Gallery: Stoughton High Girls' Basketball Cruises to Hingham Holiday Tournament Title

Take a look at photos of the game in the media gallery as well as a postgame video interview with captains Mackenzie McGrath, Nicole Daniels and Emma Zuk.

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Outscoring the opposition by a combined 52 points over the course of two games, the Stoughton High girls' basketball team cruised to the 2012 Hingham Holiday Tournament title.

The Black Knights beat Whitman-Hanson 50-27 Thursday at Hingham High in the opening game of the tournament and beat Hull 60-31 Friday in the championship game.

"The team just really seemed to gel in this tournament," Stoughton coach Janet Sullivan said.

Stoughton, now 4-1 on the season, was paced by Nicole Daniels in the two-game tournament. Daniels finished with a combined 29 points and 35 rebounds against Whitman-Hanson and Hull.

But she wasn't alone in leading Stoughton to victory. Daniels dominated the paint for Stoughton, but the likes of Emma Zuk, Mackenzie McGrath and Ashley Medeiros had Stoughton's outside shooting firing as well.

Stoughton pitched a shutout in the first quarter Friday against Hull, taking an 11-0 lead into the second quarter thanks to a strong defensive effort and the ability to control the boards. Hull didn't score until 1:26 into the second quarter.

But Hull, undefeated heading into this matchup with Stoughton, didn't go quietly. The Pirates scored 17 in the second quarter, trailing the Black Knights 25-17 at the half.

And Hull twice cut the Stoughton lead to five in the third quarter. Stoughton, however, quickly ended any hopes of a Hull comeback.

Leading 31-26, McGrath hit a 3-pointer with 2:16 left in the third. A minute later, Zuk hit a 3-pointer of her own to give Stoughton an 11-point lead, 37-26, heading into the fourth.

Stoughton's three-point barrage continued with Zuk hitting a pair of threes in the opening minutes of the fourth, while Medeiros also connected from beyond the arc.

The Black Knights outscored Hull 29-5 in the final 10:16 of play, spanning the end of the third and the entire fourth quarter.

"They're a good team. We knew we weren't going to continue with a shutout," Sullivan said. "We knew they were going to fight back and we just had to weather the storm and stay with our game plan."

Zuk led all scorers with 19 points, including 5 shots from 3-point range. She added 5 assists and a steal. Zuk had 14 points the night before against Whitman-Hanson.

Daniels followed up her 16-point, 13-rebound effort vs. Whitman-Hanson by just missing out on a triple-double vs. Hull, finishing with 13 points, 22 rebounds (16 on the defensive end) and 8 blocked shots.

McGrath, who had 11 points vs. Whitman-Hanson, added 9 points and had 5 assists vs. Hull; Medeiros had 7 points against Hull; LeiAndra Busby added 5 points and Ariene Ohimor had 10 rebounds.

"I just think the team showed a lot of composure tonight [vs. Hull]," Sullivan said.

Sullivan continued, "Emma Zuk running the point just controlled the game from beginning to end. She single-handedly beat [Hull's] press...we had good outside shooting going. We had the inside game with [Nicole Daniels]. Hull just didn't know where to go. If they dropped in and doubled or trippled on [Daniels] then we got the outside shot and the threes were falling for us tonight. And when they extended out there, then we got it in to [Daniels].

"And the fact that [Ohimor] and [Daniels] and Megan Crimmins and Emily Cramer did such a good job on the boards. I think that was really the deciding factor tonight that we dominated the boards and there's just no getting around [Daniels'] presence in the key. She definitely altered their offense. They were a little nervous to take it into the paint.

"It was a great team effort," Sullivan concluded, "and we're set up well now to get back to Hockomock League action."

Stoughton is next in action Friday, Jan. 4 at Hockomock foe Franklin.

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Josh Brown contributed reporting.

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