WALTHAM — The State Tournament run for the Watertown girls basketball team ended Tuesday night after running into a team that had already beaten a higher seed in the MIAA Div. 3 Tournament.
Newburyport, the 27th seed, made a second half run to defeat the 11th-seeded Raiders 56-48 in a game played at Waltham High School.
The teams went back and forth in the first half, and Watertown took a five point lead into the half, 22-17. In the third quarter, the Raiders increased the lead to 12 points, but Newburyport began to chip away.
Newburyport’s hot shooting helped turn the momentum, but Watertown Head Coach Michael Tempesta credited Newburyport.
“I wouldn’t say we struggled badly when they went to man, but I would say them hitting a lot of tough shots against our man and getting second chance points got them right back in it,” Tempesta said.
The lead was reduced to just two points, 48-46, with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Newburyport ended the game on a 10-0 run.
The Clippers came in with an 11-10 record, but Tempesta said the records and seeding don’t mean much in the tournament.
“The best teams are going to be left. They are one of the best 16 teams, now they are one of the best eight teams,” Tempesta said “That very well could have been us. Basketball is a game of runs and it is what it is.”
The Raiders were led by their seniors. Captain Lily Lambo scored 14 points, Emma Garapatian added 11, Sarah Morrissey had nine, and Laura Biagiotti scored three. Tempesta, who is in his first year as Watertown’s head coach, said he counted on the seniors the whole season.
“All four of them were so tough this year. They all started,” he said. “They battled. Sometimes they had to take a back seat. When they did, we got some fresh legs in there, and they didn’t complain. They just keep fighting offensively, defensively. They are the leaders on this team and it starts with them, it started with them all season, and those four are going to hard to replace.”
The shelfs won’t be empty when next season begins. The Raiders have some juniors who contributed.
Junior Adiranna Williams, the fifth starter, played point guard and scored three. Junior Victoria Dicker came off the bench and scored seven points. Juniors Alani Garey and Caroline Andrade also saw significant playing time against Newburyport, with Garey scoring one point.
“They are going to take off right where they left off,” Tempesta said. “They know that mentality now,” Tempesta said. “Those seniors started it and I am confident with the team we have. I am looking forward to the future. I will miss those seniors, for sure.”
Newburyport was led by freshman Ava Bailey’s 14 points, all scored in the second half.
