MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — With a spot in the Division 4 Elite Eight on the line, the Manchester Essex girls basketball team faced a tough challenge Wednesday night with 10th-seeded Sutton coming into town.
But the Hornets took care of business once again.
Head coach Lauren DuBois’ group would start hot and hold on down the stretch, ultimately coming away with a 45-36 win. It was the team’s fifth straight victory and 11th in their last 12.
The Hornets came out aggressive on defense, forcing multiple turnovers to start and giving Sutton fits on the offensive end of the floor.
“We came out really strong on defense,” DuBois said. “We got our shots to fall, we gave ourselves enough of a lead, so we got a little cold in the second half, but we were able to withstand it.”
From the opening tip the Hornets were playing with a sense of urgency and feeding off each other’s energy.
“They gave a great push back against us and we stayed composed, stayed focused, did what we needed to do,” DuBois added.
After a slow start for both teams that saw the hosts hold an 8-5 advantage going into the second quarter, the Hornets picked up their offense in a hurry.
They opened the decisive second stanza on a 15-0 run, with Lily Oliver making a couple of tough baskets as she was on her way to a 19-point night.
“We were just doing a great job of being unselfish and finding the open player,” DuBois said. “We were looking to push in transition and our defense was able to create a lot of those transition opportunities for us.”
Emerald Jakes also had a big night with a 3-pointer in the first half and a couple of nice baskets around the rim in her nine-point effort.
Manchester Essex held a significant 20-point halftime lead, but Sutton would not go away.
Sutton’s Courtney Clemons put the team on her back with a pair of 3-pointers and 14 total points, but whenever she and Sutton made a run the Hornets were able to make plays.
Time was not on Sutton’s side as their comeback effort was too little too late. As one of the hottest teams in the entire D4 bracket, the Hornets magical run will now continue in the state quarterfinals.
“This team has fought all season,” DuBois said. “It’s a smart group of kids that know the game, and they’re just executing exactly how I want them to be executing. So I couldn’t be more proud.”
Manchester is clearly playing some of its best basketball of the season at the right time and they will need that to continue in the next round against what could be its toughest test yet. The Hornets will travel to Millis High School, the No. 2 seed in the bracket, on Friday night for a 6 p.m. tilt.
Manchester Essex 45, Sutton 36
MIAA Division 4 Sweet 16
at Manchester Essex Regional High School
Manchester Essex 8 11 6 10 | 45
Sutton 5 4 12 15 | 36
Individual statistics Manchester Essex (13-8) — Lily Oliver 8-0-19, Emerald Jakes 4-0-9, Anna Gardner 2-1-5, Harper Brooks 1-2-4, Hadley Johnson 2-0-4, Penelope Riggs 1-0-2, Ema Mustafa 1-0-2. Totals: 19-3-45.
Sutton (12-8) — Courtney Clemons 6-0-14, Claire Acocelli 3-1-7, Ava Carroll 3-0-6, Kate Lavine 2-1-5, Gwenyth Sumner 2-0-4, Ava Hemingway 0-0-0, Katherine Patraitis 0-0-0, Amelia Hemingway 0-0-0, Quinn Jacobson 0-0-0. Totals: 16-2-36.
Halftime: 29-9, Manchester Essex
3-Pointers: M, Oliver 3, Jakes; S, Clemons 2