, 68 – Final – Sharon senior Dante James had a key three-point play with under a minute to go and finished with a team-high 21 points to help the Eagles land another close win over Foxboro. The visiting Warriors led at each of the first two quarters, 15-12 after one and 32-28 at halftime. Junior Jacob McLoughlin scored half of his 18 points in the third, Matt Baur and James each had four, Tyler Goodman added a three, and Nate Katznelson and Sam Letendre chipped in points from the free throw line to help Sharon pull even, 50-50, going into the fourth. The Eagles were limited to just two field goals in the fourth, including James’ big one on a leak out on an inbounds play, but also went 14-for-15 from the line in the final eight minutes to ice the win. Foxboro senior Alex Penders had a team-high 20 points while Sam Golub chipped in with 12 points for the Warriors.
Franklin, 75 @ Taunton, 50 – Final – Taunton didn’t have an answer for Franklin’s Sean O’Leary as the junior erupted for a career-high 35 points to lead the Panthers to a win on the road. The win clinches the Kelley-Rex division title for Franklin, the first since 2016. O’Leary hit 16 shots from the floor — 14 from two-point range and a pair of threes — and had just one free throw to finish with 35 points. He scored nine in the first, 11 in the second, six in the third, and nine more in the fourth quarter. Franklin increased its lead throughout the game leading 11-8 after one and 32-24 at halftime. An 18-point third quarter extended the lead and Franklin closed strong with 25 points in the fourth. Justin Allen hit four threes and finished with 14 points to go along with 13 rebounds, and Andrew O’Neill added 11 points for the Panthers. Troy Santos led Taunton with 16 points, Chris Perault added 15 points, and Jakari Innocent finished with 11 points.
Mansfield, 74 @ Oliver Ames, 60 – Final – The Hornets built a big lead early but needed a dominant fourth quarter to shake an upset-minded Oliver Ames squad. Mansfield opened the game on a 12-0 run and had a 28-11 advantage after a quarter, but the Tigers clawed back into it and got within five (42-37) at the break. A three-pointer from Davon Sanders late in the third quarter handed the Hornets a 59-50 lead going into the fourth and Mansfield pulled away for the win. Sanders finished with a career-high 24 points along with six rebounds, Eddie McCoy added 12 points and five assists, and Chris Hill chipped in with 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. OA sophomore Cole Craffey caught fire in the second, hitting four of his seven threes in the period while Jake Willard added two more and Jacob Lok sank one, resulting in a 26-point quarter from OA. Craffey finished with a career-high 28 points while freshman Soren Lolonga added 10 points.
Milford, 63 @ North Attleboro, 56 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Girls Basketball
King Philip, 48 @ Attleboro, 61 – Final – Attleboro outscored KP 15-7 in the fourth quarter, turning a five-point game into a double digit win and keeping the Bombardiers one back of Franklin in the league standings. The hosts jumped out to a 10-point lead after one. Lily Routhier scored eight of her 11 points in the opening quarter and Kayla Goldrick added five more. Maddie Paschke scored eight points in the first for KP, but the Warriors found themselves down 23-13. The Warriors closed the gap in the second with Kaelyn Clancy knocking down a pair of threes and the Warriors outscoring Attleboro 14-8. The third quarter was nearly even, as Attleboro added one point to its advantage. In the fourth, Attleboro got a spark from Rylie Camacho, who just returned from injury and scored six of her eight points in the final frame. Goldrick led all scorers with 17, while Avery James added 10 and Vanessa Ellis scored eight. Attleboro made six threes as a team. Paschke was KP’s top scorer with 13. Emily Sawyer scored 10, Clancy had a career-high 11, and Jackie Bonner had six points. KP hit seven threes as a team in the loss.
Canton, 23 @ Stoughton, 29 – Final – Raina Tat scored 11 points to help Stoughton pull out a defensive struggle against Canton. Tat added four rebounds and three steals for the Black Knights. Leah McCarty added eight points and four boards and Kirsten McKay had six points for Stoughton. Katrina Varnum chipped in with 10 rebounds and a pair of steals.
Sharon, 43 @ Foxboro, 72 – Final – Kailey Sullivan had another big game for the Warriors, scoring 23 points, and Foxboro remains unbeaten in league play. Camryn Collins added 17 points, Erin Foley scored 14, and Addie Ruter had 10 in another balanced attack for the Davenport division champions.
Taunton, 32 @ Franklin, 57 – Final – Caelyn Leonard scored a career-high 21 points and Franklin turned up its defensive pressure over the final three quarters to earn the big win and stay one game in front of Attleboro in the Kelley-Rex title race. The game was tied at 13 apiece after the first quarter. Leonard got off to a quick start, scoring seven points, while Cali Melo paced the Tigers with five points over the first eight minutes. Franklin broke things open in the second, outscoring Taunton 19-7. In the third, the Panthers were even tougher on defense, holding Taunton to just four points. Leonard came up big again, scoring eight of Franklin’s 16 in the quarter, as they made it a 24-point lead heading to the fourth. Lizzie Newman scored 10 points and Katie Peterson had eight for the Panthers. Melo led Taunton with eight, while Chelsea Bousquet and Tarynn Campbell each scored seven.
Oliver Ames, 45 @ Mansfield, 57 – Final – The Hornets scored 32 points in the second half to turn a one-point halftime lead into a 12-point win, ending a two-game losing streak and keeping Mansfield in second place in the Davenport. Mansfield’s Abby Wager scored 18 points in the second half, on her way to a game-high 29. Wager opened the game with six points to help the Hornets take an 11-9 lead. Sarah Hilliard had five points to help OA stay within two. The Tigers cut the lead in half in the second, as Kaydance Derba buried a pair of threes and Avery Gamble added three more points. Kara Santos had seven in the frame for Mansfield and Wager had five. Wager caught fire in the third, hitting a pair of threes and scoring 10 of Mansfield’s 16 points. Wager added eight more in the fourth, half of Mansfield’s total, and Olivia Salisbury went 3-for-3 at the line to put the game away. Santos scored 16 and Ella Palanza chipped in with six. Kamryn Derba had 13 of her team-high 18 and Gamble had eight of her 11 in the second half to try and keep the Tigers close. Hilliard and Kaydance Derba each finished with seven points.
North Attleboro, 47 @ Milford, 43 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Boys Hockey
King Philip @ Arlington Catholic, 8:30 (@ Ed Burns Arena)
Girls Hockey
Franklin, 4 vs. Leominster, 1 – Final