Girls’ basketball fell short on Friday, February 12, their senior night against the undefeated Wachusett Mountaineers, losing 59-41 after giving Wachusett a competitive game until the end. 

The Mountaineers were led by a huge performance from freshman Mary Gibbons, who finished with 24 points. Senior Avery Bierfeldt, junior Charlotte Head and junior Jill Peto each contributed eight points.

Algonquin seniors Bella Hewardt and Jenny Lambert had strong senior night showings, as Hewardt finished with six points and Lambert sunk an impressive three point shot. 

“I was very pleased with how the seniors performed in the game,” head coach Melissa Fustino said. “I’m proud of how hard they’ve worked and the leadership they’ve displayed all year.  I think they’ve set a great example for the rest of the team to carry into next season.”

It was juniors Anna Grace Hjerpe (14 points), Danielle Adams (nine points) and Jada Carter-Frem (nine points) that were responsible for the bulk of the team’s scoring. 

Adams and Coach Fustino both agree that the future is bright for this team with Hjerpe, Adams and Carter-Frem as seniors next year.  

“We’re losing four seniors, but next year we’ll have most of the team back and I think we just need to keep building on the foundations that we already have, and we can have a pretty successful season,” Adams said.

This game started out as a defensive battle until Wachusett broke out for an 8-0 run, led by Gibbons. The Mountaineers went on another 9-0 run in the second quarter. In the first half, Algonquin struggled to keep up with this tough Mountaineers squad.

“I think we definitely need to take more shots,” Hjerpe said. “Wachusett had eight three-pointers, which put 24 points on the board, so that really hurt us.”

Hjerpe was a bright spot for the T-Hawks in the first half, and Hjerpe and Adams led Algonquin to a 7-0 run coming out of the half. This was only the beginning of a strong third quarter by Algonquin. Carter-Frem added two layups in under three seconds towards the end of the quarter. 

“The third quarter has always been a strong quarter for us,” Carter-Frem said. “We came out of the half with a lot of determination and we all just wanted to play our best and come out with a win for our seniors.”

Algonquin had cut Wachusett’s lead to single digits by the end of the third quarter. However, Wachusett started the fourth quarter with a 12-0 run to get back out to a big lead. They shot multiple threes on this run as Gibbons continued to shine and Peto impressed from long range.

The Tomahawks put in their best effort until the very end, but they ended up falling short. The team was happy with how they played considering the tough matchup. They have come closer to beating Wachusett than any other team this season.

“In the past we struggled a lot against Wachusett,” Adams said. “They’re always a great team, but this year we’re seeing a lot of our hard work pay off.  Although we’re losing, we’re still able to compete and keep it a close game for most of the game.”

Algonquin is currently 0-5, but in this final week of the season they’ll have three more chances at a victory. They play St. Paul of Worcester on Wednesday and play back to backs against Shepherd Hill on Friday and Saturday.