FOXBOROUGH — If anyone involved with the Pentucket girls basketball program didn’t have to see the gym at Foxborough High for a while, they’d probably throw a party.
Because for them, that place is quickly becoming haunted.
For the second year in a row, Pentucket unfortunately saw its season come to an end at the hands of Foxborough in the same exact round. This time went a lot better than the first, and the Panthers truly gave the two-time defending state champions all they could handle. But the quest for a three-peat is still alive, as the No. 2 Warriors were able to hold on for the 54-49 victory over the Panthers in Friday’s Division 3 quarterfinal.
“We wanted to keep it close and have a chance at the end, and we had that,” said Pentucket coach John McNamara. “I think we missed a couple of layups late that may have made it a little easier to come back, but our kids competed really hard in a tough environment. Road playoff game, long bus ride, so the coaching staff couldn’t be more proud of this group. They battled right until the very end.”
What’s the old cliché? To be the best you’ve got to beat the best.
Well, Pentucket (19-6) nearly made it happen.
After only leading by one at halftime, 24-23, there were a handful of instances in the second half where it looked like Foxborough (22-1) was going to pull away. Elite guard Kailey Sullivan hit a 3 right after teammate Kylie Sampson did the same, and a jumper from Brynn Allen put the Warriors up seven late in the third quarter. Then similarly in the fourth, the Warriors built the lead up to six thanks to Adrianna Porazzo, and free throws from Sullivan made it 50-45 with 38 seconds left.
But every time it looked to be slipping away, Pentucket would come back.
It was Amelia Crowe (13 pts) hitting a big 3 in the third when it got to a seven-point game, and the Panthers would end the quarter with free throws from Devyn Walsh (12 pts) and a bucket from Chloe Dancewicz to cut it back to 37-34. Two straight baskets from Walsh trimmed it to 43-42 with three minutes left, and Allie Gagnon (16 pts) nearly willed the Panthers to victory herself in the closing moments.
After Foxborough went up by five with 38 seconds left, it only took her seven seconds to race down the court and convert an and-1 to bring it back to 50-48. The Warriors would then make two free throws, but Gagnon would get fouled and make another from the line to make it 52-49 with four ticks left on the scoreboard.
Pentucket, however, couldn’t grab the rebound after the missed second free throw, as Sampson corralled it before icing the game at the line.
“It’s disappointing,” said McNamara. “We thought we could come down here and win.”
Sullivan would finish with a game-high 20 points for Foxborough. The Hockomock League MVP is as good as advertised, but credit also needs to go to Pentucket junior Sofia Bellacqua, who made her work hard for all 20 of those points.
“I think she’s probably the best guard in the state,” said McNamara on Sullivan. “Watching her, she scores 25 or 30 every night. If you had said before the game that we held her to 20, I would have thought we would win. Hats off to Sofia for the defense she played, because that’s not an easy job.”
In the end, though, the Warriors were able to do just enough to make it back to the Division 3 Final Four.
McNamara mentioned “getting stronger physically” when asked what it’s going to take to get over the “Foxborough hump” next year. But thinking about that task, Pentucket is in line to return everyone next winter except for lone senior Kate Conover. The captain’s leadership, energy and effort will be greatly missed. But between Crowe (15.8 ppg, 50 3s), Gagnon (8.0 ppg), Bellacuqa (5.4 ppg), Walsh (5.2 ppg), Dancewicz (4.6 ppg), Carly Foley and Lexie Thompson, the Panthers will return everyone else in their normal rotation.
“Kate’s been such a big part of this program for four years,” said McNamara. “I’ve known Kate since the fourth grade, having her sisters before her. So she’s going to be a big loss for us emotionally as a leader on the court.”
Foxborough 54, Pentucket 49
Division 3 Quarterfinals
Pentucket (49): Sofia Bellacqua 1-0-3, Kate Conover 1-0-2, Allie Gagnon 5-6-16, Amelia Crowe 4-2-13, Devyn Walsh 5-2-12, Chloe Dancewicz 1-1-3, Lexie Thompson 0-0-0. Totals 17-11-49
Foxborough (54): Alaysia Drummonds 2-2-7, Kailey Sullivan 6-5-20, Adrianna Porazzo 3-2-9, Kylie Sampson 1-2-5, Ava Hill 3-2-8, Brynn Allen 2-0-4, Naomi Aguasvivas 0-1-1. Totals 17-14-54
3-pointers: F — Sullivan 3, Drummonds, Porazzo, Sampson; P — Crowe 3, Bellacqua
Pentucket (19-6): 10 13 11 15 — 49
Foxborough (22-1): 12 12 13 17 — 54