Girls’ basketball defeated Weymouth 53-45 Thursday, Feb. 4, at home. The Tigers fought from behind for most of the game but pulled away in the final quarter, maintaining their undefeated season.

Despite North’s poor shooting, the team played an all-around game to secure the win. “We played good team basketball, we passed the ball a lot,” said Maura Hamel, the head coach. “Shots weren’t really falling, but they kept playing hard.” 

In the first quarter, Weymouth aggressively attacked North’s defense, landing most of their shots. Nearing the end of the quarter, Weymouth drained a three-pointer, but junior Paloma Garcia answered back with a three herself. At the end of the quarter, Weymouth led 13-8.

North’s defense continued to struggle through the second quarter. Junior Thalia Shepard, a captain with seniors Alexis Hunter-Burton, Michaela O’Neil, and Ellie Solomon, squeezed in a layup after a highly contested rebound. Later, she drained a jump shot, keeping the team’s offense alive. By the end of the half, Weymouth still led 23-16.

“Our shooting wasn’t great that game and our defense wasn’t that great that first half,” said Solomon.

North’s defense improved in the third quarter, forcing more turnovers and capitalizing on rebounds. With less than a minute left in the quarter, sophomore Abigail Wright stole the ball and laid it into the basket. North led 38-35 at the close of the third.

According to Hamel, the improvement on defense generated more scoring opportunities. “We picked up our effort on defense which fueled our offense to play better,” she said. 

In the 4th quarter, North continued to challenge Weymouth’s offense and convert rebounds into their own offensive pressure, extending their lead as the game finished 53-45.

The match against Weymouth proved to be the team’s toughest win yet in their undefeated season.  “It definitely helped us with close game scenarios,” said Shepard. 

North finished the season 13-0 with a win over Needham on Saturday.