BUCKLAND — The halftime message for the Franklin Tech girls basketball team on Thursday against Mohawk Trail was to play fast and get up the floor quickly and the Eagles did just that.
With Franklin Tech having two games under its belt and the Warriors playing their first game of the year, the Eagles used the extra conditioning to their advantage in the final 16 minutes of action.
Leading 25-16 at the half, Franklin Tech outscored Mohawk Trail 12-4 in the third quarter with many baskets coming on fast breaks to take a 37-20 lead into the fourth.
That lead proved to be enough, with the Eagles pulling out a 41-28 victory on the road.
“The girls played hard tonight,” Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache said. “They battled. They played a full four quarters was nice. To come out in the second half with the energy they had showed a lot. That was one of the challenges in the locker room at halftime and they did. We had a lot of girls contribute tonight which is huge. That’ll be a premise of who we are and who we need to be if we want to be successful.”
Lea Chapman opened the third quarter with a basket inside. Hannah Gilbert then got to the rim for two before Kaitlin Trudeau scored in the paint to give the Eagles (2-1) a 31-16 lead.
Octavia Crawford knocked down a jumper to halt the Tech run, but baskets from Emily Ryan, Chapman and Trudeau gave the Eagles the big lead going into the final eight minutes of action.
“It took a lot of work,” Chapman said. “We worked really hard as a team. We knocked out all our rust in the first half and went hard in the second half. Hopefully we can build off this.”
The Franklin Tech press was able to disrupt the Warrior (0-1) offense, holding them to just four points in the third quarter.
“We want to try and run the floor and play fast,” Gamache said. “The girls stepped up and did a nice job.”
Despite the loss, Mohawk Trail coach Kate Grover was impressed with how her team showed in the season-opener, particularly on the defensive end of the court where they gave the Eagle offense troubles.
“We’ve been working so hard in practice,” Grover said. “This is the first time they’re playing player-to-player defense and they’re doing an amazing job with it. Their getting the rotations down in practice and they did it today. I’m proud of them.”
Both teams struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end of the court in the first quarter, with Franklin Tech holding a 9-6 advantage at the end of the first frame.
The second quarter saw both teams go on big runs. Tech opened the quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 14-6 lead but the Warriors responded with a run of their own. Mya Lesieur knocked down a three, Crawford made a pair from the charity stripe, Stella Clark scored inside and Lesieur made two free throws and suddenly Mohawk Trail held a 15-14 lead.
It would be the last time the Warriors led in the game. Gilbert drained a 3-pointer, Trinity Doane scored a basket, Gilbert made another shot and a free throw to give the Eagles a 22-15 lead.
Lesieur made a free throw but Gilbert — who transferred from Mohawk Trail this summer — banked in a three at the halftime buzzer to give Franklin Tech a 25-16 lead at the break.
“It felt weird at first but I got used to it,” Gilbert said of playing against her old team. “I won’t brag about it but it counts as a win for us.”
Lesieur — who led the Warriors with 18 points — scored all eight of Mohawk Trail’s points in the fourth quarter but it was too little, too late.
“We got tired,” Grover said. “It’s our first game and we’re just starting to get conditioned. We’ll work on that. I’m extremely impressed with the team unity they have. I think that’ll carry us far as long as we can get our defense down and our passes in control.”
Gilbert finished with 15 points for the Eagles with Chapman adding 10 points in the win.
Palmer 54, Athol 38 — The Bears were unable to follow up their win over Mahar with a victory, falling to the Panthers 54-38 at Mallet Gymnasium on Thursday.
Emma Bacigalupo scored 14 points for Athol with Reily Polana adding 13 points in the loss.
Mahar 51, Greenfield 45 — Free throws won the game for the Senators.
Mahar went 15-for-18 from the charity stripe to pull out a 51-45 win over Greenfield on Thursday in Orange.
Kendra Doane led the Senators with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Natalie Belloli scored 11 points and pulled down 10 boards while Hayden Comeau scored 10 points in the win.
Lillia Kachelmeyer poured in 21 points for Greenfield with Azemina Cecunjanin adding 19 points in the loss.
Minnechaug 48, Franklin Tech 18 — The Eagles opened their dual meet season on Wednesday, falling to the Falcons 48-18.
John Santiago defeated Jordan Dietz via pin at 106, Josh Brunelle pinned Elliott Humphries at 145 and Andrew Esposito defeated Matthew Macphall by fall at 285 for the three Franklin Tech wins on the night.