MIAA State Tournament: Dorr Powers Winthrop Past Bedford in Opener

Special To The Transcript

There have been some truly noteworthy performances by Winthrop High girls basketball players in big games through the years.

Maureen McManus Hill had a 45-point performance during the Lady Vikings’ 23-1 march to the Eastern Mass. title in 1983 and a Hall of Fame career at Lafayette. Point guard Lisa Monteleone Ferrara was an assists machine and had her share of double-doubles on her way to future greatness at Bentley.

Courtney Finn once torched Watertown for 42 points in a State Tournament game in Winthrop before helping Bentley win a national championship and becoming a WBCA All-American herself.

Not to mention other Winthrop all-timers such as Amy Sullivan (Brandeis), Lori Thomas (Maine), and Elizabeth Dohery (Tufts) who flourished under the leadership of Coach Ron Spinney.

There is another Lady Viking – Maura Dorr – emerging as a star and she certainly stepped up in Monday’s State Tournament first round game against Bedford before an enthusiastic home crowd.

Dorr, a 5-foot-9-inch junior, scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to propel Winthrop to a 43-34 victory over Bedford.

Caroline Earl also excelled in the victory with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Head Coach Joe Lowe also received strong contributions from Lily Pulsifer, Maddie Stiglets, and Julie Marcoccio.

For Dorr, Monday’s prime-time effort was a continuation of her stellar season that included a phenomenal stretch of basketball that earned her Globe “Top Performance of the Week” honors. During that week, Door scored 28 points and hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to help Winthrop edge Beverly (42-40) and had a 23-point-11-rebound gem in a win (61-40) over Revere.

Lowe was making his Winthrop debut in the State Tournament and he had his team well-prepared for Bedford’s offense. Winthrop responded with a determined effort on defense that held the Lady Buccaneers well below their season average.

Winthrop (14-7), the No. 6 seed, advances to play No. 3-seed Whittier Tech (16-4) in the quarterfinals tonight (Thursday) in Haverhill.