It looked all but over for the Franklin Tech girls basketball team after three quarters Thursday night.
Pioneer had raced out to a 33-21 lead entering the final quarter of play, but the Eagles came out and played their best when it needed to, outscoring the Panthers 18-2 in the final frame to pull off a 39-35 comeback victory at Messer Gymnasium in Northfield.
“Both teams showed obvious signs of fatigue all game,” Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache said. “Our girls really stepped up in the fourth quarter. Pioneer battled hard all the way to the end. Our kids showed a lot of heart and determination and came away with a hard fought win.”
Kaitlin Trudeau led the way for the victorious Eagles, scoring 13 points and knocking in two 3’s. Kendra Campbell had 11 points while Gemanaia Cruz added nine points.
Trudeau and Campbell handled the scoring for Tech in the fourth, combining for 15 of their final 18 points. Cruz and Emily Ryan had strong games on the glass, both snatching 11 boards.
Laura Kahler made three 3’s to lead Pioneer with 13 points on the day, with Sofia Walker scoring seven points and Hailey Ring finishing with six points in the loss.
“Our kids’ defense was fantastic all game,” Panthers coach Mike Churchill said. “We got tired legs in the fourth quarter, but before that we had shot it better than we had all season.”
Frontier 49, Turners 44 — The Red Hawks raced out to a double-digit lead in the first half, but the Thunder didn’t go away quietly.
A big third quarter had Turners within 37-33 going into the fourth, but Frontier held on to pull out a 49-44 victory at Goodnow Gymnasium in South Deerfield..
“We faced a little adversity today,” Frontier’s Kaitlyn Mackin said. “We haven’t been in that situation yet so it was nice for everyone to work together and find a way to succeed.”
Mackin finished with 19 points in the win, with Charlotte Doulette dropping 10 points. Kylie Laford adding nine points, all in the first quarter.
Madi Liimatainen had 10 points for Turners. Emily Young had nine points and Morgan Dobias added eight.
Mahar 53, Hopkins 24 — The Senators sent their three seniors out on a high note during their final home game, jumping out to a 31-10 lead at the half en route to a 53-24 victory over the Golden Hawks on Thursday.
“Abby Henne had her best game of the year, Delaney Parker was strong on the boards and Micalyn Mailloux had a great scoring night,” lauded Mahar head coach Larry Fisher. “It was a special night for our seniors and it was nice of administration to let their parents in to watch.”
Henne finished with eight points in her final home game, with Parker scoring six points and pulling down 11 boards from the guard spot. Mailloux lit up the scoreboard for 29 points, 17 coming in the first half of play.
Sophomore Saylor Kegans was a menace on the glass, pulling down 11 boards.
Sara Beauchamp led Hopkins with 10 points. Chloe Jekanowski added six points in the loss.
Frontier 60, Turners 51 — Thunder guard Marcus Sanders was once again unconscious on the offensive end of the floor, going for 38 points — the second time he’s done so this season — but it wasn’t enough to get the job done as the Red Hawks came away with a 60-51 win on the road on Thursday.
“I was pleased, we played them much better than the first time,” Turners coach Jay Liimatainen said. “Marcus went crazy. We hung right there but couldn’t get it closer than nine.”
Frontier led steadily throughout the game, getting out to a 32-21 lead at the half. It prevented Turners from getting into striking distance in the final half of action.
Sean Richter led the Red Hawks with 21 points. DJ Dragicevich joined him in double figures with 11 points while Iain Spearance and Adan Hernandez each had eight points in the win.
Brandon Truesdale had six points and Brendan Driscoll had five points for the Thunder.
Athol 60, Franklin Tech 38 — Athol shot the lights out of the ball on Thursday, as Connor Mahony finished with a team-high 21 points to score a 60-38 win on the road against the Eagles.
Athol got out to a 30-15 lead at the half and used an 18-point third quarter to stay in the driver’s seat going into the final quarter of play.
“They shot the ball really well,” Franklin Tech coach Tim Artus said. “We got good looks but the shots just didn’t fall for us.”
Noah Pottinger and Beau Manning each had seven points in the win, with Jet Castillo chipping in six points.
Ty Sadoski had a game-high 23 points for the Eagles, knocking in four 3’s. It was senior night for Ryan Artus and Dylan McLaughlin, with Artus scoring eight points.
• In JV action, Aedan Erikson scored 12 points to lead Athol to a 42-17 win over the Eagles on Thursday.