McNamara reaches milestone for Scituate, but Pembroke girls basketball rallies for win

SCITUATE – Grace McNamara scored 22 points and entered the Scituate High record books Friday night, but she had to share the stage with Pembroke freshman Alissa Marcella, who hit two big free throws with 8 seconds left to lift the Titans to a 45-43 win.

“I always dreamed of being up there on the banner,” said McNamara, who became the 10th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. “The people whose names are up there are such hard workers. It’s a dream come true.”

McNamara’s milestone came on an elbow 3-pointer off a Lindsey Hausmann assist in transition in the second quarter to extend the Sailors' lead to 28-21. The same teammate who has been assisting her as a friend in life did so in a big career moment.

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“Grace Love has been a huge one, as well as Lindsey Hausmann,” McNamara said, listing her biggest supporting teammates. “The two of them have been by my side since day 1. We've been playing with each other since fourth grade.”

In the final moments, after a game-tying basket by Love, Marcella found herself at the free-throw line after a hard foul with 8 seconds left in regulation. She made both free throws. With no timeouts left, Scituate tried to respond but couldn’t execute.

“Those were enormous free throws for anybody, but as a freshman she’s a special player,” Pembroke coach Tim Lopes said. “The play was designed for her because I had total confidence in her.”

After the Titans trailed at halftime, 31-23, they came out on a run that only allowed Scituate to score 2 points in the third quarter. Pembroke went into the last quarter up 36-33.

Sophomore Elli Tam played a huge role in keeping the game within reach for Pembroke early on. She hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, eventually forcing Scituate out of the zone defense it played for majority of the game.

“She’s gotten better and better every game,” Lopes said of Tam. “She’s always been a good shooter; it just took a couple of games to get her legs under her.”

The Titans have more than just a win to take away from this game. With only three seniors on the roster, they showed poise and maturity as the road team.

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“It’s huge for our team because (Scituate is) a great team and we’re still trying to get wins to make the tournament,” said Lopes. “So this gives us nine, so it’s a huge win."

"Congratulations to Grace Mac, she's had an incredible career," Lopes added. "We’re a young team; to have all that pomp and circumstance to happen (when McNamara hit the milestone) and not let it bother them was pretty cool."

As for the Sailors, McNamara has already made school history alongside her friends since their sandbox days. Where she’ll play next year is still up in the air.

“I kind of have an idea," she said, "but I’m still figuring it out."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Grace McNamara nets 1,000th point, but Pembroke girls basketball wins