Down two key rotational players Thursday night at Greater Lawrence, the Rockport girls hoop team wasn’t quite able to get over the hump against a tough Reggies squad.
The Vikings hung in there in the first half, trailing by just 12 at the break. But Reggies’ standout Serenity West (27 points with six threes) and a balanced lineup around her ultimately proved too much, as Rockport dropped a 56-33 decision.
“They were definitely a strong team, but we were missing two solid players: one of them being a starter and one of them being the first girl off the bench. So that made things difficult,” admitted Rockport head coach Jordan Fears. “I don’t know if the lull over winter break (played a role in the loss), but the girls are saying, ‘on to the next one’, and we’re definitely ready for our next game.”
Despite the loss, which dropped the Vikings back below .500 at 3-4 for the year, senior captain Allie George was once again on her A-game. The talented forward scored 16 points to lead her team, and continued to be a key cog defensively.
She and freshman Sunny Gallagher (7 points) have consistently led the charge offensively this winter, and the chemistry between the youngster and the veteran has certainly been a boon for coach Fears and her staff.
“They actually played together last year so that was a huge building year between them,” said Fears. “They just really work hard with one another and they have a great chemistry.”
Gallagher runs the point for the Vikings, handling the bulk of the ball handling duties while leading team in 3-point makes, too. She knocked down another shot from distance on Thursday and has now hit nine total for the year.
George, meanwhile, has steadily improved her outside shot but continues to do much of her damage in the paint. She’s tall, athletic, and forceful, rarely making mistakes with the ball in her hands. Together, she and Gallagher have formed a great 1-2 punch at the top for Rockport.
“Allie’s in her second year as captain and she’s really done a great job. When she drives it she just attracts fouls and she shoots free throws like it’s her job, so she’s very solid in that sense,” said Fears. “Sunny does a lot of the ball handling and has really stepped up scoring for us this year.”
Another youngster, 8th-grader Sadie Mierz, has been a welcome addition to the lineup as well. The middle schooler regularly joins Gallagher in the backcourt and the two of them have been pests defensively. Mierz is capable offensively, too; she drilled a triple in Thursday’s loss and finished with six points.
Those aforementioned standouts have unquestionably led the charge, but it’s really been a complete team effort that’s allowed Rockport to snare three wins to start the year.
Take Thursday’s game for example: With a depleted lineup (due to sickness) against the Reggies, Fears turned to Natasha Proposki in the starting lineup and the freshman didn’t disappoint.
She got on the scoreboard with a two-point basket but it was her attention to detail on the other end of the floor that really shone through.
“She started, got a lot of playing time and did really well on defense for us. She stepped up and helped us a ton on that end,” Fears said of Proposki, a forward.
Once they get healthy, there’s no reason the Vikings can’t continue to come out on the winning side in some of their looming matchups. They won’t have much time to rest, however, with another road test slated for Friday evening at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School (5:30 start). Rockport will then head to Chelsea on Tuesday before returning home the following Monday for a rematch with Mystic Valley.
Greater Lawrence 56, Rockport 33
At Greater Lawrence Tech
Individual Statistics
Rockport (3-4) — Allie George 4-9-16, Sunny Gallagher 1-4-7, Sadie Mierz 1-3-6, Natasha Proposki 1-0-2, Maggie Reed 1-0-2. Totals: 8-15-33.
Greater Lawrence (4-1) — Maliah Caban 3-0-8, Serenity West 9-3-27, Mya German 6-0-12, Kimberly Garcia 0-3-3, Jaeda Flores 1-2-4, Camila Colon 1-0-2. Totals: 20-8-56.
Halftime: Greater Lawrence 28-16;
3-pointers: Rockport — Gallagher and Mierz; Greater Lawrence — West 6, Caban 2.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.