Lady Bobcats Bounce Mustangs 52-39 on Senior Night

The Lady Bobcats paid tribute to their senior class Thursday night before their game against the visiting Immaculate Mustangs. Coach Maura Keenan explained how her seniors have a special place in her heart. 

“They’re just a hard-working bunch of great kids who really know how to make a commitment to the program," Keenan said. "They’re a good group to be around everyday,” she added.  After a heartfelt ceremony, the Lady Bobcats combined a solid offensive attack with tough defense down the stretch to topple the Mustangs 52-39.

Defense is the cornerstone to the Bobcats’ game plan.  This year they are trying a new system brought in by their first year assistant coach. 

“We really pride ourselves on our defense,” said Keenan. “We’ve been trying the 1-3-1, which is new for us this year.  We’ve been doing a little more trapping 1-3-1, but there’s a big risk and reward with that.  We get some great steals, but they can come down and get easy buckets on you.”

The teams traded baskets to start the game, and the Bobcats took the early lead in the game 12-9 after the first quarter.  They were led by Julia Depoi with five of her game high 15 points in the quarter, including a three pointer.  Senior Moe Vetter also hit a three pointer and Jaimie Bicklehaupt contributed four points in the quarter.

The Bobcats picked up where they left off at the end of the first and staked themselves to an 11 point lead, 26-15 going into the half.  They held the Mustangs to just five points on two field goals and a foul shot in the quarter. 

“Our defense keeps us in a lot of games,” according to Coach Keenan. “I said to them in the third quarter that we’re playing just well enough not to lose this game.  I talked about increasing the intensity and they did.”

Depoi added another eight points in the quarter, including her second three pointer of the game that gave Brookfield a 17-10 lead early in the quarter.  Vetter went two-for-four from the free throw line in the quarter and Bicklehaupt went four-for-four from the foul line. 

The Mustangs came out of the dressing room and matched Brookfield’s play in the third, keeping the game within striking distance.  Although the Bobcats extended their lead to as much as 14 points in the quarter, the Mustangs battled back to keep it an 11 point deficit. 

The Bobcats were led by Krista Melchione’s seven points on three field goals and going one for two at the free throw line.  Melchione finished off a steal by Vetter at the other end of the court, with a layup off of the resulting fast break. 

“I think Krista didn’t have enough looks in the first half," Keenan said. "When she got it, she went four-for-six. That’s tremendous shooting. I think she did a great job on the boards.”

Bicklehaupt went two-for-two from the line in the quarter.

In the fourth, the teams traded baskets until Kerry Fleming brought the ball along the baseline and scored from right under the net to bring the Brookfield lead to 15 points, its largest lead of the game.  Coach Keenan turned the game over to her underclassmen with about two minutes left in the game.  This gave her seniors the opportunity to get a well deserved ovation from the home crowd. 

Courtney Morlock ran the point once the seniors were on the bench and she led the younger players along with Tara Schang. 

“She [Morlock] is getting smart and understanding the game.  She’s taking care of the ball better.  She’s been a spark plug on defense,” said Keenan. 

Her underclassmen were up to the task of holding the lead. 

“The underclassmen that went in handled the ball well and they made their free throws.  I am very proud of them,” Keenan said. 

The Mustangs showed some resiliency by cutting the lead to nine points on two three-pointers from Caitlin Connors, with Brookfield leading 46-37 with just under two minutes to play.  The Bobcats would finish out their scoring with two foul shots from Bicklehaupt and a basket at the buzzer by Schang.

Schang, the lone junior on the team, planned and executed the evening’s tribute to the senior class.

“Tara Schang was the MVP for tonight. She coordinated the entire senior night activities. She’s the sole junior and she’s worked for two weeks putting this together. She did a great job,” said Keenan.

After a three-game losing streak, the Lady Bobcats have put together a nice little three-game win streak, with wins this week over New Fairfield and Weston. 

“We’re on a little rebound. We’re trying to sweep the week. Hopefully we can accomplish that on Saturday,” said Keenan.  

The Lady Bobcats improved their record to 11-6 with the win.