Girls Wrap Up Season With Win Over King Philip

The Wolverines capped off their 2010-2011 season on a high note Wednesday night, defeating King Philip 61-41 in the consolation game of the Riley Classic.

It was truly a special game for the 10 seniors on the team, all of whom saw the court and were each greeted off with individual standing ovations from the crowd.  

"I think they all enjoyed coming out one at a time and the crowd did a great job giving them their dues and cheering for them all," said Westwood head coach Brianne Bognanno.

"Everyone got in and contributed tonight and it reflects our whole season, where everyone had a specific role on the team and contributed no matter what," said senior Emily McGrail.

Westwood jumped out to a quick 10-0 start, and despite frequent lineup changes, the Wolverines continued to pour it on and play their hearts out in what was the final game of organized basketball for some.

"Our goal was to have the seniors play as much as they could together for one last time and they did a great job in there," said Bognanno. "We started five seniors who normally don’t start together and they came out on a great roll."

The Wolverines extended their lead to as many as 23 points by the end of the third quarter and senior Molly Mclaughlin talked about the importance of picking up one final win.

"We really needed to win to end on a good note and wrap the season up right," McLaughlin said. "It was really emotional, especially since a lot of us have been playing together since fourth grade. It’s going to be tough but it was nice we ended with a win."

McLaughlin led the senior bunch with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, and McGrail filled the stat sheet as well, going for 11 points, five rebounds and four steals.

Stats for the rest of the seniors are as follows:

• Rachel Berluti: Seven points and two steals.
• Leah Lessard: Two points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
• Kelley Steeves: Six points.
• Erin Young: Four points.
• Keelin Henderson: Two points and four rebounds
• Christa Demovellan: Four points and two steals.
• Kara Belinsky: One rebound and one assist.

Juniors Keira Travers, Laure McHoul and Kate Rich finished with four, three and two point respectively. 

McGlaughlin and McGrail both agreed that the friendships the girls shared off the court contributed both to the success and fun they had on the court for the entire season.

Some off-court activities that brought the team together included pasta dinners and bowling, while on the court, there always seemed to be the camaraderie that every team shoots for at the beginning of the season.

"We were very unselfish as a team and always worked hard and wanted the best for each other," McGlaughlin said.

"We always had fun at practice and we were always laughing," added McGrail. "No one ever got in fights and we all love each other."

Coach Bognanno best described the scene following the game.

"Everyone was really sad and it was a big 'hugfest' but it was a nice game to end the season on," she said.

The girls finished the season 9-11 and will have five returning varsity players next year.