Lee holds on to beat Lenox in Gene Wein tourney

LENOX – Girls’ basketball has come a long way in the last 20 years at the Gene Wein Tournament. Yet one constant is Lee’s ability to come away as champions year after year.

In 2012, thanks to a Stephanie Young three-pointer at the buzzer to beat Drury in the first round, the Wildcats claimed the title the next night by holding off a late Lenox flurry to beat the Millionaires, 43-37.

“After getting in late on Thursday night, our legs were a little tired tonight,” said Lee Head Coach Gary Wellington.

Both teams were off their game after playing back-to-back nights last Thursday and Friday, with Lenox hobbled by nine first-half turnovers against Lee after easily beating Mt. Greylock on Thursday night, 58-40.

“We weren’t strong with the ball,” said Lenox Head Coach Nicole Patella afterwards. “[The ball] was going off their fingers and into [Lee’s] hands, and that was frustrating for them.”

Despite both teams looking sluggish in the first half, the Wildcats relied on the inside-outside game of Young, who finished with 18 points and helped give her team a 24-14 lead at halftime.

“Another complete game for [Young],” Wellington said. “She sees the whole floor and she sees everything going on – her biggest thing is trying to do too much.”

Young did get some help in the second half from fellow Wildcat point guard Eileen Dooley (13 points). The 5’2” all-star hit two big three-pointers from the top of the key to help the Wildcats build a 37-19 lead after three quarters.

“[Dooley] is just getting warmed up – she is a true player,” Wellington said. “She’d be my first pick to play on any team – she doesn’t stop and she doesn’t quit.”

Unfortunately for Lee, the Millionaires didn’t quit in the fourth quarter, as Lenox was able to get some key baskets from Hayden Zinchuk (17 points, nine rebounds).

With some baskets falling, Lenox was able to press in Lee’s backcourt, forcing turnovers and outscoring the Wildcats 18-6 in the final frame before the buzzer finally sounded.

“We came back because we were able to press – we didn’t press in the first half, which hurt us, but we got tired playing man-to-man, which I never thought I would see,” Patella said.

Another factor for Lenox in the loss was the absence of Jen Delasco as a ball-handler. Against Lee’s aggressive full-court press and packed zone, the Lenox frontcourt of Kathy Prescott, Kate Mitts and Zinchuk was forced to bring the ball up the floor, disrupting their offensive flow.

“It’s huge [not having Delasco], and when you have to have your bigs bring up the ball – it’s tough,” Patella said.

“Taking away their give-and-go offense and packing it in with some help – taking away Mitts’ easy lay-ups was key,” Wellington said.

Other than Zinchuk’s points, Mitts and Prescott combined for only seven points in the loss against a shorter Wildcat team.

“They sent all four to the glass, and we didn’t box out,” Patella added.

The win moved Lee to 3-0 overall, while the Millionaires moved to 2-1.

Zinchuk was selected to the all-tournament team, as was Dooley, while Young was selected as tournament MVP.

Posted by Tim Davis on December 20, 2012. Filed under High School Sports,Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry