Watertown Girls' Basketball Falls at Stoneham

The Stoneham High School girls' basketball team took an early lead over Watertown Tuesday night and never looked back. The Spartans defensive press caused problems for the Raiders, forcing turnovers all night which led to easy baskets in the 62-33 victory.

"I told them the first five minutes were crucial and we needed to have intensity on the defensive end," said Spartans coach Angela Billings.

In the loss, Gabriella Coppola scored a team-high 14 points for Watertown (0-3).

The Spartans (3-0) led 30-19 at halftime, only grew stronger in the second half and built an insurmountable lead.

In the second half Stoneham went on a 16-1 run to open the third quarter.

"They did a great job of passing the basketball and making that extra pass, maybe they were a little too unselfish, but it worked out," said Billings. 

The Raiders had no answer for the Spartans smoothly run offense, resulting in a lopsided defeat at the hands of the Spartans.

"I told the team to put them (Watertown) away early. Do not let them hang around," said Billings.

The Spartans were led by Vanessa Bramante, who tallied a team-high 14 points to go with four rebounds. Jennifer Geraghty chipped in by scoring 10 points, four assists, and seven boards in the victory.

Stoneham showed great spacing on the court throughout the entire game, which created many open shot opportunities. Credit that to the point guard of the Spartans, Ariana Tuccelli, who finished the night with three points, five assists, and two rebounds.

"Ariana is our quarterback out there," said Billings. "She runs the plays very well."