Girls’ basketball pulled off a satisfying 66-59 win away at Belmont in the state tournament’s round of 32, Friday, Feb. 28.
The team’s 12-8 record in the regular season made it the 18th seed going into the tournament, while Belmont’s record of 13-7 placed them at 15th in the bracket. The Tigers’ victory in this game is the only upset in the tournament thus far.
“We had some periods of very high-level basketball,” said junior Allie Danis, a captain along with seniors Devon Burke, Brooke Ufland, and junior Nikki Rao. “Our hard work in the past few weeks has shown, and we came out with the win.”
According to Danis, the girls were given a week off from games before the tournament, which allowed them to focus on perfecting some of their skills, including defensive plays and boxing out.
The Tigers started out strong, scoring close-range shots and drawing multiple fouls. Belmont’s offense throughout the first quarter was equally strong, however, and the scores remained close.
The second quarter began with a breakaway by Burke, setting the tone for the remainder of the game. Rao followed up with two three-point shots and junior Nina Bakal shot a three of her own soon after. At the half, the Tigers were leading 35-27.
“We wanted it,” said Rao, “We ran our offense well. I think we played with a lot of energy.”
In the second half, Belmont struggled with making its shots. This allowed North to dominate the scoreboard and extend its lead.
Realizing its lack of offensive success, Belmont picked up its defense at the end of the third quarter. As North was pressured by Belmont defenders, the Tigers were called multiple times for traveling.
North was further set back when Danis, one of the team’s top shooters, fouled out of the game early into the fourth quarter. Freshman Annabelle Wardly, another starter, also faced foul trouble and played limited minutes during the game.
Danis said, “I was upset as obviously I would prefer to impact the game from on the court, but I trusted my teammates to secure the win.”
Despite their loss of key players, the Tigers battled back. Burke, in particular, controlled the final minutes of the game. She made multiple fast break layups and drew enough fouls on the opposing team to put the Tigers into the bonus. All fouls against North, then, rewarded the team with free throws.
Todd Sundstrom, the head coach, said, “Devon Burke played like the leader and incredible player that she is.”
Burke scored a total of 30 points throughout the game, and Rao scored 14. Danis, despite limited playing time, still managed to sneak in 8.
The team will face off against number two seed Bishop Feehan Tuesday, March 4 in Attleboro for the round of 16.
Going forward in the tournament will be a challenge, Sundstrom said, but he is excited to see how the team succeeds.
“One of the nicest things about this group is they don’t crumble,” Sundstrom said, “They don’t back down. They are not going to give up before the opening tip. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose and that is a great place to be.”
