LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield girls basketball team went on a third-quarter rally and made a game of it Tuesday evening, but the Pioneers simply couldn’t sustain the run for long enough in a 52-40 loss to Cape Ann League foe Amesbury at Lynnfield High School.
“The girls fought hard and really made a great run there in the second half, but it’s tough to sustain runs against a team that’s so much bigger than you,” said Lynnfield coach Susan Breen. “The girls are getting better and I think our defense was really good for the most part, but we just need to be more consistent on the offensive end.”
Abby Adamo led the way for the Pioneers with 11 points and eight rebounds in the loss, while Isabella George was close behind with nine points and two rebounds. Maggie Ozanian added six points and six rebounds, while Taylor Valiton had six points and three rebounds. Lucy Cleary notched five points and five rebounds, Jaelynn Moon finished with three points and two rebounds and Ava Gamache notched five rebounds.
The Pioneers didn’t get off to a great start, falling behind 8-0 in the opening minutes and not scoring its first basket until there were four minutes left in the quarter. After Lynnfield battled back to within four, Amesbury went on a run to close the quarter and take a 16-8 lead.
Things didn’t go much better in the second, as the Pioneers continued to struggle making shots against the taller Amesbury defenders. When halftime rolled around, Lynnfield trailed the Indians by a score of 27-14.
But things flipped in the third quarter, mainly behind a number of great defensive sequences from the Pioneers. Lynnfield was able to creep right back into the game, and after Adamo knocked down a critical 3-pointer with two minutes to go in the quarter, the Pioneers were only down 34-29.
Amesbury took that five-point lead into the final quarter and never let Lynnfield get close again. The Pioneers also chose the worst time to go ice-cold from the field, not making their first basket until there was 2:10 on the clock. Amesbury, on the other hand, got red-hot and never looked back, coasting to a 12-point victory.
“It’s tough to sustain those runs against a team that good,” said Breen. “We just didn’t make enough shots out there. If some of those shots go in, maybe it turns out differently.”
Lynnfield (1-5) is right back in action Wednesday afternoon (4) with a road game against Minuteman.
“We’re playing really well right now despite our record, and I think we’re really building up to something great,” said Breen. “We’re going to come right back out (Wednesday) and try to put together another good effort.”