LYNN – Coming off a 23-point loss to Arlington Catholic on Monday, the St. Mary’s girls hoopsters needed to prove to themselves that they were still hungry and had that inner drive.Last night, the Lady Spartans hosted Williams. The previous time the squads had met, the Bishops had deflected St. Mary’s by a point last month. Yet St. Mary’s outplayed and outworked the three-time defending Catholic Central Large champs, 73-55, at the Conigliaro Gym.Click here for a photo gallery.As a result of the win, the Lady Spartans (14-3) move to 8-2 in the league, with a one-game edge over both Arlington Catholic and Williams.The play of St. Mary’s was so solid throughout the evening that the Bishops held the lead just once, and that was at 4-3. The Lady Spartans took advantage of a strong defense, forcing Williams to go one-and-done on offense, with St. Mary’s collecting a defensive board, and beginning on numerous fast breaks. Guard Jennie Mucciarone (the game’s high scorer with 16) put the hosts on top with a pair of free throws, then followed with a three-pointer to extend the lead to 8-4. Forward Ann Marie Idusuyi connected with a short jumper to increase the lead to 10-4.After a Bishops free throw, a pair of baskets by freshman guard Brianna Rudolph sandwiched a three-pointer by Williams’ Michaela Flanagan for a 14-8 St. Mary’s edge. The Lady Spartans would hold an 18-9 lead after the opening stanza.”That loss (on Monday) was embarrassing, and we had looked tired,” said Lady Spartans coach Jeff Newhall about his club. “We practiced hard the last three days, and we needed to control how we played. We were intense, physical, and we played hard both inside and outside.”St. Mary’s opened the second quarter with the first six points on a jumper by Rudolph, a length-of-the-court layup by Mucciarone, and a putback of a miss by forward Cassi Amenta. Later in the period, the team utilized its speed when guard Sharell Sanders stole a pass in the Lady Spartans end, outraced the defenders, and scored on a layup to build a 28-15 edge midway through.Mucciarone added to the team’s theft total, stealing an inbounds pass in the Bishops zone, and going in for the basket. That helped St. Mary’s take a 34-19 lead at the half.St. Mary’s continued to bolster its way inside, beating Williams (10-3, 6-1) to virtually every rebound, and getting the lead to over 20 several times in the third period (it grew to as high as 23, when Sanders hit a short jumper for a 52-29 score midway in).”They shot the lights out tonight, and they put it all together,” said Williams coach Jim Bancroft about St. Mary’s. “Even if we had played our best, I don’t think we could have done anything. St. Mary’s put it all together, and they were strong inside and outside. We tried to muscle Tori (Faieta), but she got around what we gave her.”After a brief 4-0 Williams run, Mucciarone connected on a three-pointer to increase the lead to 55-33, which St. Mary’s widened to 57-38 heading into the final quarter.Down 61-40 early in the final stanza, the Bishops got to within 14 (61-47 with 6:22 remaining) with seven straight points. A short jumper by guard Emma Manning was followed by a three-pointer and a two by teammate Sara Ryan that saw the momentum change quickly. Baskets by Rudolph and Mucciarone extended the lead back to 18 (65-47), but Ryan drilled another three, and teammate Alexandra Dean hit a jumper to bring Williams to within 65-52 with 3:50 to go.However, the Lady Spartans controlled the boards, with Idusuyi taking an inside feed from Faieta, and then Faieta added a layup to push the lead back to 17 (69-52) with less than two minutes left.St. Mary’s had five players in double figures: Mucciarone (16), Faieta (13), Rudolph (12), Amenta (12), and guard Kirsten Ferrari (10).”We rotated eight players (in the game), and the players that came off the bench did a great job,” added Newhall. “And even whe