Danvers' Girls Handed First Loss at the Buzzer

Former Celtics star and game announcer Bob Cousy has a saying about games like Tuesday night’s contest – "They can’t all be works of art."

Danvers (now 8-1) played a sloppy, turnover-ridden game against the Beverly Panthers and it ultimately cost the Falcons their undefeated streak. Danvers came out in a solid 2-3 zone defense and but after every 10 seconds or so – repeatedly throughout the game – the good defensive play would be broken up by allowing Beverly an easy basket. And often as not, the Panthers would get several shots at the basket.

On offense, things were not much better. The first half was marked by inconsistent play, as Danvers would fall behind by six to eight points, only to connect on two to three easy baskets and be right back in the game. At the end of the first quarter, Danvers trailed by two, 14-12.

Danvers started the second quarter, looking a bit sharper, as the Falcons clamped down on the Panthers defensively. Danvers' lead slowly grew to eight, but just when it looked like the Falcons were building momentum, they began to slip back into sloppy plays. Beverly took advantage of Danvers' miscues, scoring 10 straight points.

Kellie Macdonald hit a shot with a little over a minute left in the half to stop the bleeding and tie the score. After several missed shots by both sides, the half ended tied at 28.

In an attempt to shake things up, Danvers came out in a 1-3-1 zone defense and put some pressure on the ball. The defense only lasted for about 10-15 seconds before something would break down, often resulting in an easy Beverly basket. Adding to the Falcons' frustrations, guard Kasey Sherry (who had 10 points in the first half) was cool in the third quarter, missing three in a row (two from beyond the arch. The Falcons fought back, however, and ended the third quarter with a five-point lead.

Danvers coach Pat Veilleux had his squad start the fourth in a man-to-man full court press to continue the momentum again. Both teams exchanged baskets for the first three minutes and things began to get intense.

Macdonald was fouled after corralling a rebound and putting it back up. She hit the foul shot to bump the Falcons up 48-42, followed by Sherry with a basket plus one to increase the lead to 51-42. Three straight Danvers turnovers later and another few easy baskets by Beverly, including a 3-pointer, brought the Panthers to within three with 1:10 left. Two trips to the foul line for Beverly’s Jen Ashton brought the Panthers within just one point.

Beverly got the ball with 12.1 seconds left. Once again, it was all Ashton. She took the ball on the right side of the court, foul line high. After a good fake to the right, she cut to her left and down the lane for a left-handed layup to seal the victory, 57-55.

For the Falcons, one of the bright spots of the game was a solid effort from senior captain Macdonald, who had 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.

The girls play Peabody on the Tanners’ home court on Friday at 7 p.m.