FOXBORO — The Foxboro girls basketball team is strong enough to be difficult to stop even when they are not playing their best.
But when Foxboro shares the ball as effectively as they did on Friday night against Pentucket, it's very hard to beat them.
In an impressive performance, top-seeded Foxboro secured a 78-48 victory over No. 9 Pentucket in a Division 3 state quarterfinal.
Foxboro increases its record to 22-2, while Pentucket's season ends at 21-2.
Of all the stats that showed how efficient Foxboro was, none was more telling than the Warriors assisting on 20 of their 31 field goals, unofficially. Foxboro seemed pleased to share the ball and make the extra pass.
"That's what we aim for, at least 15," Foxboro coach Lisa Downs said. "Assists are a key stat for us because we have so many girls who can score. That makes us very difficult to defend, and it's hard for opponents to focus on one player when they know that all five on the floor can score."
Pentucket coach John McNamara is fully aware of Foxboro's strength.
"I think they could be the best team in the state," McNamara said of Foxboro. "But if they have an off night, like in the NCAAs, they could lose. But I think they're the best team in the state."
Leading the way for Foxboro were junior forward Addie Ruter with 23 points, junior guard Kailey Sullivan with 21 points and six assists, and senior guard Camryn Collins with 17 points.
Amelia Crowe led Pentucket with 16 points.
"Definitely, we have so much talent on the team that if we utilize everyone, we can have games like that and score a lot of points," Sullivan said.
If there was any suspense about the outcome, Foxboro put an end to it in the second quarter. With a 17-13 lead after the first quarter, the Warriors went on an 11-3 run, capped by Sullivan making a three-point shot after an assist from Ruter.
After going into halftime with a 38-25 lead, Foxboro sealed the deal in the third quarter, starting the second half with a 13-0 run, with Collins scoring after a pass from Sullivan.
Ruter added a putback just moments later, and Foxboro extended its lead to 30 points at 57-27.
Foxboro, which won the D2 state title a year ago, seems determined to win again.
"It is tough to stop, because now Ruter is getting doubled or tripled, she can pass it out to Sully or Cam or Erin Foley, and they're open for shots. It's a good inside-out game that a lot of teams don't have," Downs said.
