Tony's Electric Wins Giorgi League Basketball Title
.jpg) Tony's Electric took the championship title in the John Giorgi Summer Basketball League on Tuesday night. |
That is when Lucy Tremblay and Jen Wehner stepped up like the champions they are.
Tremblay grabbed four rebounds and scored seven points and Wehner registered a block and converted two free throws in a 9-3 run that gave Tony's Electric the lead for good and spurred it to a 48-42 win over Williamstown Physical Therapy.
Wehner finished with a game-high 15 points and Tremblay had all seven of her points in about a three-minute stretch to help Tony's even the season series with WPT at two wins apiece.
After trailing 23-21 at half-time, Tony's made an adjustment that made all the difference according to Michelle Boudreau, who was recognized as the player of the game after scoring 11 points, including making four of four tries from the foul line down the stretch.
"That was kind of our game plan in the second half," Boudreau said. "We wanted to play kind of a two-man game with Lucy and Jen because we noticed they were doubling down on [Wehner]. We wanted to get it in, and that created more opportunities for us on the outside, too."
Wehner and Tremblay teamed up for three memorable years at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, where they helped the TrailBlazers to the school's first ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament. Wehner graduated in 2012; Tremblay graduated this year.
On Tuesday night, a rising junior from the high school rank was a big reason WPT was in position to win its second Giorgi League title in three years.
Hoosac Valley's Emily Rosse scored eight points in the first half on the way to a team-high 11. Drury graduate Stephanie Mirante scored nine and recently graduated Blue Devil Danielle Racette added seven, as did Pittsfield High alumna Courtney Shepard for WPT.
Although Williamstown Physical Therapy came up short in the final, their team's leader, Darlene McCarthy, was singled out by Commissioner Al Giorgi for her efforts to help keep the fledgling women's division going since it was added to the 32-year-old league in 2011.
"The women's division dropped a few teams from last summer but did not drop in hard play or competitiveness," Giorgi said. "Teams came out and played to the best of their ability. That's all you can ask for.
"I'd like to call Darlene McCarthy up for a second. ... Without this woman's help, there would be no women's league, and I really appreciate it. I appreciate all your help. ... She's telling me this is her last year, so I think somebody better step it up next year."
The father of one of the Tony's players stepped up in a big way this summer to keep the team on the court. Tony Saltamartini assumed sponsorship of the team that won last year's league title playing as Pizza House.
His daughter, Angela, said that no matter the name on the jersey, the team is a tight-knit group.
"A lot of these girls, I've played with my whole life, which is awesome," Angela Saltamartini said. "It's nice just nice to keep playing.
"We've got teachers on our team, we've got coaches, we've got mothers. Everyone's got stuff to do, but it's nice to have the commitment. Even in the off-season, we get together to hang out. It's just natural."
The Giorgi League High School Division and B Division championships are Wednesday starting at 6:30 at Noel Field.
Tags: championship, summer league, womens basketball,
