Kennedy Pysz of Newport reads the Hopkinton defense on Tuesday. – Tyler Maheu
NEWPORT – The Newport Tigers controlled their contest against the Hopkinton Hawks for three quarters Tuesday night. But a fourth quarter collapse gave the Hawks a big road win, 34 – 25.
From the start, it was clear that defense would dominate the game. Hopkinton played a tough man to man, while the Tigers elected to play in a 2-3 zone. Both defenses rotated to the ball with great quickness, making open shots a priceless commodity. “We had a plan to mix it up,” said Newport Head Coach Ross Dole. “The 2-3 was our second defense, but we stuck with it because it really worked. The girls have been playing hard.”
The first quarter was fast paced, as neither team committed many fouls. The Tigers saw a solid offensive output from Alexis Hurd, who scored seven of her team high nine points in the period. Hopkinton hung around through their offensive rebounding, something that would become huge later in the game. After one, Newport led 11-7.
In the second, the two offenses slowed down even more. While the Hawks just missed shots, the Tigers committed a multitude of turnovers. “Everything we do comes off our defense,” said Hopkinton Head Coach Pat Roye. The defenses continued to hold strong, as the game went into the half 16-15 Newport.
The Tigers got off to a strong start in the third, going on a 5-0 run before a Hopkinton called a timeout to stop the bleeding. Newport went into the final quarter clinging to a 25-21 lead.
Come the fourth however, they could no longer hold on. The Hawks came out firing, led by the three point shooting of Taylor Signor, who had a game high 17 points. Hopkinton’s offense came alive, but Newport’s stayed dormant. “I think it was just a big game, with a big crowd, the nerves got us,” said Dole. The Tigers missed on all their free throw attempts in the quarter, dooming any chances of one last late rally.
“I know it is cliche, but these guys never quit,” said Roye. “I am really proud of their effort.” This lack of quit and great effort was most evident within the last two minutes. With Newport fouling to get the Hawks to the line, Hopkinton went to work on the offensive boards. Multiple times players missed their free throws, but the ball would land right back in a Hawks’ hands, continuing the possession and further demoralizing the Tigers and the once electric crowd. The great fourth quarter would lead Hopkinton to victory, 34-25.
“We have been struggling there all season,” said Dole. “We had bad positioning and kept getting too far down low underneath the basket.”
The loss drops Newport to 10-7 going into their final game of the season Friday night against Stevens.
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