Sunapee
It wasn’t a work of art, nor did it have to be. The Knights let a six-point lead sip away in a 1-minute, 40-second span in the fourth quarter against Pittsfield but outscored the Panthers by 14 points in the game’s final stretch to earn the 47-33 victory in the program’s first varsity game.
The Knights’ Alexis Matte led the way with a game-high 22 points, solidifying her place as the go-to offensive option while also serving as a force on the boards. Senior Marylin LaRose was a dominant inside presence for Mount Royal and added 11 points.
“I didn’t expect the offensive rebounds (from Matte),” Mount Royal head coach Derek Tremblay said. “I keep telling her that she has to diversify her game. She’s not just going to be able to shoot the ball. She has to grow every game. We all do. That’s the main thing.”
Sophie LaRose added seven points for Mount Royal. Erin Diebold had four points, Amy Alterisio provided a fourth-quarter field goal and Naomi Nelson made a free throw in the victory.
“I’ve been with this group of girls for a long time, and what’s different is they actually took that moment and instead of shriveling up, they decided that they were in a better place to fight back,” Tremblay said. “There was a time where, if that would have happened, we would never come back. That’s all mental.”
It took a while for the Knights to find their offensive groove.
Marylin LaRose, the Knights’ best defensive player, twisted her ankle late in the third quarter and did not play in the fourth, allowing Pittsfield to score three quick baskets and tie the game, 31-31, early in the final stanza. Tremblay called a timeout to stop the bleeding and make defensive adjustments, something of a learning curve for a team new to the quick-strike capability of varsity offenses.
“(Pittsfield’s Katie Nelson) had like two or three baskets in a row,” Tremblay said. “We were switching all different girls. I just put Naomi Nelson on her and seemed to pester her enough to deny her the ball. That was it. We just denied her the ball.”
Mount Royal outscored the Panthers, 16-2, in the final 6:20 of the fourth quarter to pull away. Matte scored 11 of her 22 points in that span.
“It’s nice to come out and basically be down by almost 10 points and fight back,” Tremblay said. “The big change we did was going to (a) man defense. That just allowed us to put our athleticism to work.”
Tremblay saw some nerves early in the first quarter, during which his team managed only four points on two shots and more than a few misses. By halftime, Mount Royal’s inaccurate shooting had cost the Knights the lead.
But the hosts came together in the third, outscoring the Panthers, 14-7, to retake the lead. Tremblay was happy about his team’s defensive adjustments in the second half, despite the missed assignments in the first two quarters that allowed Pittsfield to score easy points.
“We probably missed eight easy shots that any other game we would have made,” Tremblay said. “That’s first-game nerves.”
Rollins led her team with 14 points. Panthers senior Lindsey Massey had 11 points.
For Tremblay, the biggest difference between his team’s first varsity game and the countless jayvee games his team has played in years past was the opposing team’s depth of talent, something that the Knights will have to grow accustomed to. And while Tremblay said getting his team’s first varsity win out of the way was an accomplishment, he didn’t want his team getting ahead of itself.
“I think we’re just trying to keep a level head,” Tremblay said. “I told the girls that it’s got to be just another game. You have to take it one possession, one quarter at a time. I’m not going to get too excited about one varsity win.”
Mount Royal will play Lin-Wood on Friday.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.