The girls varsity basketball team lost 48-43 in a hard-fought game against the Walpole Timberwolves on Tuesday, Jan. 14 in the Schluntz Gymnasium.
The game started with senior and captain Olivia Mataraza winning the tip-off, allowing for an early 2-0 lead for the Warriors.
However, the initial momentum for the Warriors failed to last, as the Timberwolves scored a three-pointer off their next possession. After this, both teams settled into a rhythm of minimal scoring and stellar defense.
After several minutes of back-and-forth scoring from both teams, the Timberwolves led 10-8 with under a minute remaining in the first quarter. Down by two points, Mataraza received the ball off of a breakaway and managed to draw a foul, despite not scoring. After making one of her free-throw attempts, the score settled at 11-9, Timberwolves.
Gaining possession in the defensive end with under five seconds remaining, junior and captain Nefeli Aga-Kitch went for a beyond half-court buzzer-beater. With the ball going wide of the net, the first quarter ended with the Timberwolves in the lead, 11-9.
The second quarter started with a surge in scoring from the Warriors. After the Timberwolves countered with a three-pointer, Mataraza responded by scoring two layups.
With an additional layup from Aga-Kitch and a three-pointer from freshman Skylar Makalusky, the score was brought to 18-14, Warriors leading. A timeout was then called by the Timberwolves with just over six minutes remaining in the second quarter.
After the timeout, the Timberwolves came back with a newfound aggression which played to their advantage, as they managed to gain a slight lead of 21-19. The Warriors, however, were soon able to even the score, bringing it to 27 a piece before pulling ahead and ending the first half in the lead, 31-27.
Makalusky said the Warriors played to their strengths in the first half and executed a solid game with good fundamentals.
“We kept scoring, we had good defense, everything. Everyone knew what they were doing. We all played as a unit,” Makalusky said.
After a dazzling halftime performance by the Warriors cheer team, the Timberwolves began the third quarter with possession. They scored a two-pointer and a layup early to tie the game at 31-31.
Following the Timberwolves strong start, with a series of layups and free-throw opportunities from both teams, the score was tied at 33-33. The Warriors called a timeout with just under four minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Timberwolves had been dominating possession throughout the game, however, after the timeout, the Warriors came out with a new energy. They quickly scored a layup and established a small 35-33 lead.
The Timberwolves then called their own timeout with two minutes and 50 seconds remaining in the quarter. This temporarily halted the momentum the Warriors had gained and the Timberwolves scored a three-pointer upon coming back from the timeout.
Rebounding quickly, the Warriors scored a layup off a break-away and a three-pointer with under 10 seconds remaining. With this, the third quarter ended with the Warriors leading 40-36.
Just like the previous quarters, the fourth quarter saw fast-paced plays with little scoring. The first basket came four minutes and 50 seconds into the quarter with a layup from junior Jada Kimbro.
Once again, with two minutes and 30 seconds left, a timeout was called with the score of 43-42, Timberwolves. After the timeout, the Warriors managed to tie the score at 43-43 off of a free throw.
Running up and down the court, turnover after turnover, the score seemed as though it would never change. A timeout was called with just a minute left on the clock, putting a pause on the back-and-forth play.
With the whole game resting on the final minute, a three-pointer and two free-throws put the Timberwolves in the lead, 48-43. Despite a timeout called by the Warriors with 16 seconds remaining, the game ended 48-43, Timberwolves.
Despite their strong effort, the Warriors struggled to maintain composure at key moments in the final quarter, shifting momentum in the Timberwolves’ favor. Makalusky said that several small mistakes resulted in missed opportunities.
“There were some cross-court passes that we shouldn’t have made that got picked off. That [wouldn’t have happened if] we just took an extra second to calm ourselves,” Makalusky said.
Head coach Kendall Jones said that consistency is key to victory, especially when facing a challenging opponent.
“You got to be consistent with being consistent,” Jones said. “If there are pockets in the game where you’re inconsistent with communicating and knowing where people are, they may hit big shots, like at the end, but that’s not enough.”
According to Mataraza, the fact that the game was so close means there is an opportunity for improvement.
“It’s tough. You’re right there for most of the game. I think we can take this energy. Our next game is on Thursday against Boston Latin, and we’re ready to bring that competition on to the next,” Mataraza said.
Despite the loss, Jones is hopeful for the season and sees several key improvements from previous seasons.
“Honestly, I want to win and I want to make the tournament. I think our seniors deserve to go out making a tournament this year. We had a rough season last year, 1-19,” Jones said. “They’ve worked hard over the summer, they worked hard during the fall and they’ve gotten better each game. I think they’re going to see it all the way through, in turn.”
