By Matt Schooley
HOPKINTON – At each timeout or break in the action during a Hopkinton High School girls basketball game, team members put their hands in the middle of the huddle and say the same phrase: “Prove it.”
Hopkinton proved again its record was a poor indicator of the team’s effort. Facing 7-2 Somersworth at home on Monday, Jan. 21, the 3-8 Hawks dropped a 41-39 last-second thriller to the Hilltoppers.
Trailing 37-28 with 4:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, the hosts came storming back to tie the game with 33 seconds to go before Somersworth retook the lead with 19 seconds remaining.
Hopkinton head coach Dave Hughes had one thought in mind while Hannah Richard’s desperation shot floated toward the rim.
“Go in,” he said. “With some of the close games we’ve had this year, you’ve got to think one of those might fall our way. Even though it didn’t, your attention then just turns to taking care of the kid who missed it.”
Although Richard’s shot didn’t fall as time expired, she kept the Hawks in the contest, scoring 22 of her team’s 39 points, including several key baskets down the stretch in addition to her aggressive defense.
Down nine points halfway through the final quarter, a stop in play turned the momentum back to the home team.
“I called the timeout, and really was trying to fire them up,” said Hughes.
“(Somersworth) was doing the same thing every time down the floor, so we just extended the defense, and I don’t think they were ready for it.”
The team played without key player Katie Babson, who competed for eight weeks before discovering she had a stress fracture in her shin, according to Hughes.
Lily Smith added nine points and five rebounds for the Hawks, while Liz Crews played stellar defense and tallied six points.
Heading into the season, Hughes said his team felt slighted by many who didn’t give the Hawks a shot to be competitive in Class M play.
“Before the season, I asked the girls to come up with what they wanted to say when we huddled up each time, and they came up with ‘Prove it.’ It really fits perfectly,” said Hughes.
“It means that everyone says we’re young, we’re small and we won’t be competitive. We are basically seen as a doormat to a lot of other people, and we want to prove them wrong.”
Hughes said Somersworth may have underestimated his team as well.
“I think they came in here and thought they were going to roll right through,” he said. “We had them on the … ropes, but we just couldn’t land the final punch.
“That maturity will come, and we’ll learn to take some better shots,” added Hughes.“We’re still learning how to win and how to finish.”
Indeed, five of the Hawks’ losses have come by a combined 17 points.