LOWELL — The Bishop Feehan girls basketball team aimed to return to the Tsongas Center and complete their goal since the beginning of the season.
On Friday night, the Shamrocks achieved their goal by winning the Div. 1 state championship.
The Shamrocks faced an undefeated Wachusett team who had previously beaten them easily, but they focused on defense and relied on senior leaders Julia Webster (15 points) and Maddie Steel (12 points) to secure a 48-40 victory for their second state championship, in addition to their 2016 title.
“The day after losing in last year’s final to Andover, we decided to come back and accomplish this,” Webster explained. “It feels like all our hard work paid off.”
The Shamrocks (21-4) effectively contained the strong Wachusett backcourt of Rileigh Leary and Mary Gibbons from the start of the game.
Although Gibbons scored the highest with 16 points, she had to work hard for each point due to the close marking of a player wearing the number 5 jersey.
“Maddie did a great job guarding a player like Gibbons,” Feehan coach Amy Dolores remarked.
Wachusett (24-1) held the lead only twice at 3-0 and 5-4 due to Feehan’s aggressive defense, making scoring difficult.
At halftime, the Shamrocks led 22-16 and seemed to have a strong advantage after leading a 13-4 run, resulting in a 35-21 lead.
Wachusett responded with a 10-0 run in the third and fourth quarters, narrowing the gap to 35-31.
The Mountaineers closed in further when Gibbons scored a three-pointer, bringing the score to 38-36 with 2:56 left.
However, Wachusett couldn't get any closer, as the Shamrocks were determined not to be defeated again.
Webster made a layup, followed by Canty’s three-point play with 68 seconds remaining, which proved too much for Wachusett to overcome.
“I am thrilled for these kids,” Dolores expressed. “They've worked hard and focused on returning here without underestimating any team in our schedule.”
