Luke Whitehouse
@Lwhitehouse12
Entering the second quarter, Springfield College clinged to just a seven-point lead against fellow NEWMAC foe Emerson College.
Although the Pride were ahead after one, the Lions looked as if they were finding their offensive rhythm, setting up the possibility for a competitive game the rest of the way.
But the Springfield offense put that notion to bed. Quickly.
They put up 28 points, outsourcing Emerson by 15, and finishing the quarter on a 9-0 run.
A big part of the scoring barrage came from one person: Kayla Madden.
Madden scored nine points in the final two minutes, and created a momentous turn in the game that carried over to the second half, ultimately leading to a 81-47 win for the Pride.
“Well, I was just playing,” Madden said of her dominance down the stretch of the first half. “I was just reading the defense and whatever was open I took.”
Head coach Naomi Graves was very impressed with her junior forward.
“When you have a player like Kayla come off the bench and hit a couple shots, it helps a lot.”
Although the second quarter belonged to Madden, The offense as a whole clicked on all cylinders as Angie Czeremcha, Sam Hourihan, Madden, Rachel Vinton, and Jaélen Daubon all reached double-digit figures.
“I think it’s huge,” Graves said. “It’s great to have a game like this (after the loss to Smith) where we can get our confidence back offensively.”
Graves also added, “They knew what they were looking for and were more patient with themselves and each other. It was exciting to see.”
The Springfield offense wasn’t the only story, though.
The Pride combined for 20 blocks and steals, while only committing 10 fouls. The physical nature they like to play with was merged with perfect timing – leading to 21 forced turnovers.
“I think it comes down to playing smart and getting the right angles,” Madden said. “And then we communicated, we knew where to be and what to do.”
The Pride didn’t just force turnovers, they capitalized on their opponent’s miscues as well – scoring 28 points off of them.
Even with that, Graves believes her team can be even better on the defensive end.
“We need to play better defense,” Graves said. “We still need to work on help side rotation.”
Springfield improves to 15-8 with two regular season games remaining.
“(This win) was huge,” Graves said. “We are in a good place emotionally, mentally and we’re hungry. I’m excited to finish next week 2-0 and be ready for the NEWMAC Tournament.”
The Pride will play their first game of the week on Wednesday, as they will travel to New London, CT to face off against Coast Guard.
Photo: Springfield College Athletics