Newton North Vs Malden Catholic Garden City Classic Final

After Newton North defeated Newton South, and Malden Catholic defeated Millbury, the winners faced off in the tournament finals of the Garden City Holiday Classic tournament. While in the first round Malden Catholic won a close game, with a final score of 46-44, and Newton North beat Newton South with a decisive win 58-26. Middlebury won a close game in the consolation against Newton South.   Newton North Started the game with a starting lineup of Junior [player_tooltip player_id='392753' first='Devon' last='Burke'], Senior Nadia Briggs, Senior Maggi Scanlon, Senior Eva Mescher and Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='326842' first='Allie' last='Danis'].   Malden Catholic had a starting lineup of Senior [player_tooltip player_id='393484' first='Marcella' last='Bonfardeci'], Senior Luna Murray, sophomore Chloe O'Brien, senior Mary Turco, and sophomore Liliana Martinez.   Lillian Martinez got off to a hot start hit two quick three pointers, and adding an assist to her team get off to an early 10-2 lead. The game began as a defensive battle with bot teams in a zone defense, and capitalizing off turnovers. After Newton North's top scorer [player_tooltip player_id='392753' first='Devon' last='Burke'] left the game with an injury, Newton North's [player_tooltip player_id='326842' first='Allie' last='Danis'] took matters into her own hands. Allie scored the next 7 out of 8 points for the Tigers, Tying the game early. Lillian Martinez continued to shine, scoring 11 points in the first quarter. Martinez's fourth shot from deep extended Malden Catholic's lead to 23-14. Nikki Roa joined the scoring spree, hitting two quick three-pointers of her own, and then added a layup for eight quick points in the quarter. [player_tooltip player_id='326842' first='Allie' last='Danis'] banked in an off-balance floater right before the buzzer for Newton North, and the game headed into halftime with Malden Catholic holding onto a 32-26 lead   The second half continued to be dominated by Malden Catholic, and by the end of the third quarter, they had extended their lead to 10. Newton North started to score at a more rapid rate and it looked like they had their chance, but Malden Catholic kept responding with points of their own. MC was able to get many easy layups to maintain their firm lead. Down 47-37, North had to elevate their play for the next 8 minutes if they were going to have a chance at victory. The quarter began as a back and forth, with both teams exchanging three pointers. Down 52-43, North called timeout, which paid off as they secured back-to-back steals for fastbreak layups. Maggie Scanlon hit a crucial three-pointer for Newton North, and a few possessions later followed it up with a mid-range shot. Trailing 57-56, Malden Catholic was forced to foul as soon the ball was inbounded. North's [player_tooltip player_id='326842' first='Allie' last='Danis'] went 1/2 from the line, and after a missed half-court shot at the buzzer from Malden Catholic, Newton North was crowned champions of the 2023 girls Holiday Classic Tournament. Final score: Newton North- 58, Malden Catholic- 56.   Notable players:   Malden Catholic: Liliana Martinez, Forward, Class of 2026 After sinking three-pointers on both of her first 2 catches of the game, it became clear Liliana was the best player on the court. Her performance in this game more than justified her being awarded a tournament all star. Liliana dominated the first half, scoring 17 of her 19 points and was a significant reason why Malden Catholic held a 32-26 lead heading into halftime. Scoring extremely efficiently, Liliana made four out of her six attempted three-point shots,   Mary Turco, F/C, Class of 2024, HT 6-0 Mary's size throughout the game allowed her to get easy baskets from close range. Using a variety of post up moves, Mary was able to score shots that defenders had no chance of defending. A senior in her final season with the team, she provided leadership for her team that includes underclassman teammates.   Newton North:   [player_tooltip player_id='326842' first='Allie' last='Danis'], PG, Class of 2026, Without productive scorer [player_tooltip player_id='392753' first='Devon' last='Burke'] in this game, Newton North knew someone would have to step up their scoring in order for them to win this game. Allie definitely did that, finishing the game with a team high 18 points. She got off to a hot start in the first quarter, scoring 10 of her team's first 14 points. Throughout the game she was showing her versatile scoring ability, scoring from all 3 levels. Her defense was also much needed for North's team, as many of her steals on the defensive end resulted in easy baskets for herself and for her teammates.   Maggie Scanlon, G/F, Class of 2024, HT 5-10 Maggie stepped up her scoring this game as well, finishing with 16 points. Maggie has incredible confidence on the court, willing to take any shot as soon as even a slight opportunity presents itself. At times in the game Maggie missed shots, but it didn't affect her confidence, and as she kept shooting shots fell for her. Maggie was awarded a tournament all star award following her team's victory   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img alt="" /></figure>

After Newton North defeated Newton South, and Malden Catholic defeated Millbury, the winners faced off in the tournament finals of the Garden City Holiday Classic tournament. While in the first round Malden Catholic won a close game, with a final score of 46-44, and Newton North beat Newton South with a decisive win 58-26. Middlebury won a close game in the consolation against Newton South.