LYNN – In a contest that saw 27 lead changes and 16 ties, it was only fitting a shot in the final seconds was the difference maker.
Senior captain Yirsy Queliz hit the game-winning layup with seven seconds left to lift the Spartans to a 73-72 girls basketball victory over Dracut at home in their 13th Spartan Classic win.
“It was almost like every time (either team) took the lead that it was kind of like alright at what point are they going to take it back from us because it was just that kind of a game,” said St. Mary’s (L) coach Jeff Newhall about both team’s abilities to battle. “I do think you saw a product of two teams that play in really good leagues and play good schedules. I didn’t see many people flustered in the final three minutes.”
Senior captain Kellyn Preira (17 points) knocked down a three with 34.5 left to give the Spartans the 25th lead change before senior Brodie Gannon knocked down three huge free throws with 16.3 ticks to put the Middies back in front 72-71. After a Spartans turnover and a pair of free throws missed for Dracut, eighth-grader Bella Owumi grabbed a board and passed it to Queliz for the driving layup through the paint. St. Mary’s played just enough defense to keep the final shot at bay.
Queliz was named part of the All-Tournament squad with 15 points in the contest, including seven in the opening quarter that St. Mary’s (18-2) led 18-17.
“I saw the green light and I decided that I was just going to take it,” Queliz said about her game-winning basket.
Dracut (16-5) muscled its way to a dominant second quarter as senior captain Ashlee Talbot put in 12 of her 21 first half points in as the Middies regained control with a 32-28 advantage at the break.
The teams traded lead after lead and tie after tie in the second half with 12 ties and 20 lead changes over the final 16 minutes. Six ties and 13 of those lead changes came in the final eight minutes.
“I think we all have a strong mindset for these kinds of games,” said the tournament MVP Preira. “It isn’t our first rodeo. We kind of just know how to keep calm and make smart decisions.”
For Dracut (15-6), Talbot finished with 46 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, to go along with six rebounds. Talbot was coming off a 45-point effort in a win over Newburyport.
In another Spartan Classic bracket game, Pentucket used a 10-2 run to end the third to build a 35-25 advantage before putting away Newton South 46-32.
“Our girls were very disciplined on defense,” said Panthers coach John McNamara. “We kind of covered Tatum Murray all over the court and on Maddy Genser we switched all over the court. The kids executed really well.”
The defense forced six of their 20 turnovers over the final eight minutes to build the double-digit advantage.
In a back-and-forth first half, when Pentucket (17-5) needed a big bucket senior captain Abby Dube found a way to make it to the basket or knock down a triple.
“The senior captain stepped up and hit some big shots for us,” McNamara said. “At times, (Newton South) started to make a little run and she hit some big-time shots.”
Dube led all scorers with 15 and none was bigger than a three-pointer to make it a 35-23 lead late in the third to make it 10 straight points for the Panthers. Senior captain Alyssa Thompson added nine points for Pentucket.
For Newton South (11-9), Genser, a senior captain, led with nine points as both teams now await their playoff seedings over the weekend.
