Tewksbury 8th Grade Girls Back To Back Champs

The Tewksbury 8th grade girls basketball team finished the regular season with a 12-3 record and entered the playoff tournament as the 3rd seed in a very competitive bracket. After three convincing wins versus Georgetown, Tyngsboro and Billerica, the girls were crowned River Valley League Champions for the second year in a row. Once again it was a total team effort the entire weekend with every single player contributing to each victory. The players are Isabelle Picher, Felicia Ragucci, Jessica Cacciola, Maggie Penta, Emily Amaral, Jocelyn Stavros, Mary Tibbetts, Emily Langone, Michaela Svendsen, Stephanie Graffeo and Rachel Sessa. Tewksbury 43 Georgetown 33 The first round game had Tewksbury looking to redeem themselves after dropping a regular season game to a tough Georgetown team. The determination and focus was their from the opening tip off as Tewksbury controlled the entire game with their superb defense and rebounding. Eight of the eleven girls were in the scoring column led by Maggie Penta with 14 pts and Michaela Svendsen with 11 pts. The win secured a second round game with Tyngsboro and a rematch from last year's playoff game. Tewksbury 47 Tyngsboro 24 Tewksbury raced out to a 13-2 lead and never looked back eliminating Tyngsboro from the playoffs for the second year in a row. The trademark unselfish play was on display as all eleven girls were in the scoring column for Tewksbury. The second victory of the weekend vaulted Tewksbury to the finals and a chance to defend their title against Billerica. Tewksbury 52 Billerica 35 This was a tough game between two bitter rivals and it was a typical physical game with the score at the half 24-19. A Tewksbury 10-0 run to start the second half opened up the game and the girls sealed the victory and the championship. Seven of the girls were in the scoring column lead by Penta with 22 pts along with Jessica Cacciola and Isabelle Picher with 10 pts each. These girls graduate from the TGBL travel program this year as two time consecutive River Valley League Champs. All their hard work, sacrifice and determination allowed the girls to walk off the court together for their last time as a team with the thrill of victory. Congratulations!