David Grant Live Game Blog

What a thriller. Your heart goes out to Ludlow, which was seeking its first trip to the semifinals. The Lions really played well and this game came down to a few key plays in the fourth quarter. That’s the way it should be. Thank you for joining us and we will give you some totals a little later and some post game remarks.

4th Quarter

End of Game: The Central Golden Eagles are moving on to the semifinals  after squeaking by Ludlow 58-54 tonight. The Lions rallied and certainly had some chances. THey should be very proud of the way they battled here tonight. We will have more commentary later on.

:19 left: K. Bass hit two more free throws to extend the lead to 57-52. Williamson answered with a quick basket to reduce the lead to 57-54. Time out Ludlow. They need Central to miss free throws here.

:28 left: Ludlow turned it over and was forced to foul and officials thought it was intentional so they awarded Mark two free throws. She made one and Central now leads 55-52 and they have the ball. It’s going to take a lot for Ludlow to pull this one out.

1:53: Lucas scored on an inbounds play with one second left on the shot clock to put Ludlow ahead 52-51. Malone answered with a strong drive and Central leads 53-52

3;04: Central just turned it over and then called timeout. Ludlow will have the ball and a chance to take the lead here. The Lions are 9-1 at home and have overcome a nine-point deficit. We have  a long way to go here.

3:16: Here we go folks. Homich hit from the outside and Central turned it over twice. Williamson just hit two free throws and now it’s 51-50 Central

4:48: Time out Ludlow. Central leads 51-46 and the Lions just missed two 3-point attempts and threw it away on a break out. Central is in a 1-and-1 in terms of foul shooting.

6:51: Lucas just hit from the outside after Pereira clawed an offensive board. Homich also scored after Central traveled and suddenly it’s now 49-44 Central. They have called timeout.

3rd Quarter

End of 3rd: Kilandra and Lia Bass each hit clutch 3-pointers and Central now holds its biggest lead at 49-40 at the end of three quarters here. Ludlow allowed 21 points in the period and needs to get some stops to get back  into this one.

2:02: Central now leads 43-38 and Malone just helped continue the dominance on the offensive glass. Williamson is single handedly keeping Ludlow in this with another 3-pointer. The driving ability of Central is causing Ludlow problems.

3:16: Mark just hit a 3-pointer and Williamson has been stellar all around. Homich needs to get hot here. Central continues to grab offensive rebounds. Those second chances hurt. The Golden Eagles lead38-35 in this tight affair.

4:55 left: Ludlow has come out with a 2-3 zone while Central is employing a full court press, just some of the changes and adjustments made at the half. We’ve had six lead changes  in the third and Central leads 34-33.

For those of you wondering what’s going on elsewhere in Western Mass. our own Greg Scibelli is blog-casting the Agawam/East Longmeadow game, which the Brownies lead in an upset 20-12 at the half. Check out his live blog at www. gregscibellisports.wordpress.com 

When these two teams met a few weeks ago, Central held a 43-27 halftime lead. The difference tonight could be that the Lions have McGregor and her defensive prowess.

Scoring: Williamson leads all scorers with 13. Homich has 7, McGregor 4 while Lucas and Arianna Quesnal each have two points for Ludlow. Malone leads Central with 11 while Mark comes in with 10. Hawley has 7 including two big baskets down the stretch. Only (3) players have scored for Central.

2nd Quarter

Halftime: Just as advertised we have a thriller unfolding at Ludlow High. The 5th-seeded Golden Eagles and 4th-seeded Lions are knotted at 28 in this quarterfinal.

2:12: Williamson just recorded a steal and lay-up to give the Lions a 24-22 here as we inch closer to halftime. It was the Lions’ pressure defense which caused the turnover. Ludlow is getting beat on the offensive glass and this will have to be addressed.

2:42: We are tied at 22 all here. It’s back and forth action here.

5;47 left: Back and forth here. Williamson has been clutch here and Homich hit a runner in the lane. Mark answered and she just hit a free throw to put Central ahead 20-17

1st Quarter

End of 1st: Central holds a 17- 13 lead after one quarter. The Golden Eagles have scored some key points off rebounds but the game has been marked by runs. Central opened with a 7-0 run followed by an 8-0 run by Ludlow.

1:27 left: Central leads 12-10 here as the first quarter is coming to a close. We’ll have the score in just a minute and give you some information on how things shaped up here.

4:16 left: Central timeout. Williamson put the Lions on the board with a lay-up, Homich hit from outside and Lucas stole the ball and went in for a lay-up. Nice response. Central still leads 7-6

5:24 left: Central runs out to a 7-0 lead as the Lions are 0-for-6 from the field here in the early going. Malone has five points, including a strong drive coast to coast. Tim Brillo has called timeout.

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Good Evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the William D. Mullins Gymnasium on the campus of Ludlow High School. Tonight we give you a blog cast of one of the more exciting and intriguing match-ups in the Western Massachusetts’ Division 1 Championship Tournament between No. 4 Ludlow and No. 5 Central.

We are about 15 minutes from introductions but here is a sneak peak of the starting line-ups.

Central (14-6): Kilandra Bass (G), Brie Malone (G), A’Lece Mark (G), Lia Bass (F) and Aleisha Hawley (C)

Ludlow (15-5): Michelle Lucas (G), Brittanie McGregor (G), Elisha Homich (G), Jenna Williamson (G) and Claudia Pereira (C)

Malone is the leading scorer for the Golden Eagles with K. Bass and Mark being very solid as well. Homich and Williamson lead the Lions but expect contributions from Kayley Miller and Pereira. The Lions will also need Lucas and McGregor to eliminate the Golden Eagles’ ability to drive to the rim.

Stay tuned for this exciting night here in Western Massachusetts. IT”S PLAYOFF TIME.  

 

 

Tune in around 6:45 p.m. as I’m bringing you a live feed from a huge playoff game between No. 4 Ludlow and No. 5 Central at William D. Mullins Gymnasium in Ludlow.

If history holds true, the 4/5 match up is usally one of the best games of the tournament. The Lions are 15-5 while Central comes in with a 14-6 record. The winner advances to the semifinals at American International College next week.

Central defeated Ludlow 69-52 a few weeks ago in Springfield but the Lions are 9-1 at home, its only loss coming to No. 2 East Longmeadow. Stay with us throughout the night for updates from Ludlow and a full analysis of what should be a terrific battle on the hardwood.