Determined and relentless, no denying Walpole girls' lacrosse the Division 2 championship
For a perennial contender appearing in its fifth state title game in the last 10 years, including last spring, Friday's Division 2 girls' lacrosse championship game served as an opportunity to finish what they started.
Walpole didn't squander it, earning a hard-fought, 16-11, victory at Babson College.
UMass-bound senior standout Caitlyn Naughton, senior Jenna Wong, and junior Ava MacLean fueled the No. 2 Timberwolves (25-1) with four goals apiece. Junior twins Emily and Grace Hagan were groundball machines and the glue all night.
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Sophomore Lily Rodgers and senior Molly Trahan led the No. 4 Rockets (21-4) with three goals each, and senior Megan Shanahan scored two. Junior goalie Addy Mathews made 10 saves to keep Reading afloat, but Walpole simply had too much firepower and depth.
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The Timberwolves felt all along like it was finally their moment, and now they have the hardware to prove it.
'We've been knocking at the door many times,' Tosone said. 'It's nice to get in. It really is.'
When it was over, Naughton immediately emerged from the pack and bearhugged Tosone. Tosone, who has coached the program since 2012, grinned from ear to ear and the pacing suddenly disappeared.
'There's no one that deserves it more than that man,' Naughton said. 'He's so hardworking. He's there for us every day. He takes out so much time to be there for us. Honestly, we were doing it for ourselves, and doing it for the seniors, but we were most importantly doing it for him.'
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The Timberwolves bolted to a commanding 6-1 lead early in the second, then the Rockets stormed back to cut it to 6-4 at halftime and tie it at 7 early in the third.
Walpole didn't panic, answering with conviction to snatch momentum for good.
'When it was on the ground, they were beating us to the footrace every time,' said Reading coach Rachel Monroe. 'Obviously their speed is a tremendous attribute to their game. They're ridiculously fast and scrappy.'
Reading, which knocked off three-time defending champion and No. 1 seed Notre Dame (Hingham) in the semifinals, fared admirably in its first state title game appearance.
But Walpole has been building something for years and wasn't to be denied. The heartbreak made the ultimate breakthrough even more gratifying.
'It feels so unreal,' Wong said. 'This year, we knew it was going to be different. We're all super close, and we felt like we had it in us.'
At game's end, Walpole wasted no time celebrating the program's first girls' lacrosse title.
Heather Diehl for the Boston Glo
Reading's Abby Shanahan (9) transitions to offense against a Walpole defender in the Division 2 state final at Babson.
Heather Diehl for the Boston Glo
Walpole's Gianna Frederick (22) and Reading's Lily Rodgers (29) vye for possession.
Heather Diehl for the Boston Globe
The culmination of a 25-1 season: a banner for the Division 2 state champion Walpole girls' lacrosse team.
Heather Diehl for the Boston Glo
Trevor Hass can be reached at
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6 hours ago
- Yahoo
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CONCERNS: The 19-year-old could use some bulk on a slender frame to help him hold up against bigger and stronger opponents at both ends. STRENGTHS: The combo guard pressures defenders with his ball-handling and space creation, averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He got to the line 6.3 times per game and ranked tied for 11th among all Division I players by making 183 free throws. Fears also had a knack for clutch plays, including a four-point play to beat a ranked Michigan team along with a tough late scoring drive for the lead in the SEC Tournament loss to Kentucky. CONCERNS: He needs to get stronger (6-3, 180) and improve his outside shot. He made 28.4% of his 3s, including nine games of going 0 for 3 or worse. Reducing turnovers (3.4) would help, too. STRENGTHS: Jakucionis brings size (6-5, 205) and an all-around floor game to the perimeter. 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He's a first-round prospect and gamer who thrived in pressure moments. — DRAKE POWELL: The North Carolina freshman wing has perimeter size (6-6, 195), athleticism, 3-point range and defensive potential to be a possible first-round pick. He has a 7-foot wingspan and had combine-best marks in standing and max vertical leap. — KAM JONES: The Marquette senior and potential first-rounder was a finalist for the Cousy Award presented to the nation's top point guard after averaging 19.2 points and 5.9 assists. He missed two games in his career. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
11 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rutgers' Harper headlines a bevy of 1-and-done guards set to go high in the NBA draft
