GARDNER — The Mahar varsity girls basketball team, to certain standards, had a successful 2017-18 season, going 13-7 and earning the 10th seed in the Western Massachusetts Division III playoff tournament, losing to Monument Mountain.
On Monday, the Mahar A summer basketball team, comprised of mostly returning varsity players, continued upon that success, defeating the rivaled Athol Red Raiders 48-18 in Gardner.
“We’ve got a lot of girls that play AAU (basketball) throughout the year and it kind of showed,” said Mahar A coach Scott Parker. “If we have some good patience — we were counting on the three ball too much at the beginning, summer ball you work on the inside passing, work on some of the stuff you’re not good at — we started attacking the rebounds and having more patience and it was really starting to pay off. The kids looked good.”
The Mahar basketball program is broken into two teams for the summer basketball league held at Gardner High School. Mahar A consists of a mostly returning high school players, while Mahar B consists of current seventh- and eighth-graders. Athol’s team consists of returning varsity players, plus middle schoolers Emma Bacigalupo and Reily Polana.
Micalyn Mailloux had a game-high 13 points for Mahar A, while Jazmyn Vautour added 12 points and Delaney Parker five. Geca Baptista had a team-high six points for Athol, while Taylor Cleveland and Sophie Putnam added five each.
“I was impressed that she had more than just a left-hand layup,” said Scott Parker about Mailloux. “She was using it a lot more effectively in different areas, which was good to see. She played really well.”
Mailloux had a left-handed hook shot to put her team up 16-3 to start the first half. She added a mid-range jumper followed by converting on one out of two free throws in the second half to put her team up 34-10. It capped off a 9-0 run that lasted almost eight minutes for Mahar A. Baptista ended the run with a three from the top of the arc to move within 34-13.
“We were getting burned because our high, middle-post girl wasn’t coming up high enough,” said Scott Parker. “Baptista knocked a couple of threes, so if it happens once it shouldn’t happen again and it happened a couple of times.”
Baptista knocked in a three 1:58 into the second half on a similar play where she was left unguarded at the top of the arc and knocked in the shot with apparent ease.
After Baptista’s second three-ball, Mahar A responded with a 5-0 run that turned into a 14-5 run to end the game. During that span, six different Mahar A shooters scored at least one point, while Mailloux netted four and Delaney Parker three.
Mahar A began the game on a 14-1 run thanks to 10 points from Vautour. She netted two open three-pointers during that span.
“I know she can shoot the threes, but with her strength, she should be a major post player,” said Scott Parker. “She’s got a left hand and right hand (shot), she’s really strong into the basket. I want her to work inside, so hopefully as the team’s get tougher, that’s where she will end up staying.”
Athol’s strung together consecutive baskets only once during the game. To end the first half, Putnam netted a basket from underneath the hoop with 1:04 left to move within 25-7. Baptista then netted her first three to begin the second half, 25-10.