Drury Girls Win on Emotional Night

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The Drury girls basketball team overwhelmed Lenox on Friday night, cruising to a 70-25 home victory in a game filled with emotion, energy, and depth.

 

Before tipoff, the Drury girls program honored two of its most impactful former players by retiring the No. 10 jersey in memory of Jocelyn LeClair and Alison Felix. Both left lasting impressions on the program and the community, and the ceremony set the tone for an emotional and motivated performance from the Lady Devils.

 

You could feel the excitement from the Drury (5-3) squad as they took the floor following the pregame tribute. The Lady Devils wasted no time asserting themselves, opening the game with a beautifully executed set that led to a wide-open corner three from Delaney Hayden. From that point on, it was all Drury.

 

The Blue Devils applied relentless full-court pressure, forcing turnover after turnover and quickly building a sizable lead. With Lenox short on players, Drury made it a priority to keep the tempo high all night.

 

"We know they don't have a lot of players, so our game plan was to gas them as soon as we could," Drury coach Ian Downey said. "That forced them to take off their press and get back on defense. I thought we did a really good job in the half court, making sure we found the open girl, and obviously it helps when shots are falling."

 

Drury showcased its balance with 11 different players scoring. Keira Vidal and Elise Daly each finished with 10 points, while Megan McGrath added nine. The Lady Devils took a commanding 30-13 lead into halftime, controlling the game in every phase. Whether it was scoring in transition off suffocating defense or executing in the half court, Drury consistently found high-quality looks. Their dominance on the offensive glass only widened the gap.

 

Even with such a strong first half, Drury remained focused on improving. Against the Lenox zone to start the third quarter, Elise Daly scored six straight points in the paint, the result of crisp ball movement and a renewed emphasis on attacking inside.

 

"A point of emphasis at halftime was that we were not getting the ball inside enough," Downey said. "On our first three or four possessions we went inside, and Elise scored on all of them. It is the little things like that. No matter what the score is, when you ask your team to focus on something and they go out and do it, it makes you feel good as a coach."

 

Drury continued to extend the lead with every lineup combination. The lopsided score allowed Downey to give valuable varsity minutes to younger players, a move that could pay dividends later in the season as the Blue Devils push toward postseason play.

 

"Anytime the younger girls can get varsity minutes, it is huge," Downey said. "We have a lot of girls to get in, so credit to the starters for putting the game out of reach and allowing the end of the bench to get more minutes."

 

The win snapped a two-game skid for Drury (5-3) and provided important momentum heading into Monday’s road matchup against Wahconah.

 

Lenox (1-5) will look to regroup when it goes to Pope Francis on Monday.