Stoughton High Girls’ Basketball Extends Win Streak to Five After Beating Attleboro

A tough offensive third quarter was the difference as the Attleboro High girls’ basketball team battled throughout against , but could not present a victory to Coach Missy Traversi on her birthday, falling 54-42.

With Friday night’s road win, Stoughton improves to 8-4. The Black Knights have now won five straight.

Attleboro (3-12) played well through the first half.

Kirsten Terrien's jumper just before halftime gave the Lady Bombardiers a 23-22 lead. Terrien added another jumper just after the break to give Attleboro its largest lead at 25-22, but following a time-out Stoughton closed the quarter on a 17-4 run and took control of the game.

"I really think the problem was that we couldn't put the ball in the basket in the third quarter," Traversi said. "When our shooters aren't shooting from the outside well then we're in big trouble."

Stoughton coach Janet Sullivan credited a switch in defensive strategy for turning the tide in the third.

"We were playing a 3-2 zone in the first half and they showed they can knock down the outside shot so we switched to man-to-man,” she said. “I think the man-to-man defense was tremendous tonight and that's what got us the win."

Attleboro made a charge in the fourth quarter behind leading scorer Savannah Boyle who scored five straight points to bring them back within five at 39-34. But, Stoughton promptly went on a 9-0 run to put the game away including a dagger three-pointer from point guard Emma Zuk.

Zuk was the star for the Black Knights finishing with 19 points and several steals, each of which turned into easy layups at the other end. Zuk got plenty of help from forward Chrystal Holland who had 14 points of her own (eight in the first quarter).

"When you're hitting from the inside and the outside it's tough for a team to stop us," Sullivan said. "Some nice play from Katherine Chlus tonight as well. She did a terrific job on the boards and her defense was outstanding."

Boyle finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Lady Bombardiers had a balanced attack offensively. Brianna LaPlume and freshman point guard Kerri Beland each had eight points. Attleboro struggled from the line shooting only 9-18 on free throws, which was critical in a close game.

Every coach that has gone against Attleboro this season has praised the team's effort and the tenacity that they show on the defensive end. Coach Sullivan was no different, singling out Emily Mayer for battling Stoughton's center Nicole Daniels despite giving up at least 6 inches in height. Daniels finished with five points, but had multiple rebounds.

Attleboro's next game is a tough one against the once-beaten Oliver Ames Tigers on Wednesday night. Stoughton will put their five-game win streak on the line Tuesday night against the .