WINCHESTER – The streak continues.
Undaunted by playing on the road, Woburn defeated Winchester, 52-39, building upon one of the most impressive winning streaks in the state.
The victory extends the undefeated campaign for Woburn (14-0), which has won its last 70 conference games in the Middlesex League.
“Our girls needed to be tested, and they were here,” Woburn coach Stephen Sullivan said. “We competed defensively, and we had a couple of nice runs on offense. That’s a tough Winchester team, so this was a very good win for us.”
The two stretches of basketball that put this game out of reach both took place in the second half. Clinging to a 25-19 lead at the half, Woburn went on a 9-0 run in the third quarter. But the final salvo was the most impactful, with the Tanners scoring the first 16 points of the fourth quarter, transforming a 36-28 contest into a 52-28 blowout. Winchester did not record a hoop in the fourth until there were only 62 seconds remaining.
Capitalizing off the nonstop work of Molly Doyle (six points, nine rebounds), Winchester (11-5) cut the deficit to three in the third. But in addition to the second-half shooting woes, 11 turnovers over the final 16 minutes further exacerbated their problems.
“We need to play four quarters, and we didn’t,” Winchester coach Sam Mosley said. “But we’re going to learn a lot from our mistakes.”
Winchester kept it close early thanks to spark plug guard Mya Korpal. The freshman added instant offense off the bench, scoring seven points in the first eight minutes to keep the game within reach, 16-10, after one. Woburn held a six-point lead at the half, benefiting from a mixture of tenacity on the offensive glass (10 first-half offensive rebounds) and constant movement on offense.
Powered by twin sisters Ryley and Kayleigh McCarthy, Woburn possessed the poise and grit necessary to elevate their play late in the game. The versatile seniors were dynamic on both sides of the floor, with their unrelenting passing and cutting wreaking havoc against Winchester.
“It’s like we have this twin telepathy,” said Kayleigh McCarthy (five points, five rebounds, six assists). “I don’t even have to look, and I already know where she is.”
The McCarthy sisters will both be attending St. Michael’s in the fall, where they will continue their swimming careers. Before then, they would like nothing more than to bring a Division 1 state title to Woburn, and they are playing a style of basketball that makes them a legitimate contender.
“Move the ball, don’t take the first shot, move it until you get a better one, that’s what our coach preaches,” said Ryley McCarthy (15 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks). “We try to make it as difficult as possible to defend us.”
Jocelyn McDonough (10 points), Camry Williams (five points), and Jordyn Pacheco (five points) all added to the Woburn scoring attack.
“We’re starting to develop and build good habits,” Sullivan said. “When we play together and share the basketball, we’re pretty good.”
