Attleboro High School came up short in a fourth-quarter comeback Tuesday at home against rival North Attleboro. The loss dropped the Bombardiers' record to 9-6.
North scored first. A basket by Attleboro's Beth Clifton tied the game and a shot from behind the arc by Kim Runey and a put-back by Clifton gave Attleboro a 7-4 lead. North's Ronaghan, strong inside, brought the Rocketeers to within a point, but one of two free throws by Attleboro's Bri LaPlume gave the home team a two-point lead. Baskets by North gave the visitors a one-point lead, but a free throw by freshman Emily Houle tied the score at 10 as the first quarter came to an end.
It was North that opened up the scoring in the second quarter on two quick baskets, but a hoop by Sara Blackwell followed by a Kerri Beland basket knotted the score at 14-14. A shot by LaPlume and back-to-back hoops by Houle gave the Bombardiers a six-point lead.
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North scored the next three points, but a free throw by Blackwell and field goal by Beland kept the Bombardiers in the lead. A three by the girls in red brought them to within one point of the lead, but a free throw by Blackwell put the Bombardiers on top 24-22. A three-pointer at the buzzer gave North a 25-24 lead going into the locker room.
The third quarter proved to be more than Attleboro could handle, being outscored 21-7 in that eight-minute segment.
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North took a 46-31 lead into the final eight minutes and Attleboro fell behind by as many as 21 points. It was here that the Bombardiers began to chip away at the North lead. Baskets by Clifton, Beland, Blackwell and free throws by LaPlume (four-for-four) and tremendous play by Houle (10 points in the final quarter) brought the Bombardiers to within six. Attleboro was forced to put North on the free-throw line and at the buzzer, the Rocketeers were the victors.
Emily Houle led the blue in scoring with 18 points and five rebounds. Beland added nine points and seven rebounds. Blackwell had eight points and six rebounds. LaPlume chipped in with eight points and nine rebounds, and Clifton added to the Bombardier effort with six points and eight rebounds.
The Bombardiers were without point guard Abby Oliver, who was out due to illness.
Attleboro will travel to Sharon Friday for a 6:30 p.m. game.
The Attleboro freshmen team won 38-32, with Amy Cadle leading the scoring with 18 points. The junior varsity team was on the short end of a 40-28 score.
