CUMBERLAND — Anna Turgeon pulled up two or three steps from the 3-point line, let the ball fly and watched as it swished cleanly through the net.
It was a moment that encapsulated the night. Anything the Falmouth senior tried Tuesday night was going to work.
Turgeon scored 35 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, and Falmouth took down Greely, 48-34, for a rare victory over the perennial Class A South power.
“It means everything. I (had) yet to beat Greely as a coach … (and) the seniors wanted to come out and win this game because they hadn’t beat them in their career either,” said Falmouth Coach Dawn Armandi, whose team improved to 6-3. “We came out with heart and ended up winning. I think it sets the tone for the rest of the year, I hope.”
There was also a measure of payback. It was the team’s first matchup since last year’s A South semifinal, a 52-47 win for the Rangers (4-4).
“They’re definitely a rival for us,” Turgeon said. “The energy that we’ve had the last week, we’ve been thinking about this game and really wanting to beat them.”
While the Navigators came out buzzing, the Rangers stalled from the start, falling behind 17-6 in the first quarter and 28-9 by halftime. Greely cut the gap to 10 in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t escape another sluggish start that included nine first-quarter turnovers and 2-for-21 shooting in the first half.
“I was pleased with the second half, (but) we just can’t dig holes like that,” Greely Coach Todd Flaherty said. “Sometimes we have too many players trying to do too much on their own, and not getting the ball movement that we need and loosening up the defense.”
Turgeon made sure it would be a long night for Greely. She had 10 points in the first quarter and then added 11 in the second, beating the Rangers to the ball off the glass and converting everything from off balance layups to perimeter shots.
“I got into a rhythm,” she said. “My confidence was up, my teammates were hyping me up. That was definitely helping.”
Armandi, whose team had to find a way to withstand the likely season-long loss of star guard Sloane Ginevan, praised the leadership Turgeon has provided.
“She played unbelievable. Anybody watching that game tonight, to say that she’s not one of the best players in our conference, they don’t know what they’re talking about,” said Armandi, who got six points and nine rebounds from Maddy Christman. “She’s a special player. She gives it on both ends of the floor.”
On defense, Armandi said the Navigators’ key was face guarding standout Greely guard Sophia Ippolito (seven points) and pressuring the Rangers into mistakes. It worked in the first half, though Greely found some success in the second, cutting the gap to 10 points at 44-34 with under two minutes to go.
“Our offense was better,” Flaherty said. “We anticipated some ups and downs, I didn’t think we were going to take off. We’re just trying to get better, and in the end be the best that we can be.”
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