Bishop Guertin girls basketball comes up short, drops first game to Franklin

FRANKLIN, Mass. - Two undefeated teams, both at the top of their respective state's top division, it was fitting that Thursday's game between the Bishop Guertin and Franklin high school girls basketball teams came down to the final moments.

The Panthers executed on their opportunity to take the lead. The Cardinals came up short.

Franklin's Olivia Quinn hit a jump shot with under 18 seconds to play, and at the other end, Bishop Guertin was unable to get a shot off, turning the ball over on its final possession to fall 47-46. The loss was the Cardinals' first in its 47 games, a streak that started over two years ago.

"They made a play, hit a shot," Bishop Guertin coach Brad Kreick said. "We had two cracks at it down the stretch and we just couldn’t put the ball in the basket. I can’t criticize much. The kids played their tails off."

Bishop Guertin (15-1) had a 46-45 lead and got the ball back with a little more than a minute to play before Kreick called a timeout with 60 seconds remaining. With the 30-second shot clock in play in Massachusetts, the Cardinals worked the ball around until Addi Smith found a lane to the basket, but her shot was off the mark and Franklin's Ali Brigham grabbed the rebound.

After getting the ball over halfcourt, the Panthers (21-0) took a timeout to set up the game-winning shot. The ball came in to Megan O'Connell at the top of the key and she got it inside to Brigham, Franklin's 6-foot-4 senior. She kicked it to the corner to an open Quinn for what proved to be the winner.

"We had run an out-of-bounds look there with her as the primary look because we thought they would double (Brigham) and they did," Franklin coach John Leighton said. "We didn’t get the initial look, but then the secondary look was left wide open. I trust (Quinn) shooting the ball, any time she wants to take it."

With two fouls left to give, Franklin committed one before Bishop Guertin could race up the floor, taking a few seconds off the clock, and the Cardinals took a timeout with 7.2 seconds remaining. Bishop Guertin got the ball to Brianna Wilcox, who tried to drive to the basket, but was tripped up on the way and lost the ball. Brigham scooped it up to end the game.

"I thought the kids executed pretty well, we just didn’t put the ball in the basket on that last possession," Kreick said. "That’s the way it goes."

Wilcox finished with 17 points to lead the Cardinals and Erin Carney was also in double figures with 13 points while Smith had six. But Bishop Guertin was just 3 of 11 at the free throw line, while Franklin was 8 of 12.

Brigham led all scorers with 19 points while Elizabeth Wilson came off the bench to score 11 points and Quinn added 10.

The senior big scored on Franklin's first two possessions, but Bishop Guertin took an 8-4 lead less than two minutes in. The Panthers got two more baskets from Brigham to tie the game and Wilson scored five points in a row to give Franklin a 13-8 lead.

A basket by Wilcox with four seconds left in the first stopped Franklin's run and started the Cardinals on an 11-0 run the put them up 19-13 midway through the second quarter.

"Good teams go on runs," Kreick said. "They made a run on us early, we settled down, we got some stops, and we got out in transition a little bit. They made some adjustments and it was back-and-forth."

Franklin cut the lead to 23-21 going into halftime and Brigham scored to tie it on the first possession of the second half. Carney hit a 3 to put Bishop Guertin in front and the Cardinals were able to maintain the lead until back-to-back baskets by O'Connell and Brigham to end the quarter tied it at 34.

Brenna Paquette hit a 3-pointer to open the fourth to break the tie and Bishop Guertin led 44-41 after a basket by Carney with 2:45 to play. But O'Connell answered at the other end to make it a one-point game and Quinn hit two free throws with 1:48 left to give Franklin a 46-45 lead, its first since early in the second quarter.

Wilcox put the Cardinals back up, as she was fouled on a made layup, but the free throw was no good. Franklin got the rebound, but Wilcox came up with a steal, setting up a frantic final minute.