If it looked as though the Chelmsford High girls basketball team was playing like a team on a mission Wednesday night, it's because they were.
In spite of the fact that the Lions had already clinched first place in the Merrimack Valley Conference small school division and had already qualified for the MIAA state tournament, there was still plenty to play for in Chelmsford's final regular season game.
"We talked to the girls about three things tonight," said Lions Coach Kevin Branco after watching his team dominate Tewksbury in all facets of the game and run away with a 53-28 victory. "We talked about how this game would affect our state tournament seeding, we talked about finishing undefeated in our (MVC) division, and we talked about going into the tournament with a win. The girls knew the importance of this game, and they went out and got the job done."
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Junior sharp shooter Jen Janiak caught fire early for the Lions, swishing five three-pointers in the first half and scoring all of her game-high 17 points in the first two quarters, as Chelmsford built a 27-12 halftime lead.
Junior guard Alena Breton scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half, too, as the Lions caught fire at the opening tip-off and built a double-digit lead before Tewksbury could even get warmed up.
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'We had a real good shooting night," Branco said. "Other than maybe the Willmington game, that's as well as we've shot the ball."
And when Janiak and Breton weren't lighting it up from the outside, 6-1 junior center Donovan Driscoll was taking care of business under the basket. Driscoll finished with seven points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.
"The key (to the win) was the fact that Donovan Driscoll played so well," Branco said. "She did a great job on the boards tonight. And when Elena Breton attacks the basket like that, it opens up a lot of things for us."
Senior captain Allison Cote added eight points while sophomore guard Rachel Couto scored four points and handed out five assists. Shruthi Srinivas and Abby Johnson added two points each as the Lions picked the perfect time to come up with perhaps their best all-around effort of the season.
The win completes Chelmsford's 10-0 sweep in MVC Division 2 play, and improves their overall record to 13-7.
"It's a big win for us," Driscoll said afterward. "We all knew how big this game was and we definitely played well as a team.
"It's a great feeling," she said. "Coach told us it had been something like seven years since we made the tournament, and I don't know if we've ever been undefeated (in MVC Division 2 play) before. It's really huge for us."
The MIAA Division 2 tournament pairings will be announced on Friday and Branco is hopeful that Wednesday's win will move the Lions into the top half of the North Sectional bracket.
"We can't go any lower than a 10 seed now, and we could go as high as an eight," Branco said. "We've got a shot at playing a home game.
"These seniors have been with me for three years and this is the first time they've made the tournament," he said. "It's gonna be a whole different atmosphere for them and we're really looking forward to it."
