Girls varsity basketball defeated Braintree 42-32 on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at Braintree High School. Following a slow start to the game and a score of only 6-3 in the first quarter, the Rebels were able to gain momentum and kept a strong lead for the remainder of the game.

“Although we did not score many points in the first quarter, we got good looks and were playing good defense, so we knew if we picked it up a little and kept shooting, we could get a stronger lead on them,” senior captain Elisabeth Roche said.

With key baskets from senior captain Sydney Scales and a few three-pointers from Roche, the Rebels advanced their score to 24 points. On top of this strong offense lead by Scales, the team also maintained a solid defense and only two points were put up by Braintree in the second quarter. Going into the half the Rebels were leading 24-8.

“During half time, we talked about how Braintree is a second half team, so the game was definitely not over. They are used to always winning so they definitely thought they had the game,” senior captain Ainsley Dundon said.

Going into the second half, the Rebels maintained their momentum putting another nine points on the board. However, Braintree also came out strong and doubled their score in an attempt to catch up to Walpole. Ending the third quarter, the Rebels maintained their lead at 33-16.

“Natalie Griffin’s shut down defense throughout the game on Braintree’s point guard really helped us all out and motivated the rest of the team on defense, which leads to good hustle on offense,” Roche said.

Neither Walpole nor Braintree let down in the final quarter of the game. Braintree again doubled the score, putting up another 16 points by the end of the game; however, they were no match for the Rebels who added an additional nine with baskets from Dundon, Scales, Roche and freshman Brooke Walonis. The game ended with a score of 42-32, advancing the Rebels’ record to 7-3.

“We feel that we are in a really good position right now. There is still lots to improve on, but we hope to continue playing good basketball, especially now that the season is halfway over and we are settled into things,” Scales said.

The Rebels’ next game is  Tuesday, Jan. 14 at home against Brookline.