Lady Eagles basketball reign victorious over Cheverus by Matt Pascarella

Molly Hodgkins

JUNIOR VARSITY

The girl’s JV and varsity basketball teams kicked off their seasons against Cheverus last Friday, December 1 with back to back home openers. Both teams played very well, which made for two exciting games.

The JV girls started strong having control of the ball over Cheverus. Windham’s forceful offense and defense kept Cheverus at bay from the start of the game.

Lexi Hirning

Anna Drummond, #13, scored after stealing the ball from Cheverus. Shortly after, she scored again.

Windham’s impressive communication and teamwork led to several other players scoring early. Lexi Hirning, #24 and Lexi Bailey, #34 scored in the first half.

The Lady Eagles continued their intensity throughout the first half, keeping sufficient distance - points wise, ahead of Cheverus. Windham protected their lead by conducting several turnovers against Cheverus.

Tara Flanders, #33 throws to Hannah Talon, #11

Before the end of the first half, several Lady Eagles had put points up on the scoreboard. Erin Elder, #22, scored, Lexi Hirning and Julia McKenna, #21, scored single points from foul shots. Lexi Hirning sunk a three pointer, Hayleigh Moody put two in the basket. Julia McKenna scored one point via a foul shot and Molly Hodgkins, #12, sunk two.

At the half, the score was 23-14, Eagles.

Windham came out just as strong in the second half; they wanted that “W” and they were going to get it. The Eagles’ continued to control the ball and had great teamwork. 

Hannah Downing, #42, scored one point via a foul shot. After a turnover, Hayleigh Moody scored two. Lexi Hirning put two in the hoop. Erin Elder scored two. The Eagles’ lead was growing; Windham continued to pressure Cheverus. Molly Hodgkins scored again. Lexi Hirning put two more points on the scoreboard. Erin Elder and Julia McKenna each got other baskets as Windham was pulling away from Cheverus. Maddie Rogers, #5, sinks a three towards the end of the game. Molly Hodgkins scored one point from a foul shot. 

The clock was running out and even though the Eagles had a comfortable lead, they needed to keep up the defense in order to maintain that lead. At the buzzer, the scoreboard read Eagles 48, Cheverus, 40.

VARSITY

The varsity girls wasted no time with Hannah Talon, #11, scoring immediately in the first half. The Eagle’s great offense and defense let Cheverus know that if they wanted to win, Windham was going to make them work for it. The Eagles were strong and aggressive, with several players scoring in the first half. Tara Flanders, #33, sunk one for two points. Hannah Talon put two points up on the scoreboard.

Windham’s excellent teamwork and communication showed they were “in it to win it.”

Both Taylor Files, #20, and Meghan Hoffses, #2, scored putting in two baskets from foul shots. Windham’s energy resulted in several turnovers against Cheverus, helping the Eagles to put points on the scoreboard.

Meghan Hoffses, Hannah Talon and Tara Flanders each scored, putting two in the hoop. Meghan Hoffses scored again after shooting two foul shots. Hannah Talon put a basket in after an assist from Meghan Hoffses.

Although the Lady Eagles were giving it their all, Cheverus was right behind them, almost matching them basket for basket in the first half. At the half, the score was 24-23, Cheverus.

The Eagles kept up the intensity in the second half. Emily Drummond, #30, scored. Hannah Talon put two baskets in and Tara Flanders got one in the hoop.

The game was very close and Windham had to keep it up in order to put the “W” in the scorebooks. The Eagles continued to pressure Cheverus with Meghan Hoffses sinking a three, Tara Flanders and Kayla Gorman both getting single points via foul shots. Hannah Talon kept the pressure on Cheverus by sinking a three.

Windham played strong with excellent teamwork in order to maintain their lead, which was very close at times. 

Hannah Talon sunk two foul shots. At this point there was less than a minute left on the clock and Windham was up by six. After Cheverus fouled Meghan Hoffses, Windham’s lead grew a little, but there still plenty of time left for Cheverus to catch up.

A short time later, there was only eight seconds left on the clock and Windham led by three.

After some tactical defense, the buzzer sounded and the Lady Eagles had game #1 in the books as a victory. The final score was 46-43, Windham.

“It was a great team win overall; a lot of kids did a lot of positive things for us throughout the game. I’m real proud of how they came together as a team . . . to win the game . . . they are a great group of kids. We’ve been working hard to get to this moment.” said Coach Brody Artes.

Congrats to both JV and varsity on their home opener wins! We look forward to an exciting season!