MIAA D2 State Semi-Final

Duxbury stifles Watertown in Division 2 girls’ basketball semifinal

JOHN BLANDING/GLOBE STAFF

Duxbury players celebrate after beating Watertown Tuesday at TD Garden.

By Michelle Fenelon

GLOBE CORRESPONDENT  MARCH 11, 2015

Last season, the Duxbury girls’ basketball team saw its perfect season end at the hands of Arlington Catholic on the TD Garden floor.

On Tuesday, Duxbury returned to the Garden with the same starting five that lost to Arlington Catholic in the Division 2 Eastern Mass. title game. And just like year, the Dragons came in with an undefeated season. Motivated by last year’s heartbreaker, Duxbury rallied in the second half, defeating Watertown, 49-30, in the Division 2 state semifinal.

“We had a tough time leaving that locker room last year and we lost to a better team. And I told the girls there’s no shame in that,” Duxbury coach Robert Sullivan said. “We all worked in the offseason; there were four juniors and a sophomore last year. Now, we’re four seniors and a junior and to tell you the truth, I think that was the difference.”

Heading into halftime, Watertown (21-1) had a 26-22 lead.

In the locker room, the Duxbury seniors rallied their team. Only 16 minutes stood between them and a chance to extend their senior season for a chance to compete in the state final.

“The seniors kind of looked around at each other and we were like, ‘This is it. It’s now or never, we go out and we play our butts off or it’s over.’ And none of us want it to be over. So I think we all just had faith in each other and we knew that we could pull it out in the end,” said Catherine Harrison.

Duxbury (25-0) controlled the second half, allowing only 4 points. The Dragons went on a 6-0 run to take a 28-26 lead with 3:05 left in the third quarter. Watertown’s Shannon Murphy scored to tie the game, but Murphy’s field goal would be the only points the Raiders scored until the final 1:48 of the fourth quarter.

Defensively, the Dragons eliminated Watertown’s dribble penetration in the second half, which had been key for point guard Michaela Antonellis and Watertown’s offense in the first half.

“That’s who we are,” Sullivan said. “We’re a defensive team first. Some nights our shots don’t go, some nights our free throw percentage might not be that great, but if we play defense and rebound, you can be in every single basketball game. And right now we’re 25-0 for that reason.”

Duxbury regained the lead for good on Jackie Sullivan’s free throw with 2:37 remaining in the third quarter to put the Dragons ahead, 29-28.

Duxbury will play the winner of Wednesday’s Medfield-Belchertown game in the Div. 2 state final on Saturday. The game will tip off at 2:15 p.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester.