Danvers Girls Basketball Edged by Wilmington

In the quarterfinals of the North Division 2 girls basketball postseason, experience paid off over achievement.

Upstart Danvers knotted the score up with Wilmington at 47-47 on Sunday, but the veteran Wildcats scored the next six points of the game to eliminate the Falcons with a 53-47 decision.

"Wilmington is tested and they have some tournament experience. We have one player with true playoff experience," said head coach Pat Veilleux. "The rest of them are young pups and they have nothing to be ashamed of. This is good experience for our young kids."

Danvers hopped out to an 8-2 lead, but Wilmington soon bounced back to take the lead and hold it until the Falcons tied the score late.

The loss ended Danvers' campaign with a mark of 11-9. The team had toppled Gloucester, 50-42, in the first round.

"There's no way we thought we'd go this far. So anything else was icing on the cake," said Veilleux. "They went above and beyond the call of duty all year."