There's a deep set of high-end guard prospects in the upcoming NBA draft. Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper is positioned to be the first name called after projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, while Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, Texas' Tre Johnson, Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears and Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis are possible top-10 picks as one-and-done prospects. Dylan Harper, Rutgers STRENGTHS: The 6-foot-5, 213-pound son of former NBA guard Ron Harper has size at the point and two-way potential. The lefty thrived as a scorer (19.4 points) with athleticism to finish at the rim, score on stepbacks and hit catch-and-shoot looks. Notably, he went for 36 points in an overtime win against Notre Dame, then 37 more a day later in a loss to then-No. 9 Alabama during the Players Era Festival in November. Harper is a playmaker with good court vision, averaging 4.0 assists. He also averaged 1.4 steals, including six against Southern California and four more against a ranked Illinois team in February. CONCERNS: He shot 33.3% on 3-pointers while launching 5.2 per game, though shot selection against contested looks didn't always help. There's also the optics of being the NBA-bound floor leader on a team that finished with a losing record despite featuring a second one-and-done talent in forward Ace Bailey. VJ Edgecombe, Baylor 'I think for freshmen, the universal (issue) is just being able to sustain the level of intensity required as long as they're on the court,' Baylor coach Scott Drew said recently. 'The size, length, speed is one thing, but just to be able to compete each and every play, it's a different level. And VJ has that.' CONCERNS: Edgecombe shot just 34% on 3s, though Drew said Edgecombe could see gains after refining his shot mechanics. He could also improve in shot creation, such making just 25% (13 of 59) in off-dribble jumpers, according to Synergy's analytics rankings. Tre Johnson, Texas STRENGTHS: The 6-5, 190-pound Johnson averaged 19.9 points to lead all Division I freshmen, as well as being the Southeastern Conference's overall scoring leader. The highlight was Johnson going for 39 points against Arkansas in February to break Kevin Durant's Longhorns freshman single-game record. He thrived off screens (shot 52.1% in those scenarios to rate in the 91st percentile in Synergy) and shot 39.7% from 3-point range, including 12 games with at least four made 3s. He also shot 87.1% at the foul line. CONCERNS: The 19-year-old could use some bulk on a slender frame to help him hold up against bigger and stronger opponents at both ends. Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma STRENGTHS: The combo guard pressures defenders with his ball-handling and space creation, averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He got to the line 6.3 times per game and ranked tied for 11th among all Division I players by making 183 free throws. Fears also had a knack for clutch plays, including a four-point play to beat a ranked Michigan team along with a tough late scoring drive for the lead in the SEC Tournament loss to Kentucky. CONCERNS: He needs to get stronger (6-3, 180) and improve his outside shot. He made 28.4% of his 3s, including nine games of going 0 for 3 or worse. Reducing turnovers (3.4) would help, too. Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois STRENGTHS: Jakucionis brings size (6-5, 205) and an all-around floor game to the perimeter. He averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists with four double-digit rebounding games and eight games with at least seven assists. He was also one of the nation's best freshmen at getting to the foul line (5.1 attempts per game). CONCERNS: Jakucionis shot just 31.8% on 3s, including 5 of 22 (22.7%) in four bright-spotlight games during the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. He averaged 3.7 turnovers — sixth-most in Division I, most among freshmen — and had 13 games with at least five turnovers. Others of note: — EGOR DEMIN: The BYU freshman from Russia is a possible lottery prospect as a playmaker with size (6-8, 199), known for elite passing and vision. He averaged 5.5 assists to rank second among all Division I freshmen. — JASE RICHARDSON: The Michigan State freshman and son of former NBA guard Jason Richardson is small (6-1, 178), though the first-round prospect is a 41.2% 3-point shooter. — NOLAN TRAORE: The 6-5, 175-pounder is a scoring playmaker from France. The first-round prospect had previously drawn interest from programs like Duke, Alabama and Gonzaga. — NIQUE CLIFFORD: The 6-5, 202-pound Clifford spent three years at Colorado then two at Colorado State. The first-round prospect is older (23) but had career-best numbers last year (18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 37.7% on 3s). — BEN SARAF: The 6-6, 201-pound lefty from Israel is a scoring playmaker and first-round prospect. He averaged 12.8 points and 4.6 assists last season with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany. — CEDRIC COWARD: The 6-5, 213-pound senior started at Division III Willamette, spent two years at Eastern Washington, had an injury-shortened season at Washington State and was set to transfer to Duke. Now he's a first-round prospect after testing well at the combine. — WALTER CLAYTON JR.: The 6-2, 199-pound combo guard was a first-team Associated Press All-American and Final Four's most outstanding player in Florida's national title run. He's a first-round prospect and gamer who thrived in pressure moments. — DRAKE POWELL: The North Carolina freshman wing has perimeter size (6-6, 195), athleticism, 3-point range and defensive potential to be a possible first-round pick. He has a 7-foot wingspan and had combine-best marks in standing and max vertical leap. — KAM JONES: The Marquette senior and potential first-rounder was a finalist for the Cousy Award presented to the nation's top point guard after averaging 19.2 points and 5.9 assists. He missed two games in his career. ___
