The Medfield girls’ basketball team withstood a cold early start, using defense to rally and nab a pivotal Tri-Valley League win, 39-35, on the road against Westwood on Friday night.
The second-ranked Warriors (15-0) trailed Westwood, 15-12, after one quarter and 25-24 at halftime as they battled to figure out the Wolverines (12-3) and their athletic defense.
Medfield coach Mark Nickerson was proud of how his team responded with a stingy defensive effort of its own. “I thought the girls did an excellent job just turning up the defense [and] making it real difficult for them to score,” he said.
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Kate Olenik led the Warriors with 14 points, and freshmen Tess Baacke (10 points, 5 rebounds) and Izzy Kittredge (9 points, 12 rebounds) stepped up with key contributions.
Nickerson applauded the two newcomers for rising to the occasion in a tough road environment.
“They came up big for us in a really high-pressure situation,” he said. “The gym was pretty packed and it was a big matchup; everybody knew what was at stake. We haven’t wrapped up the league [title] yet, but it put us in a good position to win the league.”