Charlie Breitrose
Watertown junior center Shannon Murphy will have a tough matchup with Longmeadow’s Taylor Shubrick in Saturday’s state final.
The Watertown girls basketball team seeks to claim the first state championship Saturday in Springfield, but they face likely the toughest test of the season in Longmeadow.
Follow the action live here beginning at 4:30 p.m. (Refresh the page for the latest updates):
Game over: Korte scored 2 with 9 seconds left, but Longmeadow ran out the clock. Final score 36-31 Lancers.
44 seconds left – Fyenkevez fouled. Misses the front end of the one-and-one but Taylor Shubrick gets board and is fouled. She misses both free throws.
2:17 left fourth – Shapiro hits a three for Longmeadow. 36-29 Lancers.
2:56 left fourth – Fydenkevez gets a layup for Longmeadow. 33-29 Lancers.
3:30 left fourth – Timeout Watertown. The Raiders can’t buy a basket. The last few have rolled around the rim but would not fall. 31-29 Longmeadow
5:24 left fourth – Mokruah for 2. 31-29 Longmeadow
6:08 left fourth – Mokruah gets 2 on a hook shot. Ties the score 29-29. Watertown calls timeout.
6:55 left fourth – Shapiro gets a layup on a fast break. 29-27 Watertown.
End of third quarter – Watertown 29, Longmeadow 25. The Raiders had their shots but they would not go down in the last few minutes of the third. Felicia Korte picked up her fourth foul with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.
1:17 left third – Taylor Shubrick drives the lane for 2. 29-25 Watertown.
2:09 left third – Mokwuah scores 2. 29-23 Watertown.
3:01 left third – Jordyn Shubrick fouled. Misses both free throws for Longmeadow.
3:29 left third – Mokwuah picks up her third foul on the offensive end. Then Antonellis hits a three from the top of the key for a 29-21 Watertown lead. Another Longmeadow timeout.
4:22 left third – Murphy gets a bounce pass and lays it in for 2. 26-21 Watertown. Longmeadow calls timeout.
5:11 left third – Rourke hits a baseline jumper. 24-21 Watertown
5:49 left third – Mokwuah gets ball inside, misses twice, but gets rebound and is fouled. Misses both free throws.
6:54 left third – Watertown’s Rourke fouled. Makes first and misses second. Gives Raiders the lead at 22-21 Watertown.
Leading scorers: Watertown – Shannon Murphy and Felicia Korte each have 6. Michaela Antonellis has 5, Katelyn Rourke and Hannah McMahon have 2 each. Longmeadow’s Kayla Mokwuah leads both teams with 7 points, and Olivia Shapiro has 6.
Halftime – More defensive pressure by Watertown allowed the Raiders to make a run at the end of the half. Coach Patrick Ferdinand seems to have figured a way to get the ball inside despite the threat of the block by Mokwuah.
0 second left – Murphy fouled on last second shot. Makes both to tie game 21-21 at halftime.
58 seconds left – Pass from McMahon to Rourke who feeds Murphy for 2. 21-19 Longmeadow
2 mins left second – Taylor Shubrick hits a 2 and is fouled but missed the free throw. 21-17 Longmeadow
2:21 left second – Shapiro gets 3 for Longmeadow, but McMahon gets a 2 on the other end. 19-17 Longmeadow
3:13 left second – Murphy hits a pair of free throws. Next trip down Katelyn Rourke gets 2. 16-15 Longmeadow
4:02 left second – Longmeadow’s Courtney Barrett drives and hits a 2. 16-11 Longmeadow
4:25 left second – Antonellis while shooting from outside. Misses both free throws, 14-11 Longmeadow
5:54 left – Hannah McMahon gets a board and scores 2 for the Raiders. 14-11 Longmeadow.
6:50 left second – Mokwuah fouled. Makes both free throws. 14-9 Longmeadow.
7:23 left second – Kathereine Fydenkevez gets 2 for Longmeadow, which now leads 12-9.
End of first – Longmeadow 10, Watertown 9. The Lancers’ Mokwuah dominated early with three block shots and five points, but the Raiders got back in it with pressure D and some shooting from outside. Murphy has been contained by Longmeadow so far.
51 seconds left first – Antonellis drains a three with the shot clock running down. 10-9 Longmeadow
2:40 left first – Olivia Shapiro comes right back for a three for the Lancers. But Shannon Murphy gets 2 for the Raiders. 10-6 Longmeadow.
3:20 left – Watertown gets ball back after a Longmeadow’s errant pass. Michaela Antonellis hits a two. 7-4 Longmeadow.
4:58 left first – Mokwuah gets inside for 2. She gets a block on the other end and then Taylor Shubrick gets a three. 7-2 Longmeadow.
5:26 left first – Longmeadow’s Mokwuah fouled while shooting. Misses first, makes second free thrown 3-2 Longmeadow
6:08 left first – Teams feeling each outher out. still 2-2
7:25 left first – Kayla Mokwuah scores first. Then Katelyn Rourke ties it for Watertown. 2-2.
4:27 p.m. – Watertown and Longmeadow are being introduced to the crowd.
4:13 p.m. – The teams are on the floor warming up for the big game. The game should start in about 15 minutes!
The Matchup
The Raiders (21-3) take on the Lancers (22-1) and their 6-foot-3 inch centerKayla Mokwuah averaged 17 points this season. Watertown Head Coach Patrick Ferdinand went to see Longmeadow play in the state semi, and looks forward to the challenge.
“I think they have one loss this seas0n. They have a girl like 6-3, 6-4 they are athletic, very tough,” Ferdinand said. “It’s going to be an awesome battle. I only got to watch one game, but they looked really good.”
Watertown has a talented center of its own, junior Shannon Murphy who has already verbally committed to play at Holy Cross. Murphy scored 20 points in the Raiders’ victory over Oliver Ames in the state semifinal.
Watertown has an experience lineup, with three seniors – forwards Katelyn Rourke and Felicia Korte, and guard Michaela Antonellis. The Raiders’ however, will be missing senior guard Nicole Lanzo, who hurt her knee early in the game against Oliver Ames. Junior Hannah McMahon will start in her place.
Longmeadow, which lost in the state final in 2014, does not rely solely on Mokwuah. Taylor Shubrick, who scored 18-points against Notre Dame Academy in the state semifinal, and Katie Fydenkevez has averaged nine points in the tournament. Shubrick’s sister Jordyn can also be an offensive force.
The Raiders have never won the girls basketball state title. The school has two boys state championships, 2007 and 2009.