Girls Still have a Shot at Tourney Spot

By the time this newspaper is printed, the Winthrop High girls basketball team and their fans will know whether they will have qualified for the post season state tournament. The Lady Vikings were taking on Hull last night (Wednesday) in the consolation game of the Winthrop vacation tournament and were in need of a victory to punch their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney.

Winthrop kept its hopes alive for a tourney berth with an exciting 58-56 win at Saugus Friday evening. The Lady Vikings trailed by five with three minutes to go, but the duo of senior Johnna Fisher and sophomore Alyssa Mackey combined for 14 of Winthrop’s 16 points in the final quarter to provide the impetus for the big Winthrop win. Mackey hit the game winner with a nice shot off the glass with 10 seconds to go, and then the Lady Vikings had to endure near heart failure when a potential game winning shot by Saugus from three point land went in and out at the buzzer.

Fisher turned in one of the best performances of her WHS career as she poured in 28 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. Mackey also reached doubles figures with 10 points, all of which came in the second half. The 58 points also marked a season high for Winthrop in that department.

However, the Lady Vikings did not have as much luck Monday in the opening round of their vacation tourney with a 46-40 loss to Ursuline Academy. A win over Ursuline would have clinched a tourney spot (because the Lady Vikings would have had a record above .500 against opponents from its own division), but the defeat means that Winthrop had to win against Hull, which also is in its division, last night.

Fisher popped in 15 points and pulled down 19 boards. Temison Meggison made a valuable contribution with four points and 11 caroms, while Mackey and Liana Ferullo hit for eight points each.