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NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. — The Algonquin girls varsity basketball team started off its playoff run strong, beating No. 7 seed Worcester North on Friday, 62-20.
The girls, seeded No. 2, will take on No. 3 Wachusett on Tuesday. Wachusett beat Shrewsbury on Friday, 44-33. Tuseday's game will be held at Clark University and begin at 6 p.m.
Algonquin played Wachusett twice this season, and won both times.
The Tomahawks took an early lead Friday, scoring 38 points in the first half while allowing only nine. Worcester North, meanwhile, suffered from poor offensive coordination that made it difficult to work around the Tomahawk defense. Though they entered the second half with a bit more energy, dropped passes and other missed opportunities continued to plague them.
Algonquin head coach Ron Jones said after the game that he respected Worcester North and the progress it has made over the years.
"That team has come a long way," he said. "They haven't made the tournament in a long time. I want to congratulate them on a good game."
Taking such an early lead allowed Algonquin to sub out players often. "After the first quarter we had an opportunity to get everyone in," Jones said. "It gave us an opportunity to work on the half-court offense."
After the last game against Westborough, Jones said he wanted scoring to be spread more evenly among his players. That was certainly the case on Friday, when three Algonquin players — juniors Amanda Murphy, Olivia Giorlandino and Lucy Leblond — all scored in double digits. Murphy had 12 points, while Giorlandino and Leblond each had 10. "That's important," Jones said.
As for Tuesday's game, Jones remains wary.
"It's tough to beat a good team three times," Jones said. "We're excited for the opportunity to get back to the final four."
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