Garrity Shines as Lady Highlanders Fail to Win

The results may not always be there to back it up, but the Somerville High girls basketball team is improving with every game.

Despite ending up on the wrong end of a 56-50 scoreline against Greater Boston League rival Medford last night at Brune Field House, the Highlanders played a good solid game against a team that looks poised to contend with Cambridge for the GBL crown this season.

Senior captain Kelsey Garrity led all scorers with 20 points (4 rebounds), while sophomore Indira Evora dropped 15 on the Mustangs in the losing effort.

Freshman Sarah Donnelly paced the Medford attack with 19 points, while Tania Holmes and Jackie Pellecchia posted 12 points each.

Medford is now 6-2 overall and 2-0 in GBL play, while Somerville falls to 3-6 overall and 1-1 in the league.

The Mustangs opened the game on a 9-2 run, but the Highlanders’ back court was able to have its way with the Medford defense early, and Evora scored the next six points of the game before senior Lindsay Rimpel (2 points, 6 rebounds) scored the go-ahead basket, giving Somerville a 10-9 lead with 1:26 left in the opening frame.

The Highlanders would continue to play well throughout the first half, and take a 24-17 lead into the break.

“We did a great job executing the game plan,” said Somerville assistant coach Jim Kotzuba. “We made them work for every possession, we had some breakdowns, some turnovers.... We’re a young team and we had some breakdowns. Hopefully, we can correct them.”

The Mustangs knew they would have to switch things up defensively during the second half, and try to slow down the Highlanders’ back court.

“Down seven at the half, we went to a zone which we call ‘eleven,’” said Medford head coach Leo Burke. “I think it kind of frustrated their shooters.... We were able to contain Garrity from dribbling down the middle and dishing off, that was a big key.”

Things started to go the Mustangs’ way in the third quarter, as a run of Somerville turnovers and defensive fouls, coupled with good shooting from Medford, allowed the Mustangs to tie the score at 26 with 2:32 left in the third on a Donnelly free-throw.

“In the second half, we had a lot of bailout fouls, where we were playing good defense and then we bailed (Medford) out,” said Kotzuba. “They are such a good free-throw shooting team, they are going to make you pay for it.”

Donnelly would hit a three-pointer and a pair of free-throws toward the end of the third, and senior captain Kasey Moran would hit a three at the buzzer, as Medford took a tenuous 36-32 lead into the start of the fourth quarter.

“That was a huge momentum swing,” said Kotzuba. “We were trying to pick up the defense.... We wanted to pick up the pressure again, but I think we backed off a little.”

With 4:40 remaining in the game, Highlanders’ junior guard Ashley Auciello tied the score at 40 with a three-pointer. The teams battled back and forth until, coming off a pair of Garrity free-throws, Holmes, the GBL’s reigning co-player of the year, did what she does best: take the game over.

“A big lift,” said Burke, about the performance of his junior guard, who scored 9 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter. “She was hurting tonight, her knees have been bothering  her, and she’s had a little stomach flu, but she stepped up today, and she hit her foul shots when we needed her.”

Holmes carved the Somerville defense to score two quick transition layups, giving the Mustangs a 49-45 lead with under two minutes to play, and teamed up with Donnelly to effectively end the game at the free-throw line.

“At the beginning of the game they gave us a hard time,” said Burke. “But I think we settled down, we knew we were in for a war, the GBL is always a war.”

Medford travels to Cambridge on Tuesday, while the Highlanders host Everett as GBL play continues.