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LITCHFIELD - Brynn Beaudoin stood her ground.
As Lakeview