BOSTON – Brookline is peaking at the right time.
In front of a raucous Boston Latin home crowd, Brookline produced a one-sided 54-27 girls basketball road victory. The Warriors led from start to finish, delivering a balanced scoring attack that included nine different players.
“Going into this season, we knew we had offense – but our coaches really emphasized defense,” said Brookline senior Nefeli Aga-Kitch (16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals), whose grit and tenacity was a trademark of Brookline’s success. “We’ve really worked on the little things in practice. Producing that on the court has been special.”
After a tentative opening quarter where both teams struggled, Brookline ended the first frame ahead, 9-5. The game then swung in the second. A 10-0 run gave Brookline full control, and that was followed by a furious finish that saw the visitors take a commanding 30-12 lead at the half.
A combination of defensive rebounds and transition points afforded Brookline a constant advantage, and turnovers effectively kept Latin out of the game. Brookline forced 14 turnovers in the first half, which served as the fuel for its unrelenting fast break.
Senior guard Jada Kimbro was a key element in Brookline’s defensive commitment. She was active in the passing lanes, then pushed the tempo on offense.
“We went into the game wanting to make a statement,” said Kimbro (8 points, 5 steals). “It was an important game, and we played together. We’re all pretty close as a team, and we have each other’s back. We’re constantly there for each other, and that helps keep us motivated on the court.”
The outcome was never in question throughout the second half. Brookline found openings in the Latin zone, as well as capitalized off long rebounds from missed threes. The Warriors extended the lead to 27 after three, finishing the third ahead 46-19.
Boston Latin (6-11) is effectively eliminated from postseason contention. The Wolfpack will not be able to hit the .500 mark, and their current power ranking is 15 spots behind the final No. 32 spot necessary to crack the tourney.
Senior Mia Saravelas led the Wolfpack with eight points, and Latin coach Keri Orellana praised her contributions to the program.
“We counted on Mia for outside shooting, and that’s one of the reasons she made it to varsity four years ago,” said Orellana. “She also worked beyond her jump shot. Mia was determined to improve defensively, and she did – and that set the tone for the whole team.”
The win officially qualifies Brookline (10-7) for the Div. 1 tournament. Assistant coach Jacob Page, who is temporarily filling in for head coach Kendell Jones, was proud of the team’s defensive intensity.
“We didn’t start off the way we wanted, but the girls continued to fight and scrap,” Page. “They kept doing the little things on the defensive end, and that allowed us to take over the game.”
For Brookline, scorers also included Isabel Wood, Allison Levy, Hannah Levine, Skylar Makalusky, Emerson Chan, Ivy Wheeler, and Shiri Artzi. Yet it was the defensive prowess that made all the difference.
With the memory of falling in the first round of last year’s tourney still fresh, Brookline possesses grander aspirations for this season. Currently No. 19 in the MIAA D1 power rankings, Brookline will look to make noise in the postseason.
“We’re more than our offense,” said Aga-Kitch. “We take a lot of pride in our defense. That’s been the difference for us this year.”
