Wildcats suffer ‘broken heart’ in Valentine’s Day Match

The Wildcats of Bay Path hosted local rival and New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) foe the Blazers of Elms College during a St. Valentine’s Day game and suffered a heartbreaking loss (57-27). Bay Path junior and starting point guard Christina Calabrese of Hamilton, NJ, led Bay Path with 11 points and four assists hitting 32 percent from the floor.

The Wildcats came out clawing, controlling the lead for the first 14 minutes of play, until the Blazers knotted the game 10 all at 6:38 on the clock with a lay-up by Elms senior and starting forward Paige Schneider of Windsor, CT. Elms never looked back, despite the tentative 20-14 advantage heading into the locker room.

Elms proceeded to launch an all out arsenal on Bay Path in the second-half 20 minutes of play, blazing past the Wildcats by 30 points in the final seconds. The Blazers unleashed 37 points shutting down the Wildcats offense stifling them at a mere 13 points.

Schneider was the only player to notch a double-double for the game shelling out 14 points and 12 boards for the Blazers. Leading all players was teammate and starting freshman guard Katie Condon of Sandy Hook, CT, with 15 points nailing 50 percent from the field including a startling 50 percent from behind the arc. Condon also chipped in seven rebounds and two assists.

Honored senior and guard Sarah Wright of Canterbury, NH, was one of only two Wildcats to score in the second half. Wright nailed all six points in the final twenty minutes of action finishing with a shooting percentage of 38 percent. She chipped in three boards and two steals.

Elms scored 16 points to Bay Path’s one bucket from the bench. Elms junior and forward Amanda Brogna of Oxford, MA, was the match that lit the Blazers second half turn around. She scored the first five points coming out of the half. Brogna finished with nine points and seven rebounds.

Defense was the key to this game with Elms grabbing 60 boards including 22 offensive rebounds to Bay Path’s 27 total rebounds. The Blazers made 14 points off of those second chance shots.