HADLEY — The Hopkins Academy girls basketball team knew visiting Palmer was going to be a physical opponent. They’d already faced the Panthers once before this season and knew what to expect, matching their intensity every step of the way in a tough contest. 

Despite a late comeback effort in the second half, the Golden Hawks dropped a 38-31 Franklin County League North decision on Tuesday night.

Palmer (11-1) scored in waves, riding a long run in the second quarter and again at the end of the contest to stave off a late Golden Hawks comeback effort. Sadie Cyr led the home team in scoring with eight points, followed by Chloe Jekanowski (6) and Daisy Venditti (5)

“I was really pleased with our aggressiveness on offense and defense,” Hopkins Academy coach Amy Cyr said. “We've been talking all year just about improving, making improvements, making adjustments and I was really pleased with their heart and effort tonight. Palmer is a great team, really hard-working, so it was naturally going to be an aggressive matchup.”

Hopkins (5-9) struggled to get its offense going in the first half, posting just 10 points. Palmer went into halftime with an 18-10 lead, thanks to a 12-0 run to end the second quarter. Whether it was shots just not falling or the Golden Hawks trying to share the ball too   much, the offense just wasn’t clicking for the home team in the early going. 

“All year we’ve kind of had trouble with shooting the ball. I think we're a really unselfish team, so we just have trouble taking the shot when we have it,” Venditti said. “I think the second half it definitely improved and we drove to the basket a lot more.” 

Venditti got the energy going early in the third quarter, swinging momentum Hopkins’ way. Planting her feet on the court, the senior drew a massive charge that brought the bench and the crowd to its feet, forcing a Palmer timeout. It was exactly what Cyr was looking for; she’d talked to her team at halftime about drawing charges against the Panthers. 

“I’d never taken a charge before – I've never known how to do that. I knew that she was going in hard every single time so I just put my body there and I didn't really think about it. I just was there and then I was on the ground,” Venditti said. “We were all just really excited especially because of how mad they all got. So I kind of just pumped us more up and that's what coach was looking for.” 

Down eight, that momentum carried Hopkins as it outscored Palmer 9-2 in the third quarter to pull back within a single point, led by Venditti and Jekanowski. 

Kasey Earle and Margaret Potter hit back to back baskets to give Hopkins a 23-20 lead early in the fourth, but from there the Golden Hawks ran into some foul trouble. Palmer went to the free throw line four on consecutive trips and during that time, Jekanowski fouled out of the game. Seven of Palmer’s 18 points in the final frame came from the free throw line, and they had 16 shots at the charity stripe. 

“That's something that we're looking to grow in that area. We’ve been plagued by foul trouble throughout the season,” Coach Cyr said. “So we're learning how to be aggressive and still stay under control.”

The visitors hit a couple of free throws and a pair of shots, including a timely 3-pointer, to take a 30-23 lead. Venditti and Cyr responded immediately to pull the Golden Hawks back within three, but that was as close as the home team would get. Earle fouled out and Palmer outscored Hopkins 8-4 over the final 90 seconds to seal the win.

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