Mackenzie McDonald secured the rebound and quickly passed the basketball to Alyssa Woodman, who stood on the block.
Six seconds.
Woodman took one dribble down the baseline before she sent a bounce pass to Macy Gordon in the corner of the floor.
Four seconds.
Gordon took the ball up the court and into Merrimack Valley’s offensive end with four dribbles, where she sent a pass to Hadleigh Sargent.
Two seconds.
Sargent stood just outside of the wing, ball in her hands and made a quick fake to pass the time.
Zero.
All four of those players and more were instrumental in MV’s come-from-behind 50-47 girls’ basketball win over visiting Pembroke on Friday.
The Pride entered the fourth quarter down by nine points and were in need of some quick scores in order to make a serious comeback attempt. It started with McDonald when she hit a smooth jump shot just inside the three-point line to cut the deficit to seven.
After two missed free throws from the Spartans and a defensive rebound by the Pride, the ball was McDonald’s hands again. This time, she stood and shot from behind the arc with a 3-pointer so crisp, the net snapped.
Feeling the pressure of the surging MV team, Pembroke’s main offensive weapons, Ashley Stephens (13 points) and Annelise Dexter (25 points), made back-to-back trips to the free-throw line and extended its lead back to seven.
With the crowd on their side, highlighted by a rowdy student section all dressed in white to match the team, the Pride rattled off a 9-0 run where Gordon (12 points) and Rylee Boucher (13) successfully completed three and-one opportunities, Gordon’s second to take the lead.
Once in the lead, MV never gave it back. And despite the Spartans delivering a last-minute scare, the home team sealed it with a pair of free throws from McDonald.
“We got down, and I wasn’t sure we were going to battle back,” MV coach Bob McNutt said through a swarm of supporters. “To come out and beat Pembroke, who I think is a top-three team, is huge for us.”
The Pride (12-2) were always in it, but they took it on the chin in the first half. Dexter came out for the Spartans with a solo 7-0 run, and their well-known press defense was textbook. MV’s response featured a couple of three-pointers, but too many missed shots held back the blue and white in the first half. Through three quarters it appeared as if then-one-loss Pembroke could do enough to keep its hosts at bay.
“I thought the first three quarters we played awesome,” Pembroke coach Steve Langevin said. “I thought we were the better team for a majority of the game, but they made the plays, and they deserve the win.”
Both coaches expressed how Friday’s game felt like a playoff contest. Two of the better teams in Division II, cross-town rivals, talented rosters up and down the sheet, and each with something to prove to themselves.
Each coach used the atmosphere and the outcome as a focal point in their postgame comments in the locker room, though the message differed. In McNutt’s case, the word was simple: Keep playing like this and see what happens. For Langevin and the Spartans (12-2), while no one likes losing, good teams appreciate being tested, and a loss like this will only make them better.
With only a few weeks left until the playoffs begin, both the Pride and the Spartans have four final tuneups before the second season begins. MV takes the court next on Monday, when it makes the short trip to Bow for a 6:30 tip-off. Pembroke will host reigning champions Bishop Brady on Monday, with tip-off at 7 p.m.