McCann Tech Takes Care of Business in Tournament Opener
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The McCann Tech girls basketball team advanced in the Division 5 State Tournament with a 42-36 win over David Prouty.
Madison Rougeau led the Hornets with 17 points, while Faith Brazeau added 11. Riley Guiden and Gabriella Lefevre each chipped in with seven.
With Aiden Champney sidelined, Lefevre stepped into the starting lineup and made an immediate impact. She opened the scoring with an offensive rebound and putback to spark an early 5-0 run.
McCann (17-4) set the tone defensively from the start, closing out hard in its zone and forcing the Panthers into difficult shots. The Hornets allowed just two field goals in the first quarter to take a 15-6 lead. They also capitalized at the free throw line, going 7-for-10 in the opening quarter attacking the hoop aggressively.
“I thought we did a good job in the first half crashing the boards, which was one of our emphasis points,” coach Justin Kratz said. “With Aiden not playing, Bella did a nice job establishing an inside presence and getting us going early. I thought our defense was great. We pressured them and forced a lot of turnovers.”
The offense cooled in the second quarter, as McCann managed just three points. However, the defense once again stepped up, holding David Prouty to six points for the second straight quarter to carry an 18-12 lead into halftime. The Hornets did a solid job slowing the Panthers in the half court, limiting their ability to push the tempo.
After the break, Rougeau found her rhythm, scoring four quick points off strong defensive play that led to a fast break opportunity. She tallied eight points in the third quarter, helping McCann extend its lead after the second quarter lull.
David Prouty mounted a fourth quarter push, finally finding some shooting success. But Guiden came off the bench to knock down back-to-back timely baskets, stretching the lead to seven with just under six minutes remaining.
“Riley has come a long way this season,” Kratz said. “She’s one of those kids who does whatever I ask her to do. All season long, she’s done it with a great attitude. To see her have a really good game tonight in the tournament was nice, especially coming off the bench.”
McCann answered one final Panthers run when Emmalie Wood delivered a sharp pass in transition to Lefevre for an easy basket, pushing the lead back to seven with 1:35 left.
The Hornets’ ability to withstand late pressure was a positive sign for Kratz, particularly after recent lessons learned.
“We didn’t do a great job in our last game against Norfolk Aggie keeping our composure,” Kratz said. “But over the course of the season we’ve learned not to lose composure. When they make a run, we need to respond with one of our own, and I thought we did that tonight.”
McCann will now travel to face third-seeded Douglas in the Division 5 State Tournament First Round on Friday night.