Perkins' Buzzer Beater Grounds Undefeated Rockets

The girls’ basketball team avenged its only loss of the season Friday in dramatic fashion, as senior captain Danielle Perkins hit a buzzer beater to topple previously-undefeated Reading 53-51.

Playing in her last home game, Perkins nailed a short, fade-away jumper from the baseline, after receiving a pass from teammate Gabby Parker on an inbounds play underneath the hoop with 3 seconds left.

“It wasn’t as clean as we drew it up,” Woburn coach Steve Sullivan said, “but they did a great job.”

In a game that featured 11 lead changes, Reading (16-1, 14-1) took its biggest lead of the game with 2 minutes, 34 seconds remaining, as senior captain Carlene Kluge hit a shot to put the Rockets up five, 49-44.

After a Woburn timeout, junior Katie Esquilin hit a three-pointer to pull the Tanners within two, at 49-47.

Esquilin was playing for injured point guard Erin Marshall, who rolled her ankle with 3:10 to play in the first half and did not return.

After Perkins took a charge on Reading’s next possession, Woburn senior captain Natalie McGuire converted on one of two free throws to make it 49-48 with 1:03 remaining.

Reading’s star point guard, sophomore Olivia Healy, then drew a foul and sunk both free throws to put the Rockets up three, 51-48, with 48 seconds on the clock.

On Woburn’s next possession, Parker swished a deep three with the shot clock winding down to tie the game, at 51-51, with 23 seconds left.

“I hadn’t scored all night,” the senior captain said, “so I was like, ‘There’s no way this is going in at this time in the game,’ and then it went in and my heart like stopped.”

After a Reading timeout, the Rockets turned the ball over on a backcourt violation. Esquilin then missed a baseline jumper, but the Tanners got the ball back on a fumbled rebound, which set up the out-of-bounds play.

The win puts Woburn (15-1, 13-1) even with Reading in the loss column. However, Woburn travels to Stoneham (16-2, 14-2) for a 5:30 p.m. game on Tuesday and could be without Marshall, one of the top players in the league, according to Sullivan.

Marshall was unable to put weight on her foot after the game, as Perkins gave her a piggy-back ride through the handshake line.

Perkins also rolled her ankle, with 1:03 remaining in the third quarter, and played the rest of the game with a noticeable limp. She took over point guard duties for Marshall. Woburn’s point guard to start the year, junior Katy Knight, has been out with a wrist injury for most of the season.

Perkins led Woburn with 16 points and six assists, while Esquilin and junior Shannon Maguire each added 11.

McGuire had seven points for the Tanners, Marshall five and Parker three.

Healy led Reading with 16 points, including nine in the second half. Senior captain Melissa DalPozzo also had nine second-half points, 12 overall.

Kluge had 10, sophomore Morgan O’Brien eight, junior Katie Clements three and junior Katherine Callahan two.

Reading defeated Woburn 60-44 in early January.