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Bishop Guertin in girls hoop tourney finals

By George Scione - For The Telegraph | Dec 29, 2018

ANDOVER, Mass. – The winter season of 2018-19 is already mirroring the last three seasons for Bishop Guertin’s girls basketball team.

These Cardinals can’t be stopped. At least that’s the impression they’re giving crowds attending games in New Hampshire and Massachusetts thus far.

Saturday night, 200-plus basketball fans gathered in the Andover (Mass.) High School gymnasium to watch BG outrun Westford Academy 67-30 in the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic semifinals.

The Cardinals now face off with host Andover at 5:15 in tonight’s title game at AHS. Andover beat Central Catholic 73-65 in the later semifinal.

Earlier in the night, the three-time defending NHIAA Division I champions were off and running from the tip, opening with a 10-4 run and closing the first quarter up 23-14.

The Cardinals maintained the nine-point lead into halftime at 32-23 before pulling away in the third quarter and never looking back.

Ava Owens scored four of her game-high 15 points in the third and Erin Carney netted five of her 14 as BG outscored Westford 17-2 in the frame for a 49-25 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.

The fourth quarter was slightly better for Westford – three points better to be exact – as the Grey Ghosts managed five points to BG’s 18.

While BG coach Brad Kreick admired the defensive effort coming out of the break, he was even more ecstatic about how his bench handled things going into the half.

“It may seem like our defense in the second half was key, but I actually think the turning point was in the second quarter,” Kreick said. “With three of our starters in foul trouble we were able to stop a brief run Westford was putting together and then expand the lead back out to nine points.”

With Owens, Aaliyah Forman (10 points) and Hannah Muchemore pulled from the floor with two fouls each and the Ghosts – led by Ellie Nolan (seven points), Morgan Rose (six points) and Jen Martin (six points) – in the midst of a 7-0 run that cut BG’s lead to two (23-21) with five minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Cardinals bench clamped down defensively and amped things back up offensively.

Bri Wilcox (12 points) ended Westford’s run with a 3-pointer and added another basket in the Cardinals’ quarter-ending 9-2 run.

Also chipping in with points on that run were Carney and Aria O’Connell.

“That was key to this win,” Kreick said. “It gave us fresh legs and it certainly helped fire those three girls up heading into the second half. They didn’t want to sit, so when it was time to get back on the floor they were ready to go.”

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