First-year varsity coach Lani Buskey’s Pinkerton Academy girls’ basketball squad kept its superb 2013-14 campaign rolling forward in earnest last week with decisive victories over both Manchester Central and Merrimack, which drove the Lady Astros’ Division I record up to a stellar 11-1.
On Tuesday night, Feb. 4, the Lady Astros built on their inspiring victory over Londonderry of a few nights earlier by thumping the visiting Manchester Central Little Green girls 52-31.
Pinkerton won each period, racing out to a 10-4 lead in the first quarter, commanding a 22-13 lead at the half, and sitting on a 41-21 advantage going into the fourth quarter after outscoring its guest by a 19-8 margin in the third quarter.
The 10-1 Lady Astros received 14 points from senior court general Kayla Stacy (with a trio of three-point baskets) and scoring from a total of nine sources.
Three nights later in another home contest, Buskey’s bunch lacked luster but still produced an overwhelming 61-31 pummeling of the struggling Merrimack High Lady Tomahawks, who slid to 5-8 in the division with a third loss in their previous four games.
The first half was sloppy, with the hosts seemingly playing down to Merrimack’s weak level of play.
The Lady Astros led 10-3 after one quarter and 17-7 at the half, but Pinkerton kicked its game into a higher gear in the second half when it outscored its guest by a 22-9 margin.
And after bounding into the fourth quarter with a rock-solid 39-16 lead, the academy girls netted another 22 points in that final stanza to win the game by a full 30.
The victors had a total of nine players score points, with senior guard Stacy once again leading the PA charge with 16 points. Colleen Fortier fell just short of double digits in points with nine, and come-backing junior forward Val Martin returning to the Pinkerton lineup for regular duty after nursing a sprained right wrist was one of three Lady Astros with seven points, along with Corina Moore and Andrea Albrecht.
