Kane, Mahoney lead Pinkerton girls basketball to win over Merrimack

MERRIMACK – Madison Mahoney and Brooke Kane were as good as advertised on Thursday evening.

The senior captains on the Pinkerton Academy girls basketball team combined for 39 points during an impressive 48-32 win over Merrimack on the second night of a back-to-back in Division I action.

The sharpshooting Mahoney (16 points) finished with three 3-pointers and two smooth mid-range jumpers in the third quarter. Kane (game-high 23 points) was a force in the low post with explosive drives to the basket, while cashing in on numerous second-chance opportunities with her quick second jump in the rebounding action.

“Madison and Brooke are pretty much great every night,” Astros coach Lani Buskey said. “While they are my two biggest scorers, they also do the little things. They work hard and set the example, which trickles down to all the kids. I cannot say enough good things about Madison and Brooke.”

The Astros (15-1) are riding high into the playoffs, winning seven straight games since their lone loss of the season against visiting Bishop Guertin, 59-46, on Jan. 18. Pinkerton currently holds the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye that comes with it.

Meanwhile, Merrimack (9-7) is right in the thick of things in the middle of the standings, as the Tomahawks finish the regular season with two tough games. They will be on the road Monday against Manchester Memorial (7 p.m.) and home Tuesday against Salem (6:30 p.m.).

Sophomore guard Theresa Twardosky led Merrimack with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, while junior Makenna Desfosses was impressive off the bench with six second-half points.

“The game (Thursday) was an improvement from our last couple games,” Merrimack coach Courtney Cheetham said. “We started off the season being a typical Merrimack team, including being tough and gritty. We lost sight of that a little bit, but (Thursday) we showed that again. We have a tough end to the schedule, and we have been starting games off a little slow. Thursday we started the game off a little more even and better, which was good.”

Merrimack came out with a ferocious defensive mindset, as juniors Samantha Page and Riley Crampton both recorded impressive blocks in the opening four minutes. The good news for the Astros was that Mahoney came out on fire from deep, burying three treys in the first quarter – the last of which gave the Astros a 15-6 lead with 58 seconds left. A three-ball from the right wing by Crampton 39 seconds into the second pulled Merrimack to within 15-10, but the Astros’ lead ballooned up to 20-10 on a layup by Kane with 2:21 left in the half.

Kane showcased some good old-school basketball in the final seconds of the first half, as she tipped in a layup at the buzzer following a string of four offensive rebounds, pushing the visitors’ cushion up to 24-15 heading into the break.

Merrimack made a little push in the opening minutes of the third, as Page and Crampton recorded layups, trimming the deficit down to 24-19 with 6:21 left in the quarter. The Astros stayed calm, and then Mahoney broke free for a layup off an outstanding feed by Kane, which ignited a string of six straight points by Mahoney, pushing the lead up to 30-19 with 3:41 remaining in the third.

“We had a little bit of a slow start but we got it done,” Mahoney said. “It took a little bit but we were able to find a rhythm. We are looking to pick up the pace against all these teams going into playoffs. Brooke and I have been playing together for a really long time. Over the years, we have built a lot of chemistry together so we read each other on the court really well.”

Merrimack showed a great deal of fight and stayed within striking distance early in the fourth with two made foul shots by Desfosses, cutting Pinkerton’s advantage down to 35-27 with 7:47 left.

A top-of-the-key 3 by Astros sophomore forward Allison Ingalls put the Astros in front, 39-27, with 6:30 left, and then Kane utilized her deadly second leap and sealed the deal with an old-fashioned three-point play, sending the lead up to 44-27 with 5:01 on the scoreboard.

“We are focusing a lot on improving our press-break heading toward playoffs,” Mahoney said. “We are also focusing on coming out quick with strong starts and playing the full four quarters.”