Stewart Drills Game Winner in Opening Tilt

Wilmington girls basketball coach Jay Keane preached his team coming into the season that his charges have to be unselfish and be willing to share the scoring load. It didn’t take the Lady Wildcats long to put his plan into practice.

Trailing by a point against Woburn on Friday night, two Wilmington ball handlers passed up shots before eventually finding Jen Stewart, who drilled a 12-foot jumper with 1.6 seconds to play to give the locals a 43-42 season opening win.

“What’s we’ve been preaching is trust, and that was a perfect example of it,” said Keane. “Two girls had it, and instead of forcing a tough shot, they were patient and moved the ball. They know if they trust each other, good things are going to happen.”

Emily Crannell led the Wildcats in scoring. She drilled four shots from long range and finished with 12 points on the evening. Michelle Woods was next for Wilmington with 9 markers of her own.

Keane’s charges won’t just be working on their chemistry on the courts of Massachusetts. During the holiday break, the .

“We’re looking forward to representing our program,” said Keane. “It’s more of a team building tournament. It’s nice to go out and play some teams that you don’t normally play.”

But next up on the schedule is Lexington, which hosts Wilmington on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

“They’ve been working really hard,” said Keane. “We’re looking forward to this season.”