It just didn’t seem possible when Bridget Holleran joined the Monticello girls basketball program. Not five years ago. Not with the varsity coming off a 2-19 season when she was an eighth grader.
“I never would’ve thought that my senior year we would make it this far,” Holleran said. “It’s just been amazing with this team, I’m proud of every single person. They gave their heart.”
Holleran’s ride ended at the hands of the No. 1-ranked team in Group AA Tuesday as Spotswood High rallied from seven-points down at the break to beat the Mustangs 70-57 in the Division 3 semifinals. The Trailblazers managed a win despite a Herculean 28-point, 9-rebound effort from Holleran’s young teammate, sophomore Molly Shephard.
“I told her at the end, that’s a night people will remember,” said Spotswood coach Chris Dodson. “People will remember Molly Shephard tonight…she really, for a sophomore, did some phenomenal things out there tonight.”
The Trailblazers (27-1) needed an incredible effort to complete their comeback, and they leaned on Bailey Williams to get it done. Williams poured in 20 points, hauled in eight rebounds, dished out 11 assists and snagged five steals. The senior standout ignited an 18-for-21 (85.7 percent) effort from the field by Spotswood after halftime that changed the face of the game.
“I yelled at her at halftime a little bit…I said ‘Is this how you’re going to be remembered? Is this how you’re going to be remembered? I don’t think so’ and she said ‘Heck no it ain’t’,” Dodson said. “And she went out there with a purpose and we jumped on her back and rode her for awhile.”
Despite Spotswood’s hot shooting during a 14-0 stretch to start the second half, Monticello just refused to go away. After a second timeout to try and derail the momentum, Monticello put together a spurt and cut the lead to 41-39. But another run of turnovers left the Mustangs back in a seven-point hole after the third quarter.
Monticello couldn’t climb out of that one though, as Spotswood held them at arm’s length the rest of the contest. The Trailblazers never quite blew the game open, but they managed to pile up steals and quick points in short spurts to prevent a Monticello comeback.
Spotswood’s second half erased the incredible start for the Mustangs. Monticello leapt out to an 11-2 lead with Shephard filling it up underneath.
“We wanted to show them that we weren’t afraid of them,” said Monticello coach Josh McElheny. “There’s not been too many people who’ve been able to play with them all year long. We came out strong and I thought we played well for 32 minutes, I really did.”
Shephard poured in 20 first half points, with much of it coming in the flow of the offense as the Mustangs moved the ball well against a traditionally stingy Spotswood defense.
“I played like I had to leave everything on the court and that’s what I tried to do,” Shephard said. “Unfortunately it didn’t work out but it happens sometimes.”
Monticello ends the year at 24-3, wrapping up the finest season in the program’s history.
“It’s been a heck of a ride,” McElheny said. “We gave it a heck of an effort. That’s a fantastic basketball team that Spotswood has. They have a bunch of weapons. But I can’t say enough about how hard we played and the effort the girls put in tonight.”
