Bellingham Bulletin April 2024

Page 24 Bellingham Bulletin Local Town Pages | www.bellinghambulletin.com April 2024
BHS Girls’ Five Ends TVL Losing Streak, Gets to Tourney
By KEN HAMWEY,
Bulletin Sports Writer
The Bellingham High girls’
basketball team finished its 2023-
24 season with an overall record
of 4-20. Those numbers may
sound demoralizing, but in terms
of achievement, they’re actually
positive.
Coach Bob Pingeton’s squad
qualified for the state tournament,
and it also ended a fouryear
drought of failing to beat
a Tri Valley League opponent.
The Blackhawks defeated Ashland
and Dedham for a pair of
TVL triumphs that finally put
their league losing record in their
rear-view mirror.
The girls finished the 2023-
24 season at No. 32 in the final
power rankings, enabling it to
grab the final slot for the Division
3 playoffs.
Their stay in the tourney,
however, was brief. The girls
defeated Advanced Math & Science
Academy (AMSA), 36-31,
in a thrilling play-in game in
Bellingham, then faced a Herculean
task against top-seeded
Foxboro in the first round. The
Warriors, who won the Division
2 State title last year, walloped
the Blackhawks, 75-37, in a contest
that was decided before the
first quarter ended.
“We knew the matchup
would be a huge challenge, and
it turned out to be a tsunami,’’
said Pingeton. “Foxboro started
hot, jumping out to a 20-0 lead
by hitting its first eight shots.
They had six three-pointers in
the first quarter and led, 34-2.’’
The Blackhawks, who had
only four points at halftime, outscored
Foxboro in the second
half by a 33-24 margin as both
teams played their reserves.
Pingeton told his players at
halftime that “this isn’t who we
are, so go out and keep battling.’’
The coach was pleased with his
players’ efforts and said: “I was
proud of the way we battled
back.’’
Eighth-grader Liz Glynn led
Sports
the Blackhawks with 14 points,
all of them coming in the third
quarter. Calleigh Elder and
Maya Jackson each had eight
points. Foxboro was led by
Kailey Sullivan’s 18 points and
Addie Ruter had 10.
The play-in victory over
AMSA looked like a blowout
triumph for BHS after the first
quarter when the Blackhawks
jumped out to an 11-1 lead. The
Eagles, however, cut their deficit
to four at halftime and led, 28-
27, to start the final stanza.
Pingeton’s first-quarter press
worked wonders early on, but
a BHS scoring drought forced
him to change his defensive
alignment. The Blackhawks regrouped
by outscoring AMSA by
an 8-3 margin in the final quarter
and escaped with a five-point
win.
“Our defense was the difference,’’
Pingeton emphasized.
“On two occasions, AMSA failed
to beat the shot clock. On offense,
Deb Kalemi got us going in the
Calleigh Elder, left, and Anabella Barasso were selected as co-MVPs at
the Bellingham High girls’ basketball post-season banquet. They also
will be co-captains next season.
third quarter sinking a key threepointer.
And, in the final period,
Calleigh clinched the outcome
with a clutch three-pointer with
three minutes to go and she converted
two big free throws with
30 seconds left.’’
Anabella Barasso led the
Blackhawks with 12 points. Elder
followed with 10, and Kalemi
had eight. Glynn contributed two
BHS BASKETBALL
continued on page 26
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