Cambridge edges Woburn in Div. 1 North showdown

WOBURN — Some of the players on this year’s Cambridge Rindge & Latin girls basketball team were alive the last time it played in the MIAA Division 1 North finals, but they were too young to remember it.

Regardless of what happens in Saturday’s sectional final, this year’s Falcons will likely never forget the game that put them in the championship game, a 54-53 victory over top-seeded Woburn in the Tanners’ home gym on Wednesday.

Cambridge (19-4), the fifth seed will play either Andover or Chelmsford at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell. It’s Cambridge’s first sectional final since 2002.

“There are some players on our coaching staff who played on that team,” said Falcons coach Reece Freeman. “It’s been a while.”

The Falcons also avenged a first-round loss to Woburn in last year’s tournament.

Right after Woburn’s Ashlyn Pacheco (18 points) made three free throws to tie the score at 53 with 13.1 seconds left, Cambridge’s Gianni Daniels went to the line to shoot 2 with 4.9 seconds remaining. She missed the first shot and made the second.

After the Tanners took their final timeout, they got the ball down the court, but could not score the winning basket.

“It was a great game,” said Woburn coach Steve Sullivan, whose team finished 21-2. “Cambridge really played well. We battled to the end and I’m proud of the way we finished.

The Tanners trailed 37-25 early in the third quarter, but pulled within six heading into the final eight minutes. Pacheco made a 3-pointer with 4:55 left to play to give Woburn its first lead since the second quarter.

The teams traded baskets for the rest of the game until Daniels made the winning free throw.

“We told them they would make a run,” said Freeman. “We were ready for it.”

Sophia Vital led Cambridge with 15 points. Kizziah Ruff scored 14 and Daniels finished with 32.

Cambridge led, 34-23 at the half. At the end of the first quarter, the Falcons’ Vital hit two 3-pointers in the final minute and Selah Harris added another one to take an 18-13 lead. Cambridge opened the second quarter with an 8-3 run that included three baskets from Kizziah Ruff. Ruff scored nine points in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer with 1:19 remaining before halftime.

Megan Roderick scored 12 for Woburn.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2x47kVs