Advancing their season record to a victorious 8-3, WA Girls’ Basketball (WAGB) earned a 69-28 senior night win against Boston Latin School (BLS) in the WA main gym on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Despite the game falling on the same day as the G block midterm exam and the two feet of snow piled up outside, both the players and the spectators buzzed with energy as the Ghosts showcased their synergy as a team.
The match opened with a senior night celebration that recognized WA cheerleaders Lia DiNitto and Isabella Feliciano, WA basketball players including senior captains Kaitlyn Pepin, Olivia Pillsbury, and Maddie Smith, and seniors Hannah Lupien, Saanvi Jha, and Brooke Nielsen.
“I graduated from Westford Academy in 2017 and I’ve coached some of these girls since they were literally tiny, so to be here on senior night and have this full-circle moment is really special for me,” Head Coach Camille Desrochers said. “I’ve loved it so far, so I’m hoping we can continue our success and make a little run postseason.”
As with many games this season, the Ghosts won possession of the ball during the tip-off, and immediately began making energetic plays. Lupien took advantage of a clear shot at the net and earned WA the first points of the game with a clean three-pointer.
Although BLS recovered from WA’s early lead relatively quickly with a successful layup, the Ghosts were quick to stomp out any chance of losing the upper hand. Pillsbury shifted closer to the net and managed to toss in a layup, and followed it up by scoring an additional point through a foul shot, making the score 9-2. Nielsen was also a key contributor on offense, earning WA two more points with a layup and maintaining their momentum with energetic drives to the hoop.
“One thing we’ve struggled with [in past games] is coming out to a hot start,” Desrochers said. “We’ve had a couple games when we’ve come out flat and then we find it, but it’s important to do what we did tonight and come out hot from the start, get some points on the board, and let it carry us through the rest of the game.”
BLS continued to keep their composure with smooth, strategic passing that kept the Ghosts on their toes. Their strong defense and blocking also posed a temporary obstacle for WA, but Lupien and Smith used the energy WA had built up to move through the BLS defense and steal and block multiple shots of their own.
Both teams were still playing fast and aggressively midway through the first quarter, but the Ghosts’ unity and effective communication allowed them to remain in the lead 13-4. Along with Smith and Lupien, Pepin and Pillsbury also made several impressive steals.
Another example of WA’s strong teamwork came when sophomore Grace Trahan broke away with the ball and made a fast drive to the BLS hoop. Just before she made it to the basket, sophomore Phoenix Philbrick sprinted up from behind, received a pass from Trahan, and tossed in a layup before BLS arrived to defend their hoop. Due to their teamwork, WA ended the first quarter with a 21-6 lead.
In the second quarter, the Ghosts continued to make rapid plays with Pepin beginning the quarter by receiving a pass from the sideline and unhesitatingly taking it into a successful layup while junior Emma Pavao, Lupien, and Pillsbury sustained WA’s accumulation of points. Smith was the key to the Ghosts’ smooth transitions between offense and defense with numerous passes that helped WA enter halftime with the score at 36-9.
The third quarter proved that BLS could maintain their composure with sound passes and effective communication, but they failed to catch up to WA’s offense and were unable to move through WA’s defense. Nielsen was a significant part of the Ghosts’ offensive and defensive force in the third quarter with a layup and blocking that stopped several BLS plays.
The Ghosts’ defense ensured that BLS was unable to send any easy layups through the hoop by completely filling the areas surrounding the net before the BLS offense could approach it. Sophomore Alexa Coward and Trahan also intercepted many offensive plays and prevented BLS from going on a run for points while allowing WA to grow their score to 40-11.
As the third quarter neared its end, the Ghosts sustained their energy and made several more rushes to achieve a 40-point lead and a score of 55-15 going into the final quarter despite BLS gaining a small amount of traction with four additional points.
The fourth quarter was filled with enthusiasm from the Ghosts’ side as a full senior team took control of the court and put several points on the board. Cheers erupted from the crowd as Jha made an impressive layup and the six seniors celebrated their years on the team with a few smooth plays.
“It was awesome for our seniors to be recognized for their hard work,” Pavao said. “We are going to miss this group of seniors so much, they all have brought such great energy and positivity to the team [over] the last four years.”
Both teams were scoring consistently in the fourth quarter and BLS managed to gain some ground. However, WA refused to let them close the gap with sophomore Reese Nielsen and junior Lizzie Boucher leading multiple plays to finish the game with a 69-28 victory.
“The whole team was thrilled [about] the win,” Pepin said. “Personally, this team has meant everything to me over the past four years and has given me so much. In this final season I hope to give back to the program that has given me so many opportunities while also being a good role model for the underclassmen.”
The girls’ basketball team will face Chelmsford High School in an away match for their next game on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 12 p.m.
