Girls’ Basketball comes away with a 76-51 win vs. L-S

After a rough start, WA Varsity Girls’ Basketball fought their way to a 76-51 win in a heated game against the Lincoln-Sudbury Warriors on December 21. Originally down 18-9, the Ghosts edged in a 30-29 lead by the start of the second half. They quite literally took the ball and ran with it from there, finishing 25 points ahead of their opponents.

The game began with a three-pointer on WA’s side, but LS was quick to take control. After junior Emily Bramanti took possession, a close rally ensued that ended in a basket for WA, tying the score at 5-5 halfway through the first quarter. LS did not back down, though, and by the end of the quarter they had gained a 18-9 lead.

The tension was tangible at the beginning of the second quarter as Westford Academy tried to close the gap. Despite a few points scored through free throws, the Ghosts were still down 20-11 with four minutes left in the quarter.

WA’s turnaround began with a three-pointer by senior Taylor Pillsbury that brought the score to 20-14. After the score stagnated for nearly two minutes, sophomore Brooke Pillsbury jump started the momentum by scoring off Bramanti’s past. Senior Angela Alibrandi scored just ten seconds later, bringing the score to 26-20 with a minute left in the first half.

Lincoln-Sudbury had been consistently taking control and scoring after nearly every WA point, but this time it was Brooke Pillsbury who broke away and scored. LS broke WA’s streak with a basket and free throw, but was unable to stop WA from advancing to 24-29. The Ghosts took control of a LS free throw and ended the half trailing 29-26.

The second half did not slow WA’s newfound momentum, and within a few seconds they had taken their first lead of the night at 30-29. Shortly afterwards, a foul was called on WA which coach Russ Coward disagreed with, resulting in a short but heated confrontation.

Halfway through the third quarter, LS and WA were tied 35-35. A tense standoff followed as WA passed back and forth without being able to find an opening, but Bramanti pushed through with a three-pointer. LS scored immediately after but was quelled by another three-pointer by Bramanti, after which LS was unable to regain control.

From there, it was smooth sailing for the Ghosts. They ended the quarter ahead 48-39 and only continued from there, with Brooke Pillsbury scoring twice in quick succession to bring the score to 52-39. Bramanti came to the forefront once again and scored twice, helping raise the score to 65-43 in favor of WA.

LS could hardly manage a basket as the fourth quarter ticked by, on the other hand, Westford Academy fans were going hoarse from continual screaming. With 30 seconds left in the game, WA had widened their lead to 76-41, and Lincoln-Sudbury only managed to put up one more shot before the game’s end. The final score was 76-51 Westford.

Coach Coward was pleased about the win, but warned that he was not going to forget the girls’ weak first half.

“Very poor first half, very strong second half,” he said. “[In regards to the turnaround] we made a couple adjustments on offense, the girls began to be a bit more aggressive.”

The girls play their next game Friday, December 23 at North Andover.