READING – About a dozen missed bunnies prevented the Woburn girls basketball team from blowing open a big Middlesex League Liberty matchup Tuesday night, but its grit and composure shined bright when it needed it most to remain unbeaten with a 49-42 win over Reading.
The Rockets (9-4) trailed by three points with 1:25 left despite a night of the Tanners’ defense giving them fits, only for Woburn (13-0) to lock them down the rest of the way with a 6-0 closeout run until two seconds remained.
Senior captains Mckenna Morrison (13 points, nine rebounds) and Shannon McCarthy (12 points, five rebounds, two blocks, steal) were at the forefront, while sophomore Alina Ayanian (four points, two assists, steal) impressed defensively against Reading and senior star Molly Trahan (12 points, two steals).
“I told the girls during the timeouts, I said, ‘This is good for us, you’re playing a high-quality team in the road in a tournament-type of style,’ ” said Woburn head coach Stephen Sullivan. “Our next step is finishing those (easy shots), but I thought we competed. … I thought the last three quarters, the girls really competed, really got after it, and they really showed the true grit that they are.”
Trahan backed solid outings from Charlotte Robichaud (11 points, six rebounds) and Abby Strong (six points, four rebounds) late by sinking a turnaround fade to cut Reading’s deficit to 43-40 with 1:25 to go. Partly led by center Emma Moore (five points, six rebounds, three steals, two blocks), the Rockets rallied after trailing as much as 40-30 in the fourth quarter.
But less than 30 seconds later, McCarthy fed Camry Williams (three points, seven rebounds, three steals) for an open layup to extend the lead to 45-40. Ayanian stole the inbound, and McCarthy sank both free throws with 51.4 seconds left. The Tanners forced a missed shot, Morrison rebounded it, and then converted her two free throws with 15 seconds to go for a 49-40 lead.
“I feel like just as a team, we knew we needed to play together especially in those last two minutes,” Morrison said. “Those last kind of defensive stints were the most important part of the game. Those free throws at the end of the game, we know we need to get those in order to get up and make sure they don’t take the lead.”
The closeout bolstered a turnaround from the opening quarter, which Reading ended with a 12-8 lead.
Trahan opened the second quarter with a steal and a layup on the fast break, but Woburn answered with a 15-0 run energized by excellent defense – especially from Ayanian and Williams.
“When we get on runs, we’re very good and I think we feed off the energy defensively and offensively,” Sullivan said. “I thought Alina Ayanian really did a great job giving us energy. She really gets after it. … I think everyone else fed off of that.”
“One of our best defenders (Ayanian), she was up on (Trahan), playing her good,” Morrison added. “But I feel like we just know where their person is. We need to talk and switch, and that’s just kind of what we did throughout the whole game – switching and keeping a hand up, doing what we can. They’re a great team.”
Well-balanced play was also at the heart of the win, as Ryley McCarthy (eight points, seven rebounds), Brooke Tuzzolo (five points, five rebounds, steal) and Kayleigh McCarthy (four points, three rebounds, steal) each made critical contributions.
“It feels great,” Morrison said of the unbeaten streak. “It’s nerve-racking – a lot of pressure. But it’s so good. (We’re) trying to hold the streak, for sure.”