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Bulldogs escape BG pressure for 64-46 Division I title win

By Tom King - Staff Writer | Mar 15, 2021

the sight of Bedford celebrating its Divison I girls basketball title had to be tough for Bishop Guertin to watch on Sunday in Kingston. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

KINGSTON – Save the tape? Maybe. But not for the reasons one would think.

Sure, the tape is something that Bishop Guertin High School girls basketball coach Brad Kreick will likely show once again to his team at some point.

But the footage from Sunday’s Division I finals won’t be viewed in a celebratory setting, that’s for sure. Instead, it will be learning/motivational tool after Bedford stormed past the previously unbeaten Cardinals, 64-46, at Sanborn Regional.

The Bulldog win snaps a BG in-state winning streak that stretches beyond 50, and a span of five straight titles, four solo, one shared. It’s Bedford’s first title since it edged BG 39-38 back in 2013.

“I told them ‘This is gonna hurt like heck, and it’s supposed to, because they care so much,'” Kreick said. “And the second thing I told them is ‘Don’t ever forget how this feels.’

“Once you get a little perspective, and the sting of losing goes away, that will fuel them the next eight or nine months. They don’t want to feel this again.”

What happened? First, Isabella King happened. The Bedford senior was lights out just about every time she put up a shot, finishing with 23 points, including a killer five 3-pointers, three of which came in a 10-point third quarter that prevented Guertin (18-1) from making a move after being down 35-22 at the half.

“We got it down to 11, at least with the style that we play, 11 points can come pretty quickly,” Kreick said. “But you know, they just hung tough, they kept making shots. You look up, it’s 11, it’s 13, it’s 15. We weren’t narrowing the gap. That’s what we did to them in the first game, we kept chipping away. We just couldn’t do it today.”

Indeed, the Cards downed the 14-2 Bulldogs 69-64 after being down over 20 points at the half in the regular season meeting, but they just kept coming in that one. Once King got into her groove, it was over, as BG trailed 52-28 going into the fourth quarter.

“She’s one of the better shooters,” Kreick said, “I’ve ever seen. … She hit shots. You give her half an inch, she made us pay all day long.”

“BG came back earlier in the season, so we knew we had to work all four quarters and just work hard and play together,” King said. “I think everyone stepped up tonight.”

McCarthy had 14 points – 10 in the second quarter – and eight rebounds, while Sophia Mumpini and Emma Kasyjanski each had nine.

Guertin got 15 points from center Meghan Stack and 12 from Brooke Paquette, their only other double figure scorers. The Cards’ top scorer in their tourney wins, Olivia Murray, was held to five.

Guertin’s pressure, while it caused some problems, didn’t force Bedford to panic.

“We have been preaching patience for months,” Bulldogs coach Kevin Gibbs said. “We knew they were going to be in our grill. I mean, we know each other. Each team knows how the other team’s plays, we know each other’s tendencies. It was a matter of which team was going to withstand what the opponent was throwing at them.

“We were practicing 5 on 7, 5 on 8, we knew the pressure was coming. ,,, It’s all them (his players). The preparation was them embracing what the coaches put together. They were the ones who executed it, and that’s really what it’s all about.”

The other problem the Cardinals had was its horrendous start offensively. They shot 3 for 19 in the opening period, trailing 15-7, and never really recovered as the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run to start the second quarter, a run that eventually grew to 14-2, and the Cardinals never got closer than 11 the rest of the way.

“It’s one thing to go 3 for 19 if it’s 12-6,” Kreick said. “But when it’s 22-7, that’s a different story.”

The Bulldogs had that type of lead two months ago, and were dying for revenge from that Jan. 17 defeat.

“It all worked out in the end,” King said, “that we did get to play them again. … This was just a great game to play them, and we wanted it.”

So did the Cards, who, as Kreick said, are left with the sting.

“They’re hurting, and they should be hurting right now,” Kreick said. “But they’re young, they’re still growing. … We didn’t win a game today but I wouldn’t trade those guys for anything in the world.”

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