Archbishop Williams girls learned lessons to advance
Navigating a loaded Catholic Central Large isn’t for the faint of heart, but the Archbishop Williams girls’ basketball team found solace in each setback.
The Bishops believed facing juggernauts Bishop Feehan, Bishop Fenwick, Cathedral, and St. Mary’s in the regular season would prepare them well for the postseason.
With a collective sense of rejuvenation, they entered the Division 2 tournament optimistic and eager to prove they belonged. The Bishops did just that, outlasting Ursuline Academy, 5349, in a back-and-forth, preliminary-round battle on Tuesday at Archbishop Williams in Braintree.
“We knew what it felt like to lose,” said Archbishop Williams senior Eliana Jackson. “We knew what it felt like to be down and have to pick ourselves up. We learned a lot from those games, and we were able to come here and win.”
Jackson paced the No. 31 Bishops (8-13) with 21 points, including 17 in the second half, finishing with both hands at the rim on repeat. Sophomore Addie Woodgate added 10, and eighthgrader Alana McNamara calmly canned two free throws with 7.1 seconds left to help cement the victory.
Versatile junior Alana Hogan fueled the No. 34 Bears (13-8) with 26 points, and Sofia Pichay and Payton Knight added 7 apiece. Ursuline never relented, even after falling behind by 8 with 1:46 left, but Archbishop Williams found a way to survive.
“It was a close battle all the way,” said Archbishop Williams coach Matt Mahoney. “We were just resilient enough to pull out the win.”
Division 1 State
King Philip 62, Malden 28 — Sophomore guard Erin Berthiaume led all scorers with 10 points as the 27th-seeded Warriors (6-8) took down the No. 38 Golden Tornadoes in a preliminary-round matchup. King Philip will visit No. 6 Central Catholic in a first-round matchup Friday at 5:15 p.m.
Plymouth North 40, Concord-Carlisle 35 — Sophomore Carley Fernandez tallied 14 points off the bench and senior Mackenzie Hohulin chipped in with 11 for the No. 30 Eagles in their victory over the No. 35 Patriots. Next up for North is a trip to No. 3 Springfield Central for first-round action on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Division 3 State
Dedham 68, Whittier 53 — Jamie Quinn (28 points) and Meg McNamara (21) boosted the No. 28 Marauders (7-13) past the No. 37 Wildcats in the preliminary-round game. Dedham will visit fifth-seeded St. Mary’s in a first-round matchup Thursday at 6 p.m.
Hudson 63, Lowell Catholic 42 — Senior Sam Collette scored 16 points and freshman Anna Iacobucci added 15 for the No. 26 Hawks (10-8) in their preliminary-round win over 39-seed Lowell Catholic. Hudson travels to 7-seed Sandwich Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Division 4 State
Blue Hills 47, St. Mary (Westfield) 24 — Junior Kathleen Murphy tallied a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds for the 29-seed Warriors (14-6) as they took down the No. 36 Saints. Next for Blue Hills is a first-round matchup with No. 4 Millis Thursday at 6 p.m.
Boys Division 1 State
Marshfield 100, Lynn English 99 (OT) — The 696th win of Bob Fisher’s career was an absolute thriller, as the No. 40 Rams (11-10) pulled off an overtime upset of the No. 25 Bulldogs (16-6) in preliminary-round contest in Lynn. The Rams went the length of the court to tie it, 89-89, on a layup from Jake Brilliant (28 points) to force overtime. In the extra period, Matt Ellwood (21 points) hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game to help hold off Lynn English. “It was an incredible win,” Fisher said. “I’ve had quite a few [tournament wins] and other than winning the whole thing, this has to be one of the best ones.”
Haverhill 69, Everett 67 — The No. 29 Hillies (10-11) trailed the No. 36 Crimson Tide (15-6) by 15 points in the first half, but came back behind clutch shots from senior Alejandro Delgado, who buried the winner as time expired. Haverhill advances to face MVC rival North Andover Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the Round of 32.
King Philip 67, Braintree 64 — Tommy Kilroy knocked down a corner 3-pointer with four seconds remaining to complete a clutch final stretch for the No. 32 Warriors (12-11), as they came back from a 5-point deficit in the final three minutes.
Peabody 50, Belmont 43 — Raphel Laurent dropped 21 points and AJ Forte added 19 to pace the No. 28 Tanners (19-2), setting up a Round of 32 matchup at No. 5 Xaverian (14-6) Friday at 6 p.m.
Winchester 47, Arlington 41 — Freshman Jack Charchaflian netted a game-high 15 points for the No. 38 Red & Black (13-8) and senior captain Dylan Ketterer added 13 points and nine rebounds in a preliminary-round upset of the host No. 27 Spy Ponders to set up a first-round matchup at No. 6 BC High Friday at 6 p.m.
Weymouth 67, Barnstable 63 — Seniors Will Savage (20 points), Edric Louissaint (18), and Gill Dolan (14) starred for the No. 26 Wildcats (15-7) in a preliminary-round win over the No. 39 Raiders (14-6).
Division 3 State
Cardinal Spellman 65, Sandwich 43 — Senior Marvin Petit-Frere tallied 15 points to lead the No. 28 Cardinals (10-11) in the preliminary round. Cardinal Spellman will travel to fifthseeded Norwell for a first-round matchup Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Foxborough 52, Lynn Classical 39 — Ryan Cotter tallied 13 of his game-high 18 points in the second half, Eric Walford scored 16, and Nolan Gordon added 13 to lead the No. 31 Warriors (6-17).
Division 4 State
Cohasset 83, Upper Cape 59 — Jack Cullinan poured in a game-high 30 points and Luke Moore dropped 24 to lead the No. 32 Skippers (12-9) in the preliminary round, setting up a date with top-seeded Wareham (18-3) Thursday at 6 p.m.