MONMOUTH – Sophomore forward Cortney Barrett’s inside game has been the key to the Monmouth offense all season long. But Monday night she quickly picked up a pair of fouls and never became a scoring factor, finishing with one point.
Needing a boost, the Mustangs turned to their other young players on the wings. Into the breach stepped freshmen Jill Armstrong and Jen Lola along with sophomore Brittany Scirica. The trio combined to score 37 points as Monmouth earned a 54-44 triumph over Livermore Falls in a Mountain Valley Conference girls’ basketball game.
Not only were the Mustangs (9-8) successful without Barrett’s offense, they played without the senior leadership of starting guard Bianca Cloutier, who may be lost for the season with a knee injury. Settling the offense Monday was Armstrong, the Mustangs’ young point guard. She finished with 13 points while coolly directing the offense. She was also calm at the foul line, connecting on seven of eight attempts.
“Jill’s developing as a point guard,” said Monmouth coach Rick Amero. “She’s gaining confidence and we’re wanting her to take more control and to recognize defenses. Tonight she did that well.”
With the score tied at 20-20 to begin the second half, Monmouth came out of the break and immediately took control. Lola (15 points) went coast-to-coast after she ripped down a defensive rebound. She followed that up by draining a 3-pointer from the wing, one of her three treys on the night, to give the Mustangs a 25-20 advantage.
Monmouth stretched its lead to 37-29 after three quarters, only to see Livermore Falls (4-14) chip away at the start of the fourth.
A Krista Allen 3-pointer and an offensive put-back by center Lacey Hazelton closed the gap to 37-34.
With the Andies threatening, the youngsters came through again for the Mustangs. A pair of 3-pointers and a long deuce from the wing by Scirica, along with a foul line jumper and a pair of free throws by Armstrong increased the lead to 49-40 late in the game.
“We looked on the wings quite a bit, and we got some good outside shots,” said Armstrong.
The Andies had the early edge down low with both Hamilton and Kayla Keene controlling the offensive boards, but they had difficulty in converting the rebounds into points.
“We told (our team) at halftime our two post players were five of 19 on put-backs,” said Livermore Falls coach Frank Donald. “They were working hard to get shots. We’re young and that’s just a part of the growth process.”
One player that showed growth during the season for the Andies was Marjorie DeBrosky. The sophomore began the season on the junior varsity. Monday night she slashed her way to the hoop for a game-high 19 points.
“I told them at the beginning if you want to play more you have to play better,” said Donald. “She really took that to heart. She’s really coming along.”
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