Keenan’s late-game heroics lift Fenwick

NEWTON >> Coming down to the final possession, Bishop Fenwick’s defense came up with one final stop against Norwell at Newton North on Wednesday night.

The three-seeded Crusaders mustered up just enough offense to upend No. 2 Norwell, 40-38, in the Div. 3 semifinals. It is the first state final appearance since winning it all in 2016 for Bishop Fenwick

“I think it was exactly what we thought it was going to be,” said Crusaders coach Adam DeBaggis about the defensive battle that ensued.

It was junior Tess Keenan’s

lone made shot of the contest that gave Bishop Fenwick (17-7) its final lead with 19.9 ticks left after the teams exchanged 14 leads and five ties over the final 16 minutes of action.

“It’s a pressure situation for her and I am so proud of her hitting that shot,” said junior captain Cecelia Kay about Keenan’s ability to stay composed. “We all just know that is the shot that got us to a state championship. I bet she is feeling pretty good right now.”

Junior captain Cecilia Kay was the catalyst of both the offense and defense as she compiled 19 points, 19 boards and seven blocks, with none bigger than a block on the final shot attempt for Norwell (21-3).

“We came out that third quarter really timid,” said Kay about the team’s defensive effort. “It didn’t serve us really well, but we were able to get back into things on defense that last minute there. I’m really proud of the team’s effort on defense.”

Kay netted eight of those in the second quarter to overcome an early 4-1 deficit to go up 19-14 at the half.

“(Kay) has a heart the size of a basketball,” DeBaggis said about the center. “She is just relentless. She is amazing. She is in pain every day because she plays so hard and gets beat up by every single opponent.”

For the Clippers, senior captain Chloe Richardson led the way with 18 points as she knocked down three huge three-pointers, including a go-ahead three to make it 31-29 with less than a minute left in the third. She also hit another to make it a 34-33 advantage for Norwell early in the fourth.

Bishop Fenwick held the rest of the Clippers to 0-for-9 from distance.

Next up, the Crusaders will face Catholic Central League opponent St. Mary’s in the Div. 3 final at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. Bishop Fenwick has fallen to the reigning state champions twice this season.