The Knights punched their ticket to the East district championship round with a double overtime victory over Massasoit community college 85-77 on March 2. Offensive heroics in OT from forward Mirelys Morales of Dracula, MA helped keep The Knights playoff run alive.
Morales, who averaged 17.9 PPG, was clutch scoring a career high 37 points, including 15 in overtime.
“I was confident in my skills and my abilities” said morales.
“(Morales) is our go to, she’s been holding us down the entire season, and we wouldn’t be here without her” said head coach Malaquias Canery.
Carney was impressed with his team’s effort and ability to stay focused while in a tight match.
“We could have easily fallen apart, pointed fingers and kind of given up but we made on the fly adjustments” explained Canery.
The match was a tight affair throughout. NECC jumped out to a 4-0 run over two minutes. Massasoit responded with four unanswered points to tie at four. The Knights closed the first quarter tied with Massasoit at 15 apiece
The Knights dug themselves into a deep hole at the four-minute mark of the second quarter trailing by 9, 28-19. NECC climbed back with an 11-1 run over three minutes to regain the lead 30-29. The Knights committed consecutive turnovers, and Massasoit retook the lead into halftime 33-32.
In the third frame The Knights built a seven digit lead three minutes 41-34. The Knights saw their lead shrink from turnovers and fouls now 41-40. NECC built another comfortable lead 48-41 with two minutes to play only to see their seven-point advantage evaporate into a three-point deficit, 53-48, Massasoit.
NECC started the fourth quarter cold offensively being held scoreless the first four minutes going 0-for-3 in shot attempts. Morales broke the streak with a two- pointer to get The Knights within five, 55-50. A back-and-forth quarter culminated into a two-point edge for Massasoit, 65-63.
With The Knights down two with 52 seconds left in regulation Morales drove to the basket for a layup to deadlock the score at 65 and send the game to overtime.
A foul sent Morales to the line with 7.7 seconds remaining trailing 72-70 in overtime one, needing both to avoid elimination. This was no problem as she sank both free throws to force a second overtime.
“We either lose here or we keep going and we keep fighting” said Morales “I was nervous, but I knew that’s what we needed to make it to the final stretch.”
Emma Ruggiero of Chelmsford, MA who had a quite game, but made her baskets count with two crucial midrange shots to give The Knights the 76-72 lead in overtime two. Ruggiero’s go-ahead baskets proved to be the game winner and sent NECC to the East district finals.
Morales was the Lynch pin of the offense with her 37 points and six assists. Kamaryn Pastorello of Billerica, MA contributed with 13 points.
McKayla Dingle of Haverhill, MA and Mariah LaSalle of Lawerence, MA each reached double figures with 10 and 11 points respectively.
