Millis holds off Dedham in hoops rematch
MILLIS — A well-known axiom among coaches cites the difficulty of beating a team three times in one season. But how about twice in 48 hours?
That’s the odd situation that some teams find themselves in when scheduling in a pandemic, and it proved tricky for the Millis girls basketball team on Sunday as it trailed a Dedham squad it handled convincingly on the road Friday by a bucket late in the first half.
The Mohawks put together a 5-0 run in the final minute of the second quarter to grab the lead at the break, however, and exploded for 22 points in the third to pull away for a 50-36 Tri-Valley League victory and improve to 2-0 on the season.
“Everything was a lot of work today,” said Millis coach Dave Fallon, whose team was a 54-22 winner in the first meeting. “(Dedham) played better, as you’d expect, We looked sloppy the whole day, but in the third quarter we were able to get some steals off our pressure and turned that into some quick hoops and got some momentum.”
Senior captain Abby Miller, the slick southpaw catalyst of the Millis attack, paced the Mohawks with 13 points, including six in the pivotal third. But she was far from alone in the key quarter as six different Mohawks had field goals, led by junior Julia Grattan, who had all seven of her points in the stanza.
“We knew at halftime that we had the energy and the endurance to be a secondhalf team, so I knew that the third quarter was going to be our quarter, because it always is,” said the Babsonbound Miller.
Miller was one of six seniors to be honored before the game, along with Eryn Rice, Grace Jewett, Caroline Munday, Courtney Bickford and Georgia Gelasco. Miller and Rice, who each would have had a shot at reaching 1,000 career points in a normal season, have been starters since their freshman year for a program that has gone to the last two Division 3 Central finals, winning the title in 2018.
“It’s been a blessing (to coach them),” said Fallon of Miller and Rice. “They are obviously excellent basketball players but also excellent kids so I feel really lucky.”
Dedham, which has been led by assistant coach Jim Hurst for the first two games, is coming off the first sectional semifinal appearance in program history, but lost three-fifths of its starting lineup to graduation. The Marauders still have one of the TVL’s best in junior Avery O’Connor, however, who had a gamehigh 20 points and 16 rebounds.
Dedham went scoreless for the final 3:25 of the half, opening the door for Millis to go up 17-14 entering the abbreviated halftime.
The Mohawk press struck early in the third for a quick 9-0 run for a 26-14 edge, and the Marauders never got within seven the rest of the way.
Elsewhere in girls basketball... Kiki Fossbender had a game-high 14 points as Hopkinton edged Norwood, 42-39, in the Tri-Valley League. … Emma Cochrane poured in 19 points in her varsity debut as Norton defeated DoverSherborn, 60-47. Hannah Sheldon added 14 points, 11 in the third quarter, for the Lancers. … Lillie Cumming led all scores with 12 points, while Annie McCarthy and Camilla Silk combined for 19 as Medfield (2-0) defeated Westwood, 53-36.
Courtney Keswick had 14 points as King Philip defeated Mansfield, 58-51, in the Hockomock League.
Boys Basketball
Russell Dolbany scored 18 points, while James McGowan and Kyle Murray added 11 apiece as Westwood defeated Medfield, 61-47, in the TriValley League. … Luke Rinaldi scored 19 points as DoverSherborn defeated Norton, 64-41.
Gymnastics
Bella Misiura scored a 37.25 in the all-around and Gracy Mowers added a 36.5 as Masconomet defeated Essex Tech, 143.25-124.4.’
Emma Lehan won the allaround, and the bars and beam for good measure, as Norton defeated Medway coop, 137.95-123.6.
Emma White recorded a 36.9 in the all-around as Franklin defeated North Attleboro for the first time in school history, 138.6-131.95 in the Hockomock League.