CHESHIRE – Cassie Lincoln has never played at the Curry Hicks Cage, but she’ll tell you more than anyone it’s something she’s dying to do in her senior season playing for the Drury girls’ basketball team. 

 

Lincoln and the Blue Devils took the first step to achieving that goal on Thursday night, when the senior guard scored a game-high 13 points to help lead Drury to a 42-36 road win over Hoosac Valley. Not only did the Devils earn a season sweep over their bitter rivals, but they also earned their 10th win of the season, punching their ticket to Western Mass. tournament in the process. 

 

Lincoln and the rest of her Drury teammates have come up one win short of earning a trip to “The Cage” the last two seasons, but the senior captain is hoping her team’s journey takes them past the quarterfinal round this year. 

 

While nothing is guaranteed, John Franzoni’s squad at least has a ticket to the dance after earning a tough, grind-it-out win over a very determined opponent on Thursday night. The Hurricanes (8-6) rallied from an 11-point deficit at halftime to tie the game in the fourth quarter, only to see the Blue Devils (10-3) pull away at the end with some steady shooting at the free-throw line. 

 

In fact, Drury didn’t score a single basket in the fourth quarter, but it did manage to outscore Hoosac 13-8 in the frame by going 13 of 17 from the foul line. Lincoln was 4 for 4, while teammates Danielle Racette and Kelsey Ouimet went 5 for 6 and 3 for 5, respectively. Once the ’Canes tied the game in the final quarter, their offense hit the skids and they made matters worse by fouling the Blue Devils on the offensive end and giving them freebies on the other end of the floor.

 

“We always tell our team that we need to be able to do the tough things to win on the road,” Drury head coach John Franzoni said. “Tonight we were able to limit them to one shot, we got defensive stops and we made free throws at the end. We found a way to win again on the road, and that’s what you need to do if you want to have a successful season.”

 

With the victory in Cheshire, the Blue Devils now improve to 5-0 in road contests this season. They did that by surviving major foul trouble from starters Meagan McCarthy and Racette, who were forced to sit down major minutes in both the second and third quarters. The Drury bench stepped up and helped build a double-digit lead heading into halftime, however, and Lincoln capped off the second quarter by nailing a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the visitors a 23-12 lead at the break. 

 

“We got some good minutes out of our bench in the first half,” Franzoni said. “We had two of our starters in pretty significant foul trouble tonight, but I thought our bench played well in the first half and helped us get out to an 11-point lead.” 

 

Hoosac stormed right back in the third quarter, though, taking advantage of an effective full-court trap to force the Blue Devils into a number of costly turnovers. With Racette on the bench watching, Lincoln couldn’t shake the swarming Hurricane defense and her teammates were struggling even getting the ball across half court at times. The result was a 16-6 edge for Hoosac in the third quarter and just a one-point Drury lead heading into the fourth. 

 

Lincoln eventually started breaking free, and Racette came back in the fourth to help her handle the ball and make timely free throws. Lincoln’s 13 points were a season-high for her this year, while Racette still managed nine points, two rebounds and four assists in limited action. Ouimet also had a good game in the post, scoring eight points and grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds.

 

“We showed a lot of teamwork tonight,” Franzoni said. “When things weren’t going well for us earlier in the year we wouldn’t have responded well, but tonight our seniors played well and our benched helped them out. We’re really starting to get things in line to be a team that is going to be tough going into the tournament.” 

 

The Hurricanes were led by senior captain Samantha Robinson, who made one three and finished with nine points on the night. Cathleen Nguyen and Bethany Hakes also chipped in with six points apiece.

 

Drury next plays against undefeated Lee on the road on Monday night. With six out of the last seven games still to play against North Division opponents, Franzoni knows his team will receive plenty of tough tests throughout the rest of the season. 

 

“We have seven games left against seven tough opponents the rest of the season,” he said. “I’m sure we will be challenged in every single game we have left and that will only help us better prepare for the tournament.”