If there’s one thing everyone should have learned over the past decade when it comes to girls basketball locally, it’s to never count out Cathedral.
The Panthers lost nine key contributors from last year’s squad, but proved that they still belong with the top teams in the Commonwealth on Monday. Senior guard Keyona Raines turned in her latest highlight performance, finishing with a double double of 19 points and 13 rebounds as Cathedral (11-8) captured the Jim Grady championship with a convincing 52-34 victory over previously undefeated Woburn (19-1) at the IAABO Board 27 Comcast Tournament.
“I think our tempo messes up other people’s tempo,” Cathedral coach Clinton Lassiter said. “I think this large court played into our favor to a degree too, because we like to run. So, this court is so big…and we made shots today. Shots didn’t go in for (Woburn) early, so I think that helped. And, I think that them being undefeated puts more pressure on them. …We were playing with house money. We’re a Division 3 team. We’ve lost games; they haven’t lost a game. So for us, it was like let’s show the world what we’re capable of doing.”
The Panthers entered their Presidents’ Day matchup with eight losses on the season and hungry to topple a juggernaut looking to complete a perfect regular season. Raines took the game over early, making plays all over the court. The senior registered 10 points in the first quarter, as Cathedral opened up a 17-9 lead.
“I’m just a quick person,” Raines said. “I like to create for my teammates. I know I can get by (opponents). That’s what I was trying to do.”
The Panthers simply ramped up the tempo, embarking on a 10-2 run to begin the second stanza. In stunning fashion, Cathedral was in command over one of the state’s top-ranked programs with a 27-11 lead. The Panthers took a 29-14 advantage into intermission. By that point, Raines had out-scored Woburn’s entire roster with 17 points alone.
“We just knew that we were tired of the losses,” Raines said. “We had to keep coming in prepared. Lock it in in practices, so that when we warm up and actually focus, try hard it can translate into the games.”
The Tanners attempted to stage a rally in the third quarter, as sophomore guard Haley Adamowich sank two three-pointers to cut it to a 31-20 game.
But that was as close as Woburn got. Cathedral closed the frame with authority, as sophomore Mariela Deya buried a last-second triple to give the Panthers a 44-27 lead.
Deya and sophomore guard Anixia Bizcaino added seven points apiece to help fuel Cathedral’s upset win. Adamowich finished with 11 points to lead Woburn.
During the game’s ceremonies, Raines and Deya were each named to the All-Tournament team for their performances at Emmanuel College. Raines added five steals and four assists in the win.
“Our record might be misleading for some people,” Lassiter said. “But for me, it (means) we’re battle-tested. We’ve been running and learning every single game. For us, it’s good to see things picking up now, when it all matters.”
