QUINCY, Mass. — The Whitman-Hanson girls basketball team has gained a reputation for clawing itself back into any game. They're so notorious that Boston Globe reporter Trevor Hass, sitting next to me at halftime, said he would be totally unsurprised if the Panthers erased their 13-point deficit at the time against North Quincy.
Whitman-Hanson answered the call again.
The fifth-ranked Panthers, who trailed by as much as 33-14 in the first half of Monday's Patriot League showdown at North Quincy, completely flipped the script and prevailed, 62-55. After struggling early against a zone defense they didn't expect, the Panthers closed the first half with six straight points that gave the team some confidence. They then opened the second half on a 19-8 run, and after some back-and-forth, the Panthers took the lead at 56-55 and didn't look back.
Whitman-Hanson remains undefeated in the state at 8-1 overall, while North Quincy drops its third straight and falls to 4-3.
"I think it's just in our DNA," Whitman-Hanson coach Michael Costa said. "We just always think we're in the game no matter how poorly we play. We know that any time, we can kind of walk in defensively and get stops. It's just a matter of us being able to score."
Here are five standouts from the marquee Monday matchup.
Maliah Pierre, Whitman-Hanson
Class of 2027, 5-9 guard/forward
Pierre put the team on her back, scoring 33 points (including 29 after the first quarter) without attempting a single 3-pointer. She started with relentless drives to the basket, either finishing through contact or drawing fouls (Pierre shot 9-for-11 on free throws). Pierre also dominated on the offensive glass, easily outleaping opponents for putback layups.
Then in the second half, with North Quincy center A'laya Colbert in foul trouble, Whitman-Hanson more determinedly got Pierre the ball in the post, where she was aggressive in her scoring moves. She capped off the Panthers' final run with a bunch of smart dive cuts, and her teammates consistently found her against some late weak-side defensive rotations. Pierre, normally a quieter player on the court, was vocal and emotive during some of her late-game buckets.
"I feel like the energy is really coming to me, and I'm starting to enter that leadership role with with Leah (Daley), my fellow captain," Pierre said. "Just letting that energy flow through me to the rest of the team."
Costa challenged Pierre, the reigning Patriot League MVP, in the first half after her slow start. She responded emphatically.
"She has just taken her game to another level," he said. "In the first half, I kind of yelled at her in the timeout because she was getting upset. I said, 'You need to stop getting upset and be the MVP that you are, and start playing like it.' And she kind of just nodded to me and said, 'OK.' And then she went out, and she just kind of started to play tough the rest of the game."
Dylan Hurley, Whitman-Hanson
Class of 2026, 5-6 guard
NCAA: St. Anselm
Hurley has embodied Whitman-Hanson's knack for coming through in the clutch with several big shots from last year's regular season and playoffs. She was at it again Monday; after scoring just three points in the first half, Hurley erupted for 17 in the second half, including four of her five total made 3s.
"It's incredible," Pierre said. "You can always trust her to hit those big shots, and she's great."
Hurley can set her feet and shoot super quickly, and when paired with her effort moving without the ball, that freed up a bunch of catch-and-shoot 3s from the wings and corners. I also thought her defensive intensity stayed high even as she toed the line with four fouls. Hurley disrupted passing lanes with deflections, and she forced some jump balls and turnovers by helping from the baseline on some North Quincy drives out of the post. She also drew a charge and fought for key late rebounds.
Keira Manchester, Whitman-Hanson
Class of 2027, guard
Manchester scored eight points and was generally solid on both ends of the floor next to Whitman-Hanson's stars. She made a huge play in the final seconds of the second half when, after Whitman-Hanson missed two free throws, she grabbed the offensive rebound and threw back a layup that kept momentum up heading into halftime. Manchester also positioned herself well against North Quincy's zone and found some open layups as a result in the second half.
"She's like the quietest kid — doesn't say much, kind of like a silent assassin type — (but) shows up to practice every day," Costa said. "Sometimes she plays a lot; sometimes she doesn't. The last couple of games, she's really stepped up big for us."
Tabby McDonough, North Quincy
Class of 2027, guard
McDonough powered the Raiders with 16 points and led the dominant first half. She and the rest of the team did a great job moving the ball around Whitman-Hanson's zone and forcing the defense to cover a lot of ground. McDonough hit two 3s in the first half as a result and also made a smart cut for a layup that Megan O'Donnell rewarded with the assist. In the second half, McDonough still had some nice moments, including a drawn charge and a bucket where she attacked a closeout and pulled up for a baseline jumper.
Gia Plaskasovitis, North Quincy
Class of 2029, guard
If there's a bright spot from a tough result for the Raiders, it's that the freshman class looks promising. Plaskasovitis was the best of the group with her 10 points, joining McDonough and O'Donnell (11 points) in double figures. She looked confident driving through traffic. Plaskasovitis used great footwork to hit one difficult layup and had a nice drive and dump-off pass to an open O'Donnell for an assist. She also fought for an offensive rebound putback in the first quarter.
