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Sports

Mansfield Girls' Basketball Rallies for Win Over Franklin

Strong fourth quarter puts the Hornets into the Division 1 South semifinals against Newton South.

When you are a team that plays great defense and can make three-pointers, you are never out of a game.

The Mansfield High girls’ basketball team found itself trailing 27-22 after three quarters to Hockomock League rival Franklin in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Division 1 South Sectional Tournament on Friday night at the James Albertini Memorial Gymnasium.

But the Hornets almost matched their entire offensive output from the first three quarters in the final period, going on a 17-6 surge to start the fourth, including a run of nine consecutive points on the way to outscoring the Panthers, 21-13, in the quarter and registering a very hard-fought 43-40 win.

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“Our kids believe in each other and believe they are going to win,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Redding. “These kids play great defense and play as a team on offense.”

With the victory, second-seeded Mansfield improved to 23-1 and advances to the sectional semifinals, where the team will face third-seeded Newton South at Massasoit College in Brockton, possibly on Tuesday. The Lions improved to 21-1 and advanced to the semifinals with a 65-57 victory over 11th-seeded Taunton (15-5) on Friday night. Franklin, the seventh seed, completed its season with a 16-4 overall record.

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Senior guard Kelli McPherson led the Hornets with 13 points, all 13 coming in the second half, including eight in the fourth quarter. Senior center Colleen Copley scored 10 points, including eight in the first half.

Junior point guard Michaela Bowes had seven points on the night, including five in the second half, while senior forward Meghan Keohane scored all seven of her points in the fourth quarter with five coming on clutch free throws.

Junior Alicia Wilde led the Panthers with 10 points, while junior guard Catie Phelan had seven points. Sophomore captain Alicia Kutil had six points as did senior captain and point guard Sarah Doherty. Senior forward Ellie Getchell had five points.

Trailing 27-22 heading into fourth quarter, McPherson pulled her team within two at 27-25 with her second three-pointer of the night, 17 seconds into the period. After a basket by Phelan at 7:14, McPherson dropped another three with 6:57 remaining in the game, drawing the hosts to within one at 29-28.

“Going in the fourth quarter, we knew we had to pick it up on defense and slug it out on offense,” said McPherson. “When we slowed down our offense, we went inside to Colleen. And when they doubled her, it opened up some outside shots.”

A basket by Keohane was sandwiched around hoops by Doherty and Wilde, which gave Franklin a 33-30 advantage with 4:43 left. But the Hornets went on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes, taking command of the game at 39-33 with 49.7 seconds left.

Keohane started the surge with two free throws at 4:17 with Bowes hitting a three with 3:50 remaining, giving the hosts the lead for good at 35-33. Two more free throws by Keohane at 2:43 and one by senior guard Krista Luchette with 1:34 left made it 38-33.

“The difference in the game was us being able to hit some big threes and their threes rolling off the rim,” said Redding. “It was a great, great effort by both teams. Every possession was a battle. We played great defense all night and needed one run and fortunately we got it. We were not good on offense all night. We just had one good run and it was the difference. And to hold this team to 40 points is a great effort. We felt if we held them in the low 40’s, we would have a good chance to win.”

A three-pointer by Phelan with 13.5 seconds remaining pulled the Panthers to within three at 41-38, but senior captain and forward Kathryn Campbell hit two clutch free throws with 9.5 seconds left to seal the victory.

“They made big shots in the fourth quarter,” said Franklin coach John Leighton. “They did not hurt us with the threes until the fourth. But that was a nice nine-point bump they got, hitting those threes. This was a battle of two good teams. They just made their shots in the fourth and we didn’t. They also played great defense against us the whole game.”

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