Attleboro, Mass. – It was an uphill battle right from the opening tip. Attleboro was playing its first playoff game in four years and the inexperienced Bombardiers looked overwhelmed by the moment.
Attleboro’s nerves were amplified by aggressive on the ball defending from Brockton that completely took the Bombardiers out of their offense.
It has been a remarkable season for a program that just two years ago managed only two wins, but it came to an abrupt end on Monday night in the first round of the tournament with a 66-40 loss to the visiting Boxers.
Kerri Beland led the way for Attleboro with 12 points, but eight of them came in the fourth quarter after Brockton had already built a 20-point lead. Bri Laplume registered a double-double with 10 points (all in the first half) and 11 rebounds. Attleboro stayed within reach in the first half by shooting 11-13 from the free throw line.
Freshman Emily Houle also had an impressive game in defeat. The youngest member of the squad, Houle was aggressive and looking for her own shot. A three-point play at the beginning of the second half looked as though it would spark a comeback in front a packed house, but Attleboro went the remainder of the quarter without scoring.
“Our turnovers have hurt us all season and our inconsistency has really haunted us and it came back to bite us in the butt,” said head coach Missy Traversi about her team’s inability to create open looks against the Brockton man-to-man defense.
She added, “Now we know what the state tournament is like. We know what it takes and we have to learn from that.”
Despite the defeat, Attleboro can still look to a bright future as the teams three leading scorers (Beland, Laplume, and Beth Clifton) all return next season.