Makowski's Quick Hands Help Hornet Girls Escape With Win

A quick move by sophomore guard Elise Makowski just before the buzzer helped the North Reading girls basketball team narrowly escape with 44-43 victory over Hamilton-Wenham at on Tuesday night.

Both teams continuously traded free throws throughout the final five minutes of the game, as the Generals (0-3) ate into a nine-point lead that the Hornets held at the end of the third quarter. With two seconds remaining in the game and North Reading leading by one, Makowski made a quick move to steal the ball and seal the win for the Hornets (2-1).

Senior center and co-captain Kirsten Morrison led all Hornets with 20 points while Generals sophomore forward Cassandra Fibbe topped Hamilton-Wenham with 18.

Despite their record, the Generals gave a performance that met the expectations of North Reading coach Karla Sullivan, who believes they'll be a tough challenge when the Hornets travel to Hamilton-Wenham on Feb. 15.

"It was a really good game. It was close and they were aggressive all night," said Sullivan. "We knew it was going to be a tough game, so it was pretty much what we expected and both teams fought hard, and we expect them to do the same when we travel to their gym later this season."  

While Sullivan believes the close victory helped buoy the confidence of her young squad, Hamilton-Wenham coach Bill Burridge thought the game almost equaled a fresh start for his struggling club.

"It was a game that I thought we could have won, but coulda, woulda, shoulda," Burridge said. "They were just one point better than us, I guess, and we're playing with a lot of younger kids that are coming along very well so we could have had it. It will take some time to get the team together, but if we keep on playing like this we'll get there."

Yet despite the loss, the close result may have resulted in what could become some invaluable experience for the Generals later on in the season.

"We gained a lot of confidence, even though we lost. I think my kids are ready to turn the corner," said Burridge. "They've improved with every practice, we've improved together and we've done well together and I think we'll do better later as the season goes on."

North Reading travels to Manchester-Essex tonight before finishing off the year with an appearance in the Marian Mustang Classic in Framingham next week.