The Cheverus High girls’ basketball team displayed its offensive talents in Friday night’s 57-35 home win against Bonny Eagle.
The defense was stout, too.
Led by the shot blocking and altering of center Brooke McElman and on-ball defense from the likes of guards Abby Cavallaro, Emme Poulin and Kaylin Malmquist, Cheverus held Bonny Eagle to just seven baskets – only two in the second half.
“It was a good test for us,” Cheverus Coach Steve Huntington said. “Bonny Eagle is always pretty physical. They do a good job in the paint. Our goal is to keep the other teams out of the paint, and today I think we did that.”
Cheverus, which is in Class AA North, is 5-5. The Scots are 4-5 in AA South.
“We had been kind of inconsistent the whole entire season in terms of where our energy was at heading into games,” Malmquist said. “We’re a very skilled team and we know that, but it’s always our desire. You know, the team that comes out on top in the end is always the team that wants it more.”
Malmquist is among the SMAA leaders in assists. She is one of four newcomers to the Cheverus program. Malmquist, a junior, moved with her family to Indonesia when she was in eighth grade and spent two-plus years in school at Jakarta International. Sophomores Cavallaro and Grace Soucy transferred from South Portland. Ally Tillotson, a junior, played two seasons at McAuley.
Huntington said the roster turnover (expected captain Anne Veroneau transferred from Cheverus to Waynflete) meant the team needed more time to determine roles. Malmquist said now it’s time to create a new mind-set.
“We’re too far into the season to let that define us,” Malmquist said.
Cavallaro continued to score effectively with 18 points, including three 3-pointers. Poulin (10 points) showed she’s a top-tier shooting threat, and Deirdre Sanborn (eight points) provided inside scoring off the bench.
Poulin had five quick points as Cheverus took a 7-0 lead. Bonny Eagle never really threatened after that. When the Scots did make small strides – usually at the free-throw line, where they were 21 of 30 – Cheverus answered and the Scots’ own turnovers got in the way.
“Any little progress we made, they answered quickly,” Bonny Eagle Coach Scott Regan said. “They outran our runs.”
Mackenzie Emery, Cassidy Emery and Mia Ferrante each scored eight points for Bonny Eagle.
With 4:16 left in the game and Cheverus leading 48-30, Bonny Eagle’s tenacious freshman point guard, Mackenzie Emery, injured her knee when she fell under the basket.
“It’s a knee and we’ll just have to wait and see what it is,” Regan said. “I know she’s in a lot of pain.”
Emery was injured after the last in a sequence of collisions during one possession, none of which was called a foul.
“There were several hard ones, and again, both ways, us and them,” Regan said. “The girls were playing to what the officials were giving them.”
Correction: This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. Saturday 1/9/16 to correct Bonny Eagle’s record.
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