MARSHFIELD – Following a trio of gut-wrenching losses to Winooski, Mount Anthony, and Danville, the Twinfield-Cabot girls basketball team will now face an uphill battle to hold on to one of the final home playoff spots as they close out their regular season this week.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Moo July Htoo and Joyce Mampaya poured in 18 points apiece to power a red-hot Winooski team to a 56-42 road win over the Lady Trojans last Wednesday. Winooski jumped out to a 30-21 halftime lead and never looked back, winning their sixth game in eight tries and improving to 9-7 on the season. Chloe North led Twinfield-Cabot with 12 and Kendall Fowler added 10 in the loss. Winooski has vaulted up to the No. 8 spot in the current Division III standings after starting the season 1-4.
Division I Mount Anthony used a 23-point fourth quarter against the Lady Trojans on Thursday to snap a 15-game losing streak as they held on for a 45-44 road win. Kendall Fowler had her team in control most of the way, scoring 16 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Jorja Washburn stepped up with 15 points for Twinfield-Cabot in the loss. The Lady Patriots earned their first win since blitzing Woodstock back in December.
“I’m very proud of the way this team learns from every game we play. Once the girls adjusted to believing they could compete with a division I school and have a real shot, they dug in and played great situational basketball down the stretch. Kendall fouling out hurt, but Jorja stepped up big for us,” said head coach Jack Whalen.
In a rare Sunday afternoon match-up, Danville avenged a two-point loss earlier in the season to the Lady Trojans with a hard-fought 46-44 road win. Lynsey Lavely pumped in 19 points to help Danville take an 11-point advantage with eight minutes to play. Lavely’s final two free throws with seconds to play proved to be the difference. Myah Morgan and Desiree Crocker combined to rip down 24 rebounds on the afternoon for the Lady Bears. Jorja Washburn (20 points) connected on 4 three-pointers to lead a furious comeback for Twinfield-Cabot that came up just short. The win leapfrogged Danville past the Lady Trojans into the sixth spot in the current Division IV standings. Coach Whalen and his veteran squad realizes the challenge ahead as they look to peak late in what will be a sprint to the end of the regular season this week.
“We need to keep working hard and working together. I have four seniors in my starting lineup, and I told them they need to enjoy this final stretch of the season. These girls have wanted to play in a playoff game at Barre for a long time. This is the last opportunity they have, and we need to leave it all out there. I know that motivation can lead us to where we want to go. It will only happen if we play hard for one another. We know what we need to do. The next couple of weeks will be our best Yet!” said Whalen.
The 7-9 Lady Trojans tip-off a busy last week of the regular season with a home match up against Blue Mountain on Wednesday night. They travel to Williamstown for a pivotal divisional match-up on Friday and will stay on the road for a rematch against Winooski on Saturday afternoon.
