BRAINTREE – Just when the Massachusetts girls basketball landscape has established new juggernauts, an old titan returns to the fold.
Senior forward Francesca Spadorcia finished with a game-high 17 points, as fourth-seeded Braintree returned to the Div. 1 state semifinals with a thrilling 43-40 victory over No. 5 Woburn in front of a packed house.
“I just think it was all about rebounding and our defense not fouling,” said Spadorcia. “We were both in foul trouble, and I think that’s what it came down to – just hustling after the ball.”
The win marks the furthest Braintree (21-2) has advanced in the playoffs since 2019, prior to the Commonwealth’s switch to a statewide format. The Wamps needed every single point in this one, as they traded buckets with the Tanners (20-2) from start to finish. Sophomore Eva Downing got things going for Braintree, racking up nine points in the opening frame alone to give the Wamps a slim 14-11 lead.
However, after Braintree extended its lead to nine in the late stages of the second quarter, Woburn would close the half on a 5-0 run to trim it back to a 24-20 contest at the break.
The chess match continued into the second half, when Spadorcia took over the game in the third, finishing with a bucket in the waning seconds to provide her team a 32-28 lead entering the fourth.
After a timeout was called with Braintree leading, 38-31, with 4:11 left, the Tanners turned to their stars. Shannon McCarthy and Mckenna Morrison combined to hit four straight shots, helping Woburn claw back within one at 41-40 with 2:00 left in regulation.
Francesca Mazzini hit a free throw with 22.9 seconds remaining for Braintree to make it 43-40, forcing Woburn coach Stephen Sullivan to use a timeout. The coach drew up a play for Morrison, who got a potential game-tying three off at the buzzer. The shot struck the backboard, and harmlessly fell to the floor as the Wamps stormed the court in celebration.
Downing finished with 11 points for Braintree, while Kate Sweeney dropped eight points for the Wamps.
Morrison (15 points) and McCarthy (11 points, 11 rebounds) paced Woburn throughout the night.
Are the Wamps back to their dynastic ways? The program has been climbing back to this point for years, and will now look to prove that this run was no fluke.
“It still feels unreal,” said Spadorcia. “I’m just so excited. I knew we were going to be good, but this is just crazy.”
Braintree will now look to clinch a trip back to the Div. 1 championship, when the Wamps face top-ranked Wachusett in the semifinals.
“I feel better than we did going into Bishop Feehan,” said Braintree coach Kelley Macdonald. “We played Wachusett last year, and we actually tied or won every quarter except for the one where we got smoked by 14. We lost by 14, because we lost one quarter. I think we match up with them better than we could with someone else. How our seedings fell worked wonderfully for us. To get three home games and then play Wachusett? If I could have picked, that’s how I would have picked it.”