Holmes Sets Tone, Mustangs Narrowly Escape Malden

After leading by as many as 18 points during the third quarter, the Medford High girls basketball team will be feeling very fortunate this morning to have escaped the Roy G. Finn Gymnasium with a narrow 52-46 win over Malden last night.

Senior captain Francesca Richardson keyed a dramatic fourth quarter rally for the Golden Tornadoes by knocking down a pair of threes and collecting 11 of her 12 points during the final frame, but the Mustangs were able to hang on and see off the threat of marauding Malden thanks in part to a well timed theft from junior Tania Holmes.

“That was an absolutely huge effort in the fourth quarter,” said Malden head coach Wayne Bartolucci. “Unfortunately, it was too little too late ... but to our credit, we battled hard, and we fought back.”

With just over thirty-seconds left on the clock and Medford (12-3, 5-0 GBL) clinging to a 49-46 lead, Malden (6-10, 1-5 GBL) had possession of the ball and momentum on their side. Holmes homed in on a pass headed over the half-court line, picked it off and was fouled almost immediately. She converted one of two free-throws, making it a two-possession game, and more importantly, sapped much of the Golden Tornadoes momentum from their fourth-quarter comeback bid.

“In my eyes, she’s one of the best players in the league,” said Medford head coach Leo Burke of his star guard. “And I would say, she’s one of the best in the state also.”

Ironically enough, Holmes (18 points, 4 assists) had as much to do with Malden’s comeback as she did with thwarting it, albeit in a dramatically different way. 

“When we were pressing and (Holmes) was in the game, we couldn’t press because she was killing us,” said Bartolucci. “We got a lot of momentum when she went out of the game.”

With his squad facing Cambridge Rindge & Latin tonight in a contest that may decide the GBL title, Burke saw an 18 point lead as the perfect opportunity to get his team some extra rest before the clash--a strategy that almost backfired.

“It was mostly my fault,” he explained. “We’re playing Cambridge (today) so I was trying to rest some girls and get some others some minutes tonight. We made it exciting ... we made it too exciting.”

Medford jumped right out to a 10 point advantage after the opening quarter and steadily built upon that lead until finally stretching it out to 18 at the end of the third.

Senior captain Fillette Lovaincey played well for Malden throughout the game, scoring 12 points, while junior Rebecca Krigman chipped in with 7. 

Freshman forward Sarah Donnelly collected 6 points and 6 boards for the Mustangs, while Senior captain Kasey Moran added 7 points. Junior Jackie Pellecchia also aided the cause with 4 points and 7 rebounds.

But it was Holmes who set the tone for Medford last night. Her 18 points only tells a part of the story, as her defense was tremendous as well.

“I keep on saying that she’s my go to player, that she can do it all,” said Burke. “But what I really like about what she’s doing right now, is she’s playing better defense for me.

“She wants to go to the next level,” he added. “Everyone at the next level can score. I’m trying to get that into her.”

The Mustangs face Cambridge Rindge & Latin on the road today at 7pm.

On the Malden end of the ledger, Bartolucci and the Golden Tornadoes’ playoff chances are officially on life-support, as they now must win all four of their remaining games to qualify for the tournament.

“We’re at the threshold,” said Malden’s first-year head coach. “We’ve got to win out ... we’re keeping the faith.”

Pink Out

The proceeds of last night’s game will be donated to the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation, an organization dedicated fighting breast cancer. This is something that Malden began doing last season and has now spread throughout the entire GBL, with each school donating the proceeds from one boys game and one on the girls end also.