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Poirier, Brought lift Wellsboro past Sayre in NTL Showcase

MANSFIELD — As Emma Poirier dribbled away precious seconds Saturday night she and her teammates could reflect upon what has become quite a remarkable journey.

Wellsboro lost three starters from last year’s 21-win team. Three valuable contributors had not played basketball at all last season. And oh yeah, Wellsboro started the season 0-4.

But as the buzzer went off, “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang started playing and the Green Hornets hoisted a trophy few thought they could win. The trophy signifying Wellsboro becoming the Northern Tier League’s best team is nice, but how it scaled that summit provides the real meaning.

Poirier scored 23 points, Cathryn Brought recorded a double-double and all the Hornets made quality impacts as Wellsboro dominated the second half of the NTL Showcase Tournament and defeated Sayre, 53-40.

“It’s definitely exciting because so many people ruled us out from the beginning,” Brought said after scoring 15 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and making three steals. “It’s really nice to get here and prove them wrong.”

Wellsboro (15-9) has had some terrific teams in the past, but this one carved out its own identity last night, becoming the first to capture the NTL Tournament championship. It is a fitting achievement for a team that has won 15 of its last 20 games and that took six straight must-win games the last two weeks to become the NTL’s best.

“It feels so good,” Poirier said. “Everyone doubted us in the beginning of the season, losing all those seniors and starters and then starting 0-4. Now we just won the Showcase, so it’s unbelievable.”

“Starting the season 0-4, just to keep the girls coming back to every practice working hard was tough,” Wellsboro coach Maureen Poirier said. “We just said, ‘girls you have to keep working hard and improving and it will start to pay off.”

Oh, how it has. All the hard work and progress was evident throughout a super second-half performance in which Wellsboro outscored Sayre, 30-14. The Hornets trailed by as many as eight in the first quarter and were getting owned on the boards, but turned everything around in the second half, executing well offensively, controlling the glass and playing stifling defense.

Poirier put Wellsboro ahead to stay with two free throws early in the third quarter and the Hornets really broke it open with a 16-5 fourth-quarter run in which four players scored and seven players swarmed defensively at different times.

Wellsboro outrebounded Sayre, 23-18, in the second half and surrendered just six field goals, including two in the fourth quarter. Heidi Zuchowski (8 rebounds) made it a double-digit game when she hit two foul shots with 1 minute, 13 seconds remaining and Sayre (18-6) never threatened again.

“We struggled the first half and seeing us come out and execute well in the second half was awesome,” said Brought who hit two key second-half 3-pointers. “We kind of knew then that we did have what it takes to win this.”

“We told them at halftime that we’re in this game and we haven’t crashed the boards offensively or defensively and the difference in this game is going to be you’re going to have to want the ball more than them and we’re going to have to get on the boards and that was the difference in the second half,” Maureen Poirier said. “Every girl stepped up and every girl had a huge part in tonight’s win.”

Emma Poirier scored 15 of Wellsboro’s first 17 points and her buzzer-beating 3-pointer from near halfcourt tied the game 15-15 after a quarter. With Sayre focusing a lot on Poirier, her teammates also excelled throughout the second half. Liza Manning was outstanding in the fourth quarter, scoring six of her nine points and making all three of her shots. Jena Boyce was outstanding defensively and drained two key foul shots, while Zuchowski, Lauren Singer, Bailey Monks and Dani Hunt also provided valuable minutes.

Wellsboro is hoping this championship can be a springboard into districts where it opens the Class AAA quarterfinals at East Juniata. It has grown accustomed to playing in big games and is hoping it can quiet the doubters even more.

“As the season has gone on, everyone has grown more confident,” Emma Poirier said. “Because of how we started and how everyone thought of us, just proving everyone wrong is the best part of it all.”

Wellsboro 53, Sayre 40

WELLSBORO (53)

Emma Poirier 8 5-7 23, Cathryn Brought 4 5-6 15, Liza Manning 4 1-3 9, Jena Boyce 0 2-4 2, Heidi Zuchowski 0 2-2 2, Bailey Monks 1 0-0 2, Dani Hunt 0 0-0 0, Lauren Singer 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 15-20 53.

SAYRE (40)

Camry Lane 9 1-4 20, Steph Klovekorn 3 1-2 7, Emily Sutryk 0 1-2 1, Amber Merrill 1 0-0 3, Gabi Randall 4 1-2 9. Totals 17 4-10 40.

Wellsboro 12 11 14 5–40

Sayre 15 11 9 16–53

3-point goals: Wellsboro 4 (Poirier 2, Brought 2), Sayre 2 (Lane 1, Merrill 1).

Records: Wellsboro (15-9), Sayre (18-6).

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