Natick contains Brigham, Franklin

SCHOOLS

Containing Franklin’s 6-foot-3 sophomore forward Ali Brigham was a stiff challenge for Natick.

It was a tall order, but the Redhawks defense turned in a big performance.

No. 4 Natick made everything difficult for Brigham and the rest of the fifthseeded Panthers, and the Redhawks prevailed, 53-39, last night in the Division 1 Central quarterfinals.

“Our defense was pretty solid across the board,” said Natick coach Dan Hinnenkamp, whose team advanced to Sunday’s semifinal against Wachusett. “We know they have a stud player in Ali . . . . We practice a little bit doubling, but Brenna McDonald, who’s usually in the paper for points and rebounds, really played good defense (on Brigham).”

After trailing early, Claire Gaziano (12 points) sparked a 15-4 Natick run bridging the first and second quarters to put the Redhawks in front for good.

Natick (17-4) held Brigham to just one point in the first quarter by consistently double-teaming her, which threw Franklin’s offense out of rhythm.

But Brigham (21 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks) got Franklin (15-6) going in the fourth quarter, scoring six straight points to chop the deficit in half, 38-32, with 4:42 remaining.

Laney Ross (13 points) was 8-for-9 from the free throw line down the stretch to close it out.

Elsewhere in Div. 1 Central, Emily Bramanti and Elizabeth Arnold combined for 39 points as No. 2 Westford Academy (18-3) rolled to a 75-31 victory against No. 10 Algonquin.

In Div. 1 North, junior Gia Bramanti dropped 31 points as No. 12 Andover (11-10) routed No. 5 Revere, 58-43.

Alli Cavallo scored 18 points as No. 6 Duxbury (157) held off 11th-seeded Scituate, 50-47, in a Div. 2 South first-round contest.

Maggie Penta led a balanced attack with 12 points, while Emily Bartlett added 10 as No. 8 Lowell Catholic (12-9) built up a 27-9 halftime lead and went on to defeat No. 9 PMA, 49-20, in a Div. 4 North first-rounder.

Juliana Bongiorno recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while teammate Allie Burdi added 11 points and four rebounds as BU Academy defeated Woodward, 40-33, to capture the Girls Independent League championship.

Boys basketball

Thomas Shaughnessy scored a game-high 29 points as No. 2 Needham (18-3) defeated No. 15 Taunton, 66-53, in a Div. 1 South first-round contest. . . . Darrius Hyppolite scored 12 of his 14 points in the final quarter as No. 12 Bridgewater-Raynham (15-6) eliminated fifth-seeded Catholic Memorial for the second straight season, 62-55.

Billy Arsenault passed the 1,000-point mark for his career as No. 2 Lynnfield (18-3) handled No. 15 Swampscott, 84-60, in a Div. 3 North first-rounder.

Tayjuan McKenzie had 24 points and 17 rebounds, surpassing the 1,000-point plateau as No. 9 Winthrop (10-11) overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat No. 8 South Boston, 71-62, in a Div. 4 North first-round contest.

No. 13 Cathedral erased a 16-point first quarter deficit to upset No. 4 Coyle & Cassidy, 67-58, in a Div. 4 South first-round matchup. Dillon Handricken-Barros hit a trey with 7:18 left in the fourth to give the Panthers (12-8) their first lead of the contest as he scored 11 of his 13 in the second half. Khalil Blair led the way with 20 points for Cathedral. Coyle & Cassidy (13-6) freshman Brian Taylor finished with 18 points, 14 boards and six blocks . . . . Jack Manning led a trio of double-figure scorers with 21 points as No. 9 St. John Paul (14-7) went on the road to defeat eighthseeded Southeastern. Nate Whitely had 15 points and Devan Harrison chipped in with 12 for the Lions. . . . Junior Thatcher Stone dropped 28 points as No. 5 Cohasset (15-6) took down No. 12 Bishop Connolly (108), 77-58.