Springfield, Vt.
Hartford scored 19 points in the first quarter, but the offense was inconsistent the rest of the way, causing Hurricane coach Troy Guerin to wonder if maybe Friday’s practice should have been a little easier.
“We had three games this week and had went hard (Friday),” Guerin said. “Maybe it was a bit too much. There were times when we had people open, but we couldn’t get them the ball.”
While the offense may have been a little off, the defense, led by sparkplug guard Kaylee Williams, limited Springfield to 24 points over the final three periods. Williams, who expended a lot of energy chasing down the Cosmos, twice hit the deck and needed repairs before returning to the game.
The Hurricanes also had a decided height advantage, with Corey Lieberman and Kyra Wood, both in the 5-foot-10 range, controlling the game underneath.
Both teams struggled offensively at times and while it may have been a case of fatigue for Hartford, Springfield coach Joe Costello thought his team “should have had a better shot selection,” he said.
What bothered Costello the most was Springfield’s defense, which allowed 19 points in the first quarter.
“That just can’t happen,” he said.
And it had a long-term affect when Springfield, which had to play catch-up all afternoon, had a solid shot at overtaking the Hurricanes as the Cosmos closed to within 36-31 with more than five minutes to play.
At that point, Hartford went into a delay for a while, then Isabella Leister broke free underneath and Megan Bushway stuck the dagger into the hearts of the Cosmos with a 3-pointer.
The 19-point first quarter had to be a relief for the Hurricanes (7-7), who had totaled just 35 points in the last two games.
Springfield (3-12) has lost four straight. The Cosmos played without senior Cassidy Otis, who is sidelined with an ankle injury.
Bushway had 12 points for Hartford, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Springfield has struggled this season, but Costello remains optimistic that flaws such as blocking out and taking shots are correctable.
“We’re making progress,” he said.
Costello got a nice game from freshman guard Halley Perham, who had a 14-point day to lead all scorers. Teammate Hannah Crosby, added 10 points.
Hartford team will host Windsor, top team in Division III, on Monday, then go to Windsor on Thursday.