Merrimack girls basketball able to hold off Pinkerton for win (video)

MERRIMACK - When it came down to crunch time, the Merrimack High School girls basketball team did the things it needed to do.

It wasn't flashy or fancy, but it got the Tomahawks a win.

Merrimack played solid on defense and made enough free throws at the right time Tuesday night to knock off Pinkerton, 45-40, in Division I action.

Sabrina Johnson led the way with a game-high 11 points, including 7 of 10 from the free throw line, while Jolie Jacoby and Abby Yuan were also in double figures with 10 points each.

Eight different players scored for the Tomahawks (3-1) and they held Pinkerton (2-1) to just 16 points in the second half. All four of Merrimack's games have been decided by 10 points or less.

"I’m happy with the execution in the second half and down the stretch to get free throws and get the ball in the right people’s hands," Merrimack coach Courtney Cheetham said. "A lot of our games have been tight, so it’s important for us to learn how to execute and make smart decisions down the stretch."

Amanda Lemire led the Astros with 10 points, with eight coming in the first half, as Pinkerton struggled on offense at times without starters Brooke Kane (injury) and Cydney Lessard (illness). Madison Mahoney (six points) was in foul trouble for most of the game while Alicia D'Onofrio had eight points.

"My girls showed heart," Pinkerton coach Lani Buskey said. "I thought the girls who stepped in did a good job. Defensively we struggled a bit and boxing out, we weren’t holding Merrimack to being one-and-done. On the offensive end, shots weren’t falling and we panicked. We lost our composure."

Merrimack took the lead early on but Pinkerton answered with a 13-4 run that gave the Astros a 16-11 lead early in the second quarter, and the lead was still five, 18-13, after two free throws from Isabella Brouillet with 5:53 left in the first half.

But every time it looked like the Astros might start to pull away, they'd miss a shot or turn the ball over, and Merrimack was able to take advantage. The Tomahawks were able to go back in front, 25-21, thanks to a 12-3 run of their own.

During the run, Merrimack was 9 of 10 from the free throw line and it carried a 29-24 lead into halftime.

"One of the things is, it’s a long game, and we try to focus on it as two- or four-minute games," Cheetham said. "Just try to win a segment. It’s OK if you down three or four, try to get a stop and get in a rhythm and run a set. I think just focusing on the present and here and now, and not worrying about what already happened, just try to figure out what you’re going to do next."

Pinkerton opened the second half with a 7-1 run to take a 31-30 lead on a layup by Lemire with 3:32 to go in the quarter, but Jacoby answered right away at the other end, putting Merrimack back in front.

The Tomahawks led 35-31 going into the fourth, but two free throws by Jesse Ames and a jumper by D'Onofrio for the Astros tied the game with 7:12 to play. But again, Merrimack regained the lead right away, as Sara Wozniak hit a 3-pointer to put the Tomahawks up 38-35.

Merrimack wasn't able to stretch the lead to more than five points and a 3-pointer by Sofia Riccio with 1:10 to play made it a 42-40 game. With Pinkerton forced to foul, the Tomahawks were able to get the ball to the right players and they made 3 of 6 free throws down the stretch, just enough to put the game away.

"Merrimack is a good team," Buskey said. "I told my girls they’d be a good battle. I’m hopeful that, I just said to the girls, a loss is tough but it’s valuable when you take lessons from it. I hope some people matured and took something from it."