'I need to get one, too': Tantasqua girls' basketball follows boys' lead, captures Clark Large Schools title

WORCESTER — Factoring in the way the game started and that Tantasqua and Northbridge are evenly matched league rivals, there was a general sense that the first team to reach 40 points would win the Clark Tournament girls' Large Schools championship.

When Warriors senior Gabby Scanlon stepped to the free-throw line with less than a minute to play and drained her shot for Tantasqua's 40th and final point of the night, it was clear the Warriors had made history.

By way of a much-closer-than-the-final-score, 40-29 win over the Rams, the top-seeded Warriors won the school's first Clark girls'title and have some great momentum heading into the upcoming Division 3 state tournament.

Live winter high school schedule, results, line scores and recaps

Tantasqua improved to 17-4, while the No. 2 seed Rams, who will take part in the Division 4 tourney, are 16-5. The teams split a pair of regular-season SWCL matchups.

The Warriors had a 20-18 halftime lead and were clinging to a 27-22 advantage after three before Scanlon, a senior captain, had her "Clark moment." Scanlon scored the first two buckets in the final quarter and finished the fourth with six of her team's 13 points.

"I didn't score much (before the fourth quarter), but in the fourth quarter, we needed points, and we needed to get up, and I could see the openings, and I just started taking them," said Scanlon, who finished with 10 points, nine in the second half.

Tantasqua coach Andy Haley had more of a belief than a hunch that one of his leaders would deliver in the biggest moments of the night.

"We kind of go as Gabby goes in a lot of situations on the floor," he said. "She's the kind of player who doesn't care if she has 20 points or 10. She's a very selfless player and a great leader, and she's had a great senior year."

Defense was the story early as both teams created turnovers and held the opponent to contested shots.

Tantasqua took a 6-1 lead on a Maya Gidopolous 3-point play, but Northbridge crept back in by going inside to the tall and athletic Molly Gahan. Gahan had seven points in the first quarter, but the Warriors had a 9-8 lead after one. Gahan had a monster night, finishing with 22 points.

Sophie Webb ignited the Tantasqua offense with two 3-pointers in the first.

Webb had added motivation to leave the Clark campus with a championship medal. On Friday night, she was in the stands nervously watching as her brother Elijah, Tantasqua's starting 6-foot-8 junior, helped the Warriors' boys' team to its first Clark title with a dramatic win over Millbury.

"I had a hard time falling asleep after watching (the boys' game)," Webb said. "I was thinking, 'I need to get one, too.' "

"It was really cool to share a moment together," said Elijah, who joined his sister on the court for congratulatory hugs and photos after the final buzzer. "To have both (championships) be the first ones for our school was awesome."

Tantasqua opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run that included a layup and a four-point play from Gidopolous.

Tantasqua’s lead ballooned to 17-8 early in the serving but more inside scoring from Gahan and a 3-ball from Erika Drespo fueled a 9-0 run that tied the score at 17 late in the first half.

—Contact Tom Flanagan at sports@telegram.com.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Like the boys, Tantasqua girls' basketball captures Clark Large Schools crown