Mansfield Girls Lose to Barnstable, 56-49 in D-1 Tournament

The Mansfield High girls varsity basketball team lost to Barnstable, 56-49, on the road Wednesday in the Division 1 South tourmament in what was an amazing end to a great season.

Mansfield started the game off strong, taking the lead for a good deal of the first half. The two teams went back and forth for the lead, battling to gain an upper hand in this Division 1 South Tournament game.

"It was a good basketball game," Mansfield head coach Michael Redding said. "They just shot the ball better than we did in the second half."

Mansfield took the lead early in the first period, but Barnstable was able to punch back and end the period at 12-11. The second period saw much of the same as the two teams duked it out. The half ended with Barnstable ahead, 24-23.

Mansfield grabbed the lead in the third period and held on to it for the quarter. They stretched the lead to five points with two minutes left in the third, but Barnstable managed to creep up and the quarter ended, 34-33.

Barnstable tied the game at 36 in the first minute of the fourth period, and gained a lead later right after that would stand until the game's end.

"I thought it was anybody's game with about five minutes to go," Redding said. "There was that one stretch where it went from tied to them up five. That was the difference."

Mansfield scored often enough and came within three points of Barnstable with five minutes left in the game, but each basket was answered by Barnstable.

"They shot the ball very well," Redding said. "Their [shooting percentage] was higher in the second half. Their [season] record was 15 and four; we played a good team on the road."

Mansfield's Katie McCarthy lef the Hornets with 14 points. Kelly English and Victoria Shannon scored nine points a piece, and Michaela Bowes was not far behind with eight. Janet Maher scored five points and Julie Campbell scored four.