GROTON — After eight minutes of play of their game against Groton-Dunstable on Tuesday night, Bromfield’s chances of winning ranked somewhere between peace in the Middle East, and Kermit the Frog capturing a Grammy Award. The Lady Trojans earned a 20-6 deficit after one quarter by showing all the zest a turtle does when crossing a muddy road.
But three quarters later when the final buzzer sounded, Bromfield walked off the court with an improbable 48-45 win. It was a badly needed victory for the Lady Trojans, their first in three games, while the loss was the first in four contests for the Lady Crusaders.
“You couldn’t tell by the first quarter, but having Lindsey (Burke) back gave us some confidence,” said Bromfield coach Tom Hill. “The was a big win for a lot of reasons. First, we came from 16 points down. Second, we haven’t beaten Groton-Dunstable recently, and third we won against a good team on the road.”
“I’m extremely disappointed with this loss,” said Groton-Dunstable coach Mark Hennelly. “We just disappeared in the second and third quarters. We came back in the fourth quarter and woke up, but those two middle periods did us in.”
Groton-Dunstable totally controlled the first quarter in all departments. After Lindsey Burke’s free throw drew Bromfield to within 6-4, the Lady Crusaders put together a 14-0 blitz to move in front 20-4. Leda Tornaritis sparked the run with a 17-footer and a pair of three-pointers, while Gillian Rooney, Sandra Lanier and Ali MacLeod each added a basket.
Henley Siegrist stopped the bleeding for Bromfield by connecting on a 10-footer late in the quarter, but the visitors were saddled with a 14-point deficit.
Nearing the midway point of the second quarter, Groton-Dunstable’s Eva Mahan hit a pair of free throws for the largest lead of the game at 26-11.
With a blowout looming, Burke stepped up for the Lady Trojans with six points over the remainder of the period, including a pair of free throws in the final seconds that made it 30-24 at intermission. Jordan McDonnell came off the bench to hit a big three-pointer.
Siegrist and MacLeod traded baskets for the only points in the first three minutes of the third quarter. After a free throw by Bromfield’s Kelly Thurston, Gillian Rooney drained a three-pointer to give the Lady Crusaders an eight point cushion at 35-27.
Bromfield fought back and drew to within 37-34 after three quarters when Siegrist ended the quarter by hitting a 15-footer.
The Groton-Dunstable offense struggled mightily to open the fourth quarter and the Lady Trojans took advantage of it, grabbing their first lead since the opening minute. Bromfield’s decisive advantage from the free throw line (34 attempts to 13 for Groton-Dunstable) keyed the early fourth quarter run. Two free throws apiece by Johnson and Rosie Gatto put the Lady Trojans on top 38-37. Johnson buried a 17-footer, before single free throws by Burke and Siegrist made it 42-37.
Groton-Dunstable broke the scoring drought on a free throw by MacLeod, and fought back, tying the game at 43-43 on two free throws by Lanier.
The Lady Crusaders gained the lead at 45-44 when Mandy Woitowicz converted a steal into a lay-up, setting the stage for the biggest shot of the game. Johnson hit a three-pointer to put Bromfield on top for good at 47-45.
“I think that we might have been satisified to be 3-0, especially early in the game when 4-0 appeared to be in the bank,” said Hennelly. “We did not have a good practice yesterday and that carried over into today’s game. We got in foul trouble and the 34-13 deficit from the line was a factor, but I didn’t think we worked well together tonight.”
Burke (four rebounds) and Johnson (five rebounds) each scored 11 points to lead Bromfield. Thurston added eight points and three rebounds, while Siegrist finished with seven points, three rebounds and two steals.
“I thought that Henley Siegrist and Emily Reedich played well,” said Hill. “It was also good that we were able to get ten players into the game.’
Tornaritis paced the Lady Crusaders with 12 points, six rebounds and six steals. MacLeod added nine points and six rebounds, while Mahan (five rebounds, three steals) and Rooney each chipped in with seven points.
