SACO — The Cheverus’ girls’ basketball team needed a dose of inspiration heading into Wednesday afternoon’s showdown at undefeated Thornton Academy.
The Stags got it from their coach, Billy Goodman, before they left campus.
“Coach (spoke) to us in a pregame walk-through and it was really effective,” said Cheverus junior standout Maddie Fitzpatrick.
The Stags then traveled to Linnell Gymnasium, and behind double-doubles from Fitzpatrick and junior Emma Lizotte, Cheverus earned its biggest win of the season, 49-35.
Lizotte scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Fitzpatrick added 15 points and 19 rebounds as Cheverus improved to 13-2.
“These girls really impressed me,” said Goodman. “I didn’t like the way we’ve been playing defense and I gave them a tough love conversation, and we broke down what we were looking for. I’m really proud of them.”
Both teams struggled from the floor in the first quarter, which ended with Thornton Academy ahead 8-6, but Cheverus got its offense going in the second quarter while continuing to thwart the Golden Trojans (13-1).
A Lizotte layup gave the Stags the lead for good with 5:22 to go in the second quarter. Later, after Lizotte blocked a shot, her layup at the other end capped a 12-2 run, helping Cheverus hold a 20-12 advantage at the break.
“The energy from the bench and our defensive effort really motivated us,” Fitzpatrick said.
Both Fitzpatrick (six points, 12 rebounds) and Lizotte (10 points, seven rebounds) nearly produced double-doubles in the first half.
On three occasions in the third quarter, Thornton Academy drew within six, the last time at 27-21. But in a three-minute span starting late in the third, the Stags went on a 10-0 run, highlighted by a pair of Fitzpatrick hoops and a long Lizotte jumper.
“I’m very lucky to coach Maddie and Emma,” Goodman said. “I’m very impressed with how they both played today.”
The Golden Trojans made it 37-25 on a layup from Claudia Pelletier with 4:34 to play, but back-to-back Lizotte three-point plays put it away.
“We knew we had to bring more energy and play tougher as a team,” Lizotte said. “We just wanted to come out and play our hardest and see what we could do.”
“We just wanted to play together,” Fitzpatrick added. “We know we can play this well and it’s good that we finally did.”
The Golden Trojans got 12 points from Addisen Sulikowski and eight from Kylie Lamson, but looked out of sorts most of the game, as Cheverus’ defensive pressure was too much to overcome.
“They (beat) us for sure,” said Thornton Academy Coach Eric Marston. “Their defensive pressure was like nothing the girls have faced all year. It wasn’t a matter of our effort, and we defended well, but they took us out of what we typically do well offensively.
“This is a loss we feel OK about, because honestly, we needed a wake-up call.”
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