Braintree did something no girls basketball in the Bay State has been able to do this year – defeat Cathedral.
Jeniyah Jones' layup with 1:33 remaining fueled an 8-0 run as the seventh-ranked Wamps went to defeat top-ranked Cathedral, 62-57, in a nonleague contest last night. Jones scored nine of her 15 points in the fourth quarter, while teammate Adriana Timberlake tallied a team-high 18.
“It was a fun game to watch,” said Braintree coach Kristen McDonnell. “We knew it was going to be a great game with a fun atmosphere in here.”
The game was full of peaks and valleys, but Braintree managed to have the last and most important peak. Trailing 55-54 and forced to play the final 2:36 without one of their top players in Jenna Roche (fouled out), the Wamps (14-2) kicked it into overdrive.
Jones was immense in the final quarter, while Rachel Tutkus stepped up with a hoop and a pair of free throws sandwiched around a Barbara Ronca hoop to give the Wamps a commanding 62-55 with 19 seconds left.
“We just played with a lot of toughness and grit,” McDonnell said. “I thought we played better as the second half wore on.”
Braintree made 8-of-12 shots in the first quarter, but couldn't shake the talented Panthers (15-4). Cathedral's bench gave them a huge lift as Ariana Vanderhoop scored six points and Jordyn Hunter-Coleman (nine rebounds) was a force inside with nine rebounds. Vanderhoop did not play in the second half as her left leg was wrapped in ice (she returned in December from an ACL injury).
Trailing 30-27 at the half, the Wamps went on an 11-0 run early in the third quarter as Timberlake scored seven points in the spurt. Undaunted, the Panthers responded with a quarter-closing 12-3 flurry to carry a 46-43 lead into the final quarter as Dejah Jenkins (18 points) and Mackenzie Daleba (14 points, eight rebounds) made their presence felt.
Cathedral would extend the lead to 53-49, but the final two minutes belong to the visitors.
