Chenette has Cohasset rolling
Fueled by Middlebury-bound senior forward Sarah Chenette, the Cohasset girls’ basketball team pulled away from Frontier, 56-32, in the Division 4 round of 16 Monday night.
Chenette, who returned from an ACL injury earlier this season and plays with a brace on her left leg, erupted for 22 points. The No. 6 Skippers (16-7) advanced to their third straight quarterfinal, where they’ll face No. 3 South Hadley.
“We played super well as a team,” Chenette said. “Very fluid, very composed, we were getting the 50/50s.”
The surging Skippers have ripped off 10 wins in their last 11 games. The latest triumph came against a plucky, 11thseeded Red Hawks team (17-5) that never relented.
Cohasset jumped out to a 10-0 and extended the margin to 20-7 through one quarter. Chenette and sophomore Addy Andrews (12 points) did most of their damage inside and at the free throw line, shooting a combined 8 for 8 from the stripe in the quarter.
The Red Hawks settled in as the half progressed, as freshman Skyler Steele and junior Claire Kirkendall (11 points apiece) found a rhythm from the field. Olivia Machon buried a deep 3pointer as time expired for the Red Hawks, but Cohasset took a 34-19 edge into halftime thanks to its dominant defense and post play.
A bucket in the lane from freshman Molly Campbell helped the Skippers head into the fourth up, 43-30.
Chenette, the program’s alltime scoring leader, added 5 quick points in the fourth to push the margin to 51-32 and put the game out of reach. Cohasset held Frontier to 2 fourthquarter points.
“Our goal is to not allow anything to be easy,” Cohasset coach Mike Sacchitella said. “If they’re going to score, they’re going to have to work for it.”
This tournament run comes after a long, arduous journey for Chenette. She initially thought she injured her meniscus during an AAU game in April, but doctors told her it was her ACL. That began a lengthy rehab process before she returned to game action in late December.
She viewed the setback as extra motivation and incentive to come back even stronger.
“The kid is just true grit,” Sacchitella said. “I said from the very beginning, Sarah approaches every possession, every practice, every game like it’s a tryout. Nobody works harder.”
Division 1 State
Lexington 50, Quincy 49 — With grit, toughness, and key defensive stops, punctuated by Sam Fortier denying Quincy’s Alyssa Hopps (20 points) on the final possession, the No. 8 Minutemen (18-4) survived the second-round matchup.
Riley Hamilton had a teamhigh 15 points and Taylor Wozniak added 10.
Wachusett 45, Braintree 31 — Senior Mary Gibbons scored 19 points as the No. 2 Mountaineers (22-0) overcame a halftime deficit to knock out the visiting No. 15 Wamps (11-11) in the second-round win.
Division 3 State
Foxborough 95, Wilmington 33 — Junior post Addie Ruter finished with a game-high 19 points as the top-seeded Warriors (21-2) trounced the visiting No. 17 Wildcats (11-11) in the round of 16.
The Warriors broke open the second-round matchup with a 28-0 blitz in the second quarter. Kailey Sullivan netted 16 of her 18 points in the first half. Alaysia Drummonds was the big secondhalf scorer, finishing with 17 overall.
Hanover 52, Tantasqua 28 — Noey Giardina netted 14 points as the No. 4 Hawks (17-5) soared to the second-round win over No. 13 Tantasqua (17-6). Olivia Damon added 8 points. Hanover will host St. Mary’s Friday.
St. Mary’s 68, Apponequet 40 — Jill Roberts (14 points), Bella Owumi (13 points, 10 rebounds), Reese Matela (12 points), and Lily Norton (10 points, seven assists) fueled a balanced attack as the fifth-seeded Spartans (19-6) rolled to the second-round win in Lynn.
Division 4 State
Millis 57, Wahconah 28 — The fourth-seeded Mohawks (17-7) put No. 13 Wahconah (15-7) away with a 24-5 spurt in the second quarter for a commanding 25-point halftime cushion. Kyra Rice had a team-high 16 points.
South Hadley 63, HamiltonWenham 42 — CC Gurek scored 13 points as the third-seeded Tigers (19-3) beat the visiting No. 19 Generals (13-10) to advance to the quarterfinals. Caitlin and Cara Dean each had 10 points for the home squad. Freshman Grace Harres led H-W with 13 points.
Division 5 State
Hoosac Valley 63, Mahar 32 — Junior Emma Meczywor had a game-high 16 points as the topseeded Hurricanes (19-3) topped the visiting No. 16 Senators (10-12) in the round of 16. Seniors Taylor Garabedian and Ashlyn Lesure had 13 points each.
Maynard 42, Pioneer Valley Regional 41 — Senior Nina Chiodo had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 steals as the No. 7 Tigers (11-11) fended off the visiting No. 10 Panthers (16-6) to advance to the quarterfinals. Sophomore Calleigh Currier collected 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals.
St. John Paul II 60, Pacific Rim Charter 46 — Devin Crofford finished with 23 points as the No. 9 Lions (17-6) topped the visiting No. 25 Dragons (16-4) to advance to the quarterfinals. Marlo Jumper helped out the victors with 18 points.