North Beats Milford in First Game of the Season, 48-38

Monday, December 16, 2024
[excerpts from hockomocksports.com article: read the full article here: https://bit.ly/3DfPRvm]

Junior Maggie LeCompte snatched a rebound and threw a long outlet to sophomore Ava Pratt, who streaked beyond the backpedaling Milford defense for a layup. As the Hawks brought the ball up, Pratt got one of her seven steals on the night, sped down court, and finished plus a foul to put the Rocketeers back in control. Pratt’s personal five-point spree sparked an 11-4 closing run for North to pull out a 48-38 victory on Monday night at the Pickering Gym.

“We’re looking to really hone in on our defensive structure,” North coach Ashley Kepaa explained. “If we can force some turnovers, have some pace on offense, and convert, that’s what we’re looking for. We’re really looking to run ahead, get some transition points, we’ve got a fast team.”

Sometimes it can take a team a little while to get going in a season opener, but North was firing from the opening tip and had its best offensive quarter in the first. The Rocketeers jumped out to a 19-9 lead after one.

Freshman Jordan Egan (10 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists) grabbed an offensive rebound for two and then Pratt drove and kicked to classmate Gracyn Cuzzi for a three. Sophomore Emma Faria’s pocket pass got Maryellen Charette (11 points and 15 rebounds) a bucket to extend the lead to nine and Charette would add a jumper off a Pratt assist to wrap up the scoring in the first.

After a turnover, North ran a nice inbounds play under the basket, getting Charette free on the left block. The senior forward scored through contact, completing a three-point play with just 0.6 seconds on the clock to send North into the locker room up 27-16.

Kepaa said, “Ava is super fast. Her pace on defense and on offense really puts us ahead. She’s faster than anyone with or without the ball. She really allows us to stretch our defense a little farther up. For her to be a sophomore and play with such aggression and poise is really great to see.”

North got two at the line from Uliana Malynka with 2:29 to play and then a minute later the sophomore guard hustled to get an offensive rebound on a missed free throw. Faria slipped a pass into Pratt who flew to the rim for a dagger basket that put North back up 46-38 with 1:20 remaining.

“It’s great to get a win and to start things off on the right foot and to be able to build on things positively going into our next game,” Kepaa said. “To be able to secure the win and then to move on and make corrections in a positive light is super important.”

Photos by Barbara O’Hara