Mounties remain on a roll
MSC still perfect after 58-43 win over Tolman
PAWTUCKET — As it has for most of the season, Mount St. Charles' full-court “girl” press confused another opponent. This time, it did so in a Division III clash against Tolman on Tuesday evening.
The more-than-pesky Mounties forced the Tigers into a whopping 39 turnovers, 25 of those in the opening half, en route to a relatively-easy 58-43 victory on the diminutive James W. Donaldson Gymnasium floor.
Junior tri-captain Julia Laquerre led the Mount with a game-high 18 points, not to mention five rebounds, while fellow junior captain Shea Kelliher chipped in 12 points, seven boards and five steals. Other key contributions came from freshman Katie Lynch (15 points, nine thefts, five assists); junior tri-captain Emily D'Abrosca (six points, five steals); sophomore Kaitlyn Koller (1 point, seven boards); and frosh Kaitlyn D'Abrosca (four points, theft).
With the triumph, MSC improved to 10-0 overall and 6-0 in league play, while Tolman fell to 5-5 overall and 5-3 in D-III.
For the Tigers, sophomore swing Ally Larson mustered a “double-double” with 12 points and 10 boards, with senior tri-captain Elise King did the same with a dozen points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Another senior tri-captain, Fenda King, added seven points,
18 rebounds, six blocks and four robberies; and junior Destiny Moore seven points and six assists.
“It wasn't our best effort offensively, but the defense was pretty good overall,” head coach Ray Leveille stated after the contest. “For the most part, we played a full-court man, and it worked out well, especially when Kaitlyn D'Abrosca got into the game. She only had four points and a steal, but she and her sister are the catalysts.
“We knew we had to keep the ball out of Destiny's hands,” he added. “This was hard for us because it's a much smaller floor. We'd rather play on a bigger court to utilize our speed, quickness and passing … It was an offnight for Julia, and she still had 18. She's our best player, so we need her to provide more offense.
“Whenever you come in here and get a win, with it being so small and compact, we'll take it.”
Offered first-year Tolman mentor Walter “Bunky” Gonzalez: “The 39 turnovers, that was the difference in the game. We had some great opportunities. I think, when we ran our press-breaker well, it was a thing of beauty. When we didn't, it was turnover, turnover, turnover.”
Early on, the Tigers claimed a 4-1 cushion with only 1:25 elapsed, but that's when the press pushed Tolman into idle. Over the next 11:21, the Mounties outscored the hosts by a whopping 20-6 margin. With 1:10 remaining, Larson canned a baseline 15-footer to slice the deficit to 23-14, though Mount still entered the break with a 27-16 advantage.
Larson drained another basket 23 ticks into the final session to cut it to 27-18, though Kelliher hit a left-hander, Emily D'Abrosca a trey and Kelliher another 15-footer to make it 37-22 with 12:23 on the clock.
Just 3:10 later, Leveille's bunch turned that 10-6 surge into an 18-7 flurry; Laquerre's fast- break layin with 9:13 remaining in regulation pushed the lead to 20 at 45-25.
Tolman stormed back, eventually dropping the deficit to 49-39 on King's putback with 4:04 left, yet the Mounties slowly rebuilt the lead with four of six free throws, Laquerre landing three of four and Lynch one of two.
“That's a great, disciplined team we faced,” Gonzalez said. “They pass the ball really well. I think they just wanted it a little bit more than we did.”