Foxboro Sinks Norwell, Wins Second Straight State Title

Foxboro girls basketball
Foxboro celebrates after beating Norwell to clinch the Division 3 state championship, the second consecutive title for the Warriors. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

LOWELL, Mass. – If there was any worry or anxiety for Foxboro coming out for the second half of Saturday night’s Div. 3 state championship game, the Warriors were doing a good job of hiding it. Norwell closed the first half with an 11-0 run to cut Foxboro’s lead to single digits, but the Warriors stood on the floor at the Tsongas Center smiling and laughing before the third quarter got underway.

The defending D2 champs scored the opening eight points of the second half to restore calm to their fans, pushed the lead to 17 by the end of the third, and ran away with a 66-43 victory.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The 23-point margin of victory was as close as anyone had come to the Warriors this postseason, capping another dominant year, clinching back-to-back state titles in different divisions, and earning Foxboro its fourth title in the past six full seasons (not including the Covid-shortened 2021 season that had no state tournament).

“Third quarter is always our go-to quarter and I always say that’s the most important quarter of the game because you have to come out with a lot of energy,” Foxboro coach Lisa Downs said. “It’s that time that’s critical where, if a team is down by a little bit, if you can get two or three baskets it really sets them back on their heels and that will translate into a lot of momentum in our direction.”

When asked what the Warriors needed to do to go back-to-back, senior guard Camryn Collins (25 points and four steals) added, “It’s a balance of staying humble and being confident. We had to work hard the past two years and keep building. It was a hard road but I’m really glad that we came out on top.”

Foxboro never got into a rhythm shooting the ball but, while the Warriors are known for scoring a lot of points, defense was in championship form right from the opening tip. Norwell managed just two points, on a pair of free throws from freshman Alex Cassidy, in the opening quarter and trailed 17-2 after eight minutes.

Isabelle Chamberlin (nine rebounds and three blocks) grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to start the game and the Warriors never trailed. Junior center Addie Ruter (17 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks) got the game off to a good start with a short jumper and then she snatched an offensive rebound and hit a turnaround jumper to make it 8-2.

A Ruter block fell to Collins (25 points and four steals), who fired a long pass to Kailey Sullivan (15 points and three assists) for a layup plus a foul. Collins intercepted a pass and raced ahead for two and then got free on an inbounds play with Ava Hill finding her alone under the basket for two more. Ruter capped the quarter with another tough jumper, this time assisted by Adrianna Porazzo.

Cassidy scored, plus a foul, a minute into the second quarter for Norwell’s first made basket of the night, but Ruter answered with a put-back. Erin Foley (seven rebounds and three assists) nailed Foxboro’s first three of the night, then assisted on a triple from Sullivan that put Foxboro up 20. After a Norwell basket, Ruter scored in transition to make it 31-11.

Despite not shooting well, Foxboro seemed in cruise control, but the Clippers responded with a strong final three minutes of the half to make it a game again. Heidi Warren buried a corner three and Maddie Oliver (15 points and eight rebounds) followed with another to get back within 12. Reagan Dowd (12 points and five steals) closed the half with a straightaway three and suddenly the Clippers had life, down just 31-22 at the break.

Foxboro’s two leading scorers, Collins and Sullivan, took it upon themselves to regain control of the game. Collins hit a jumper, then took a Ruter block and assisted on a Sullivan fast break bucket. Sullivan returned the favor with a nice dish to Collins in transition and then the junior point guard drilled her second three of the night to make it 40-22.

Dowd continued to keep Norwell in the game, scoring seven points in the third and cutting the lead back down to 13, but Collins hit another pull-up jumper and freshman Alaysia Drummonds was able to pick out Sullivan with a long pass ahead to put the Warriors up 17 going to the fourth.

In the final quarter, Collins, the two-time Hockomock League MVP and Rider-commit, took over to seal the win. She crossed over her defender and knocked down a jumper and walked into a three that gave Foxboro a 22-point advantage. Ruter added five points in the fourth, using her length to knock down a couple jumpers over the top of Norwell defenders.

“Most teams are going to double in on Addie, which is going to open everything up for our guards,” Downs explained. “Her presence in there, whether she’s scoring or whatever she’s doing, just having a body in there that people are having to focus on all the time took a little pressure off Cam and Sully.”

Oliver, who reached the 1,000-point mark for her career in the fourth quarter, scored six points in the fourth, but Collins was able to grab an offensive rebound and power through contact for two and then got out in transition to cap her night with another finish at the rim.

Foxboro (24-2), which has lost only two games to in-state opponents (both times to Wachusett) in the past two seasons, charged the floor at the final horn, as blue smoke and confetti went off behind its bench.

“Going back-to-back is just awesome,” Foley said. “We had a good feeling from the start of the season that we would be back here and we put in the work each practice. It’s just an awesome feeling. This team was amazing this year.

She added, “It doesn’t feel real right now. The bus ride home is probably when it will hit.”

Earlier this year, Downs mentioned that her team was good, but not yet great. She knew the Warriors had another level, another gear they could call on. With five playoff wins by an average of nearly 37 points per game, Foxboro showed how dominant it could be.

“They just kept getting better and better over the course of the postseason,” Downs said. “Each game, they weren’t paying attention to the score, everything was about getting really, really good. No matter who we faced today, they were ready.”

Asked about her team embracing being one of the best in the state, knowing that they were going to get every team’s best shot, Downs added, “They don’t want to go out there knowing that they’re the far superior team just by showing up on the court, they make sure they’re out there earning it.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

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