Freshman Ashley Cohen scored 20 points and the entire team put forth a solid defensive effort as the Bedford High School Buccaneers opened their season with a road victory on Friday, 52-36 in Waltham.
The girls blew a close game open in the fourth quarter, outscoring their hosts 19-6. Cohen scored 11 of her points in the third period and Mackenzie Tierney added eight in the fourth to help close it out. The score was deadlocked at 18 at the half.
“We were able to play up-tempo defensively for most of the game,” said Bedford’s new head coach, Jim DeBenedictis. “I am really proud of how hard our players played on the defensive end. We never let down on the intensity, which we will need to do as we are not a tall team.”
Senior starters Cassie Morrisson, Bridget Sheahan, and Mackenzie and Madison Tierney led the defensive effort, the coach said. DeBenedictis emphasized the key role of the bench when some starters had to sit for a stretch of the first half because of foul trouble, led by seven points from freshman Anna Belle Davis and Tova Yerardi with three.
As Waltham switched defense and occasionally pressed, the Bucs “just kept working to adjust, and by the fourth quarter started to make plays,” DeBenedictis said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I am excited that the intensity, effort, and commitment to the team are clearly there.”
The Bucs’ next game is scheduled for Friday evening at Newton South.
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