GRANBY — The rust of not playing basketball for seven months lingered on Kate Sullivan’s jump shot.
The Granby senior’s first 3-point attempt hit the front of the rim, and her second missed everything.
“I felt the rust coming out,” Sullivan said.
None of the misses mattered, though. She played.
Sullivan tore her ACL over the summer and missed the entire soccer season, which ended with a Western Massachusetts Division 3 title. She returned to action Monday in a 43-32 win over Monson.
“It was awesome. There’s no words to describe the feeling,” Sullivan said. “Basketball’s been my favorite sport since I was a little kid. Not playing for seven months makes playing today more fun.”
She injected stability, experience and playmaking to a Granby team with five freshmen in the rotation.
Sullivan finished with nine points, five assists, three steals and no turnovers.
“It takes a lot of stress off our team,” Granby freshman Kaeleigh Croteau said.
Monson provided enough stress early. The Mustangs stuck close in a low-scoring first quarter and pulled within 11-10 on a lefty hook shot from Bee Murphy with 5 minutes, 20 seconds until halftime.
Granby (8-8, 3-2 Central) then ripped off an 8-0 run that included Sullivan’s first and only field goal on a finger roll following a Eurostep through the lane.
Both teams pressed, and the game teetered on chaos between turnovers and press breaks.
Sullivan restored order.
“We were going a little too crazy. We slowed down ad started moving the ball,” Granby coach Tom Burke said. “That’s where Kate comes in moving the ball and getting the ball to the right person. It’s a big difference.”
Granby’s freshmen provided the breathing room late.
The Rams took a 22-21 lead into the fourth quarter after the Mustangs outscored them 9-3 in the third to shave down a seven-point halftime deficit.
Senior Mallory Beauregard (nine points, 12 rebounds) opened the fourth with a jumper, then freshman Nora Young (seven points, nine rebounds, four blocks) hit a 3.
Croteau, who led the team with 10 points, followed with back-to-back 3s sandwiched around a steal to push the lead to 37-29 with 5:30 left.
“It’s big for freshman, especially since they’re so young,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan hit her final two free throws to stretch the lead to 39-29 with 3:10 left.
Granby held Monson at arms length for the remainder of the game to get back to .500. The Rams need two more wins to qualify for the postseason. They’ll next play Palmer at 7 p.m. Thursday in Granby.
“The best part of this would be to get to the tournament,” Sullivan said.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com.