Wolverine girls hoop concludes season in South Finals

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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor

It was about as tough of a loss as any for the Westwood High School girls varsity basketball team on Saturday afternoon against top-seeded Foxboro at Massasoit Community College in Brockton. Despite leading by three at the half (24-21) and one at the end of three (32-31), the Wolverines came up just short in quarter number four, falling to the Warriors by a final count of 47-38 to conclude their season.

The lady-Wolverines got to the South Finals via a 36-32 victory over Walpole on Monday night, during which senior point guard Allison Morin put on a shooting clinic early to keep Westwood in it before later catching fire from beyond the arc to put away the Rebels. The Wolverines again got out to a hot start thanks to the incredible ball handling of Morin, as well as the phenomenal shooting of senior forward Carly Sugrue, whose eight first quarter points guided Westwood to a 17-14 lead at the end of one.

Westwood continued to find success from beyond the arc in quarter two, as a late three by Morin and two power drives to the paint converted into layups by senior guard Christina Bonfiglio (14 points) gave the Wolverines a 24-19 lead with less than five seconds remaining in the half. However, a late foul on Foxboro’s final possession of the half allowed the Warriors to sink two free throws with zeros on the clock to cut the lead to three at 24-21 at halftime.

The Warriors and Wolverines continued to battle in quarter three. Following a 7-2 run by Westwood, the Warriors were able to cut the deficit to one behind two late-three pointers by Riley Collins to make it a 32-31 game at the end of three.

Foxboro went on a 7-2 run to begin the third quarter of play, taking their first lead of the match at 36-34 with less than three minutes left to play. The Wolverines stayed composed and did their best to regain the lead, cutting the deficit back to two at 38-36 after Foxboro went ahead by four with 1:30 to play. However, Westwood was unable to put a stop to the lethal three-point shooting of the Hockomock League champion Warriors, as Foxboro stretched their lead to 41-36 with just over a minute to play following a three-pointer by Grace Tamulionis.

After Christina Bonfiglio fouled out with 30 seconds left, Foxboro extended their lead to 46-38 thanks to a pair of free throws. The Warriors would extend their lead to 47-38, and go on to win by the same score.

The Westwood Wolverines accomplished a lot in 2016-2017, and while the goal of winning a South Sectional title was not ultimately met, this team achieved immensely both on and off the court.

Congrats to the Wolverines on a successful season, and best of luck to the senior class as they make their way into post-high-school life later this spring.