Unlikely heroes sparked Westport girls basketball win in the MIAA tourney; on to Elite 8

WESTPORT — It was crunch time for the Westport High girls basketball team in the fourth quarter of a close playoff game with Ayer Shirley.

Someone needed to step up against the swarming defense of the Panthers, who were smothering Wildcats star players Leah Sylvain and Korynne Holden over the ball.

Those unlikely heroes were sophomores Jenna Egbe and Julia George.

“I was really angry with myself because I played horribly in the first half,” said Egbe, who finished with seven points, seven rebounds, and a steal. “I wanted to change the tone and keep pushing myself to get another point or a shot up.”

Sixth seed Westport advances to the Elite 8 for the first time since the 2019 season after beating 11th seed Ayer Shirley, 62-47, in the Division V Round of 16 contest before a large gathering at Westport High School.

The Wildcats (18-4) will face No. 3 seed Sutton in the Round of 8 on Friday, beginning at 5 p.m. at Sutton High School.

“We had to get it done tonight, and I’m glad we did,” said George, who added four of her seven points late. “I think we all ramped it up at the end.”

Another big-time player who came through late for Westport was senior captain Sarah Perry. The Wildcat forward poured in eight of her team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter. She finished with 12 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block.

“We came into this game all prepared, and we knew what we had to do,” Perry said. “We knew every single player inside and out. It was awesome when I get the ball. Everyone here equally puts in the same contributions in different ways.”

The undersized Panthers (17-5) did everything they could to stay with the Wildcats. Ayer Shirley managed to erase a 16-point deficit to retake the lead late in the third quarter. But Westport's strength and size wore down the Panthers.

“The girls played very hard tonight,” Ayer Shirley head coach Corey Phillips said. “Every game this year we had to battle with that size difference. Westport deserves the credit. We came back and had the lead 36-35. But that was it. They went on that run to end the game.

“Looking at the game now with six minutes left, we did not have anything left. [Sarah] Perry was a tough matchup for us with her size and very smart. [Sylvain] is a great player."

Despite scoring just 13 points, Sylvain wasn’t afraid to trust her teammate in big moments. Her passes down low enabled Egbe and Perry to get easy buckets. She iced the game with under a minute to go with a three-point play on a driving layup.

“When you reach the Round of 16, everyone is good,” Westport head coach Jen Gargiulo said. “We watched them on film and we knew they were short in stature but quick. I knew they have good athletes. I will give [Ayer Shirley] credit, they never gave up. Leah [Sylvain] always keeps us going in the right direction."

Senior captain Madison Davis had a great final game for the Panthers, scoring a team-high 16 points. Ava Murphy chipped in with eight points while Emily Churchill and Maleah Figueroa finished with seven points each.

Holden had a solid game with 13 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Meg Molloy had six points, six rebounds, and an assist.

How it happened

Both teams were shaky to start the contest before Westport went on a 9-2 run to take a 9-4 lead. Holden ignited the run with five points. Ayer Shirley managed to take an 11-10 lead on a three-point bucket by Figueroa. But Molley hit one of two from the free-throw line to tie the game after one quarter.

In the second quarter, the Wildcats turned up the heat on the defensive end. Westport outscored the visitors, 18-2, to take a 29-13 lead. However, the Panthers clawed their way back in the game with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 10 at 29-19 at halftime. Sylvain and Perry combined for 16 points in the quarter.

Ayer Shirley chipped away at the lead in the third quarter and had its first lead (36-35) since scoring the first bucket of the game. But the Wildcats ended the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 42-36 lead heading into the final stanza.

Westport's lead ballooned to 12 at 50-37 before the Panther made one last run. The lead was down to nine (54-45) before Sylvain drive-in layup kissed off the glass and she later converted the free throw from the foul.

"We knew we had to close out because we knew all of them could shoot," Sylvain said. "We used our bigs to our advantage. They were consistent tonight, they had a lot more looks and kept finishing like they're supposed to do. I think that was the main difference. We knew at the end we were the better team."

Gargiulo talks about her unsung heroes

"Both Jenna and Julia did phenomenal. Jenna is tough and she has worked hard all season. You can definitely see her inside game improve. She is a dynamite rebounder and her game continues to improve as well. Julia was phenomenal tonight too. She was a JV player last year and started all 20 games for us this year. She has been great."

Phillips speaks of his team

"We lose just one senior. In the beginning of the year, the girls' goal was light. I think a lot of these girls don't know about a state tournament is coming out of COVID. Last year, we got in but I don't think they grasp this concept. But in the last week, I thought they believe they could win it. They expected to win, which is a good sign. Next year when they come back, they will have those goals now. As a coach, you don't have to implant that in their heads. They are going to say it"

Notes

The Wildcats advanced to the Division IV quarterfinal round when they were last called the South sectionals in 2019. Westport lost to Carver, 57-35 ... Panther junior forward Tess Arakelian left the game in the fourth quarter with a sprain ankle ... the win was Gargiulo's third playoff victory in four games ... Ayer Shirley had seven three-pointers in the game compared the Wildcats' two ... Friday's contest will be a one-and-half ride (58 miles one way) to Sutton for Westport.

Box score

Westport 62, Ayer Shirley 47

Ayer Shirley

Lauren Reardon 2-0-6, Madison Davis 5-5-16, Ava Murphy 1-6-8, Emily Churchill 2-2-7, Tess Arakelian 1-0-3, Maleah Figueroa 2-1-7. Totals: 13-14-47

Westport

Julia George 2-3-7, Jenna Egbe 3-1-7, Korynne Holden 6-1-13, Sarah Perry 7-2-16, Leah Sylvain 4-3-13, Molly Molley 2-2-6, Tess Silva 0-0-0. Totals: 24-12-62

Ayer Shirley 11 8 17 11 — 47

Westport 11 18 13 20 — 62

Three-pointers: Ayer Shirley — Reardon (2), Figueroa (2), Davis, Churchill, Arakelian ; Westport — Sylvain (2).

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Westport wins over Ayer Shirley in MIAA girls basketball tournament