TURNERS FALLS – The saying “defense wins games” was in full effect on Tuesday night in the Powertown, when No. 13 Turners Falls faced off against No. 52 Rising Tide in the preliminary round of the MIAA Division 5 girls basketball tournament.
The Thunder’s lockdown defense transitioned into efficient offense, resulting in a convincing 63-17 win.
The only lapse in defense for Turners came in the last six minutes where they allowed 11 of the Herons’ 17 points. Thankfully, the Thunder played outstanding defense in the previous 26 minutes, and had the game well in hand.
“We pride ourself on defense,”said Turners head coach Jim Cadran. “We’ve said that from the beginning of the year. That’s our energy.”
Their defensive presence really shined in the first half of the game. The Thunder didn’t allow a basket until the second quarter, which stopped a 19-0 run by Turners Falls to open the game. The run was halted when Edie Picard made a layup for the visitors with 7:50 left in the quarter. That would be the only basket that the Thunder gave up in the entire first half, as the hosts led 33-2 at intermission.
“Our defense makes our offense. When we’re moving our feet on defense we feel good about ourselves,” Cadran said.
That basket was answered by a 22-0 Thunder run, which involved scoring from a number of players. Junior Abbi Holloway led the charge during that run, scoring five of her 12 points in that span. Other contributors to the run were Taylor Greene, Morgan Dobias, Madison Liimatainen and Emily Young.
Young led the team with 14 points and was essential on the defensive side, telling players where to be and being the loudest one in the gym. Even when she was on the bench you could hear her yelling “motion” to her teammates. Her leadership has been a key piece to this team all year long, according to Cadran.
“She leads the players at practice and on the court. She knows what’s going on,” Cadran said. “She gets them in the right spots. She’s the perfect leader.”
The blowout win should only enhance the confidence that Turners Falls has had all year as the squad prepares for the Round of 32.
“We’ve been playing with good confidence all year and we feel good about ourselves,” Cadran said. “We started the year a little bit slow, but from that point on we’ve been feeling pretty good about how we’re playing.”
The Thunder will bring that confidence into the next round of the state tournament when they host No. 20 St. Bernard’s of Fitchburg for a spot in the Round of 16 on Friday night at 6 p.m. The Bernardians beat Norfolk Aggie in the preliminary round on Tuesday.