SPRINGFIELD — Bishop Fenwick senior captains Colleen Corcoran, Sydney Brennan, and Ellen Fantozzi ended their high school careers with a bang Saturday at the MassMutual Center, combining for the Crusaders’ final 11 points in a 57-48 Division 3 state championship victory over Hoosac Valley.
“Our whole season was about proving everyone wrong and just kind of defying the odds,’’ Corcoran said. “No one really did believe in us this season. Everyone knows Fenwick is usually a good, strong team but no one would’ve thought we would’ve made it this far.
“So that was definitely our motivation from Day 1, to try and strive to be the greatest team.’’
The Crusaders (23-4) used a true team effort to capture the title. Eight players scored and freshman guard Jaxson Nadeau led the way with 15 points. Brennan added 12 and Corcoran chipped in with 10. Junior guard Fallon Field led Hoosac Valley (21-6) with a game-high 17.
“We’ve gone from not making the tournament to doing this, and that’s what you hope for when you come in as a coach, try to build it up to this,’’ said coach Adam DeBaggis, who is in his fifth season at Bishop Fenwick. “Just the experience alone has been great for our program, our school.’’
Bishop Fenwick began the game with a 14-3 run, using quick ball movement to break the Hoosac Valley press. Hoosac began to find its rhythm later in the frame and trailed by just 6 after one quarter.
Hoosac Valley grabbed its first lead before halftime on a 3-pointer by freshman Alexandria Mercier. The Hurricanes led, 24-23, at the half.
With Fantozzi on the bench in foul trouble, Nadeau scored 7 points in the third quarter to help Fenwick take a 43-35 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
“Jaxson really stepped up and I was so proud to see her just doing her thing and finally being that presence on the court that we really needed her to be,’’ Fantozzi said.
Hoosac Valley cut the deficit to 3 early in the fourth quarter, but Bishop Fenwick never relinquinshed the lead. After junior guard Samantha Mancinelli drilled a 3-pointer to put the Crusaders up by 6, the senior captains took over and closed out the victory.
“We just have such great leadership,’’ DeBaggis said. “It’s really a lot of times not anything I’m doing or saying, it’s the girls.
“We’re just a great team in every sense of the word.’’
