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Astros eliminate Salem

Tuesday, March, 03 By Jeff Hamrick

DERRY — It would appear the Pinkerton girls have found the optimum point total needed for winning basketball games.

Seeded fifth entering the postseason, the Astros had won six of their final seven, scoring between 57 and 59 points in five of those victories.

And it proved more of the same in the preliminary round of the Division 1 tournament running away from 12th-seeded Salem in a 60-44 victory before a crowd of about 100.

"I know what her (Salem coach Michaela Galvin) game plan is, and it's a smart one," Pinkerton coach Lani Buskey said. "She tried to get us off our composure. We've had some games where we've lost our composure, and it's cost us.

"But we've been practicing, man. We've been practicing for teams that try to get at us mentally and emotionally, and I'm really proud of my girls. They held their own."

The Astros (15-6) rode an erratic first half into a 27-19 lead before erupting early in the third from long range. A trio of threes from Jaime Caron, Melissa Martel and Emilie Laliberte were each set up on assists from Valerie Martin. Three free throws from Martin also were part of a run that opened a 37-23 lead midway through the third quarter.

"In the first half, they were really on me, and I let the pressure get to me," said Martin, who finished with eight points. "In the second half, I just tried to calm down, and make the smart moves. Then get the ball to my teammates, and they definitely stepped up."

The Astros never let the Blue Devils, who finished 6-15 overall, closer than 12 until fewer than 2 minutes remained.

Martel, who finished with a team-high 16 points, and Marissa Stacy, who added 12, combined to score 17 of Pinkerton's 33 second-half points. But almost as important was the inside play of 5-8 Sara McLeman, who grabbed 12 boards and blocked four shots.

"You can't ask any more than that from your (power forward)," Buskey said. "She's pure heart, and she always works on that. She always asks how many rebounds she has. Points are good for her, but you can't help but love a kid who wants to know how many rebounds she has."

Pinkerton hauled in 13 offensive rebounds over the first three quarters.

"That's kind of been something we've struggled with throughout the season," second-year Salem coach Michaela Galvin said. "Sometimes we're so tough and aggressive and box out every time. Other times we just have these mental lapses. You can't do that and win the game."

Lizzy Twomey led the Devils with a game-high 18 points while Allie Sirmaian contributed 13.

Pinkerton travels to fourth-seeded Bishop Guertin (15-4) for a 7 p.m. tip off Friday in the quarterfinals. Last year, Pinkerton down the Crusaders 52-49 in the quarters. BG, however, knocked off the Astros 52-39 only 12 days ago.

"Last year helped, because we learned you can go on the road and win," Buskey said. "We have a chance for a little upset here. We're talented enough."