LOWELL, Mass. — On two separate occasions, after exiting fourth-quarter timeouts with top-seeded Drury on a late comeback run, Phoebe Carroll didn't flinch.
The Hopedale senior put together a pair of important 1-on-1 power drives and buckets to stem the tide. Behind Carroll's 23 points and 11 rebounds, the third-seeded Blue Raiders captured their second Division 5 championship Sunday with a 48-35 victory at Tsongas Center.
"I'm confident enough to know that I can do that," Carroll said. "I wasn't worried about, 'Oh, I'm gonna go, and they're gonna steal the ball from me.' I know that I can make it to the hoop and I know my team trusts me."
For most of the game, while Carroll overcame early fouls, it was Hopedale's defense that gave them a cushion.
Dury (20-6) had a spark early in the contest, jumping out to a 9-6 lead with help from a deep 3-pointer via senior Megan McGrath (14 points). But defense kept the Blue Devils from easy scoring chances. Drury didn't make a field goal in the second quarter, and even with Carroll in foul trouble, Hopedale (18-7) pulled away to a 22-12 halftime advantage.
"We held them to seven field goals all game, and that's our bread and butter," Hopedale coach Jason Rojee said. "When we play man-to-man defense, we're tough. We've got some big, physical athletes that do a good job of being where they're supposed to be."
When Carroll subbed back in for the second half, she sought out post-up attempts and leveraged her size advantage in the frontcourt. Sophomore Jenna Weeden (10 points) roared after hitting an and-1 layup in transition that put Hopedale up 29-15. Drury had just three made field goals on the afternoon through the late third quarter, with their most successful approach being driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line.
The Blue Devils put a late rally together, starting with consecutive scores from Eva Moser and adding two 3-pointers from freshman Ella Bond early in the fourth quarter, eventually cutting the gap down to 39-34. But Rojee was calm with his group as they closed on a 9-1 run.
"It's special," Rojee said. "We've had some ups and downs this year. We had a stretch near the end of the season where we dropped a couple in a row, and to see these guys rally on in the face of adversity is just special."
Carroll, a 1,000-point scorer who will play at Bridgewater State, was an eighth-grader when she corralled 23 rebounds in the state final, supporting 2,000-point scorer Bri Frongillo when Hopedale won its first championship in 2022. This time, she got to rush the trophy to Hopedale's student section as a centerpiece in the victory.
"There's nothing like that," she said. "Being able to hold the trophy, as someone on the team who's leading the team, and then running over to my best friends in the stands – it's just awesome."
