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Sports

Video: Lady Spartans Fall to St. Mary's in Championship

The Stoneham High School girls' basketball team ran into a squad hitting on all cylinders Saturday, losing 65-53 to St. Mary's High (Lynn) in the MIAA North Division 3 Final at the Tsongas Center at UMass-Lowell.

LOWELL — The girls' basketball team has been getting it done with defense all season long.

In the MIAA North Division 3 Final at the Tsongas Center at UMass-Lowell on Saturday, however, the top-seeded Lady Spartans would have needed fortifications akin to the Maginot Line to hold back the powerful barrage from second-seeded St. Mary’s High (Lynn).

Stoneham was felled, 65-53, in the title game after being pulled into an offensive shootout, a situation that strongly favored St. Mary’s.

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Stoneham was led by Vanessa Bramante, whose 16 points and 4 rebounds paced an offensive attack that featured three scorers in double figures, including Jen Geraghty (12 points) and Alison Brennan with 10.

Kirsten Ferrari scored a team-high 16 points for St. Mary's, followed by Cassi Amenta (15 points) and freshman Jennie Mucciarone with 11 markers. Tori Faieta, a Stonehill College recruit, collected 11 rebounds.

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“St. Mary’s came out firing, and they were making everything they were firing up there,” said Stoneham coach Angela Billings. “They were making a ton of shots... unfortunately it wasn’t our night tonight.”

Stoneham was put back on its heels from the opening tip-off, and never really recovered. St. Mary’s scored the game’s first five points and had opened up a 19-6 lead  at the end of the first quarter.

“You’ve got to give credit to Stoneham, they just kept coming,” said St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newhall. “I was concerned about us bouncing back emotionally after the Pentucket game, and I think we did that.”

St. Mary’s-Lynn edged Pentucket 62-60 in the semifinals.

“We got up by 20 in the first half, and credit to Stoneham, they got it back to 9 at the half,” Newhall said. “To be honest with you, at halftime, our locker room was quiet; there were a lot of long faces, I thought we were in trouble.”

With just over three minutes to play in the second quarter, and St. Mary’s holding a commanding 31-11 lead, Stoneham scored the last six points of the half and went into the locker room down 37-28, with momentum seemingly on its side.

“The girls just fought until the end,” Billings said. “It was a 20-point lead, and we cut it to 9... that was our goal after we got behind: to cut the lead to single digits by halftime, and we did that.

"That’s a credit to our toughness. We could have folded and (trailed by) 30 at the half, (but) instead they worked their butts off to cut it to 9.”

After halftime, things started out poorly for Stoneham and rapidly degenerated, as St. Mary’s scored the first 11 points of the half.

First Ferrari knocked down a 3-pointer, then Mucciarone followed suit. Amenta hit a two, and Mucciarone drained another three, and with six minutes left in the penultimate period, St. Mary’s lead was back to 20, at 58-38.

“Third quarter, they were coming out making threes,” said Billings of St. Mary's. “We switched to a zone because they were beating us in man, and they started making the threes from outside, and we had to press them at the end.”

Things looked bleak for Stoneham, but they were given a small glimmer of hope with just under four minutes left in the third, when Faieta picked up her fourth foul and was forced to the bench for the rest of the frame. Stoneham capitalized on the stalwart center’s absence, cutting the deficit to 11 by the start of the fourth quarter.

That would be about as close as it would get for Stoneham, however, as St. Mary’s kept its foot on the gas pedal and sealed a trip to the Division 3 State Tournament.

Despite the loss, Stoneham had a strong season and it is a testament to their senior leadership that they were able to advance as far as they did, said the coach following the loss.

“The seniors... what a run they made,” Billings said. “They made it further than any girls team from Stoneham ever has, and they got to play at Tsongas (Center). They played with a lot of heart all season.”

Billings also discussed how great the Lady Spartans' faithful have been this season.

“What a turnout we had today,” Billings said. “This community is awesome, and we're really blessed to have had them coming out and supporting us.

“Sports definitely brings this community together.”

Check out Stoneham Patch contributor Andrew Sylvia's video of the Lady Spartans' fans showing their support during the championship tilt with St. Mary's.

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