WORCESTER — Pentucket created a perfect storm.
The Northampton girls basketball team didn’t score for the first 6 minutes, 43 seconds of the state Division 2 championship, Saturday at Holy Cross. Meanwhile, Angelica Hurley hit her first three 3-pointers and the Sachems built an 11-point lead.
“We were rushing everything. They were taking me away, and we couldn’t get into the offense,” Northampton junior point guard Amanda Mieczkowski said. “I don’t think we were focused from the start.”
Northampton never pulled closer than 11, and Pentucket won 43-26 to claim the state title for the first time since 2012. The Sachems made nine 3s. Hurley had five of them and scored a game-high 15 points.
“They were tremendous. They scouted us well. They were calling out a lot of what our sets are,” Northampton coach Perry Messer said. “Tip your cap to that coach and those players.”
Northampton (19-5) suffered a nightmarish start, but things could have been worse. The Blue Devils held Pentucket (24-3) to five points in the second quarter and only trailed by 13 at halftime. Their defense gave them a shot in the second half.
“This was our last game no matter what,” Northampton junior Jill McGrath said. “You have to put everything on the table.”
McGrath led Northampton with 11 points. She scored the Blue Devils’ first points on an inbounds play with 1:17 left in the first quarter and cut their deficit back to 11 on the first possession of the second half.
“At halftime we were all being passers,” McGrath said. “It came to a point where we were down, I’ve got nothing to lose, I might as well shoot it. Luckily for me they went in.”
Pentucket methodically built its lead in the second half. It stretched as high as 22 with 3:13 left with a 41-19 advantage.
The Sachems clamped down on Mieczkowski all game. They held her to two points, a pull-up jumper with 2:22 left. It tied her career-low and was only the third time she’d scored single digits all year.
“When we take out their top player like that it makes the other kids have to do more,” Pentucket coach John McNamara said. “We were comfortable with our defensive effort.”
With the game well out of hand, Messer pulled his two seniors, Kolbie Jones and Lulu Kesin, with 1:30 left. They played their final game for the Blue Devils and exited to a standing ovation and hugs from everyone on the bench.
“At first I was like ‘oh no did I pick up my third foul or do something wrong?’ Then I saw Lulu coming out too,” Jones said. “I was happy to be able to hug all my coaches and have a little bit of everything.”
They finished their career with the program’s first state title game appearance since 2008 and back-to-back Western Massachusetts championships.
“I appreciate those guys. You’re not going to find two nicer kids,” Messer said. “They’re the kind of kids that are going to be successful. I wanted to give them a moment.”
Their departure still leaves a majority of the Blue Devils’ roster intact. They’ll return Mieczkowski, McGrath, post player Sydney Lewandowski and a slew of underclassmen.
“This is not gonna be the end of us,” Messer said. “We’ll be back.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.
Pentucket 43, Northampton 26
Northampton (19-5)
Sledzieski 0-0-0, Kesin 0-0-0, McGrath 4-3-11, Mieczkowski 1-0-2, Allen 0-0-0, Tanner 1-0-2, Flynn 0-0-0, Jones 3-0-6, Moreau 0-0-0, Pelis 0-0-0, Lewandowski 2-1-5. Totals 11-4-26
Pentucket (24-3)
Snow 1-0-3, Galvin 0-1-1, Dyle 2-0-6, Yacubacci 4-4-13, Hurley 5-0-15, Cross 0-1-1, Currie 1-0-2, Cleveland 1-0-2. Totals 14-6-43
|
Northampton |
2 |
4 |
9 |
11 |
—26 |
|
Pentucket |
14 |
5 |
13 |
11 |
—43 |
3-Pointers—Pentucket 9 (Snow, Galvin 2, Yacubacci, Hurley 5)