Vaughan Leads WPT to Comeback Win in Giorgi League Final
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Williamstown Physical Therapy faced something very unfamiliar at half-time of Sunday's John Giorgi Summer Basketball League finale: a deficit.
When the game was over, WPT was in a more familar place: the right side of the scoreboard.
Megan Vaughan scored 12 of her team-high 16 points in the second half to lead WPT to a 52-39 win over Tony's Electric/Flynn & Dagnoli at Noel Field. Williamstown Physical Therapy completed an undefeated season and avenged a loss to Tony's in last year's league final.
"I'm not sure we were down at all this summer," Vaughan said after being named the league's most valuable player. "We weren't in too many close games, I guess. But we knew this would be one, so we were kind of mentally prepared for that.
"I don't think it was anything different other than [Tony's] really brought their game today."
Courtney Kegresse scored eight first-half points with a couple of 3-pointers, and Courtney McLaughlin had seven to lead Tony's to a 17-10 half-time lead.
It was 28-21 six minutes into the second half when Kegresse (game-high 17) hit a turnaround in the lane.
But WPT scored the next nine points.
First Danielle Racette (nine points) drove to the basket for two and a foul, cutting the lead to four. Then on WPT's next trip, she connected from the elbow to get her team within two. With 11 minutes, 30 seconds left, Olivia Carlson scored in the post to tie the game.
Alia Curry's jumper from the left wing made it 30-28, WPT.
After Tony's regrouped during a timeout, Courtney McLaughlin hit a 14-footer to tie it, and moments later, Kegresse was hacked in the post and hit both foul shots to give Tony's its last lead, 32-30, with 9:18 on the clock.
Emily Rosse (four points, eight rebounds) set up a cutting Racette to tie it, and Taylor DeSanty (11 points) hit a couple of foul shots to give her team the lead for good, 34-32.
WPT went on to score the next six to go ahead, 40-32.
Tony's got back within five points on three occasions, but after Kegresse hit a long two with three minutes left to make it 44-39, WPT scored the final eight points.
"We just decided we had to really pick up on defense, and especially rebounding," Vaughan said of her team's half-time adjustments. "They were owning us on the boards in the first half. ... Basically, all of them can shoot, so we made sure to get out on their shooting hand and make sure they didn't get the easy one.
"Adjust our defense a little bit, rebound a little better, and we made a little run there in the second half."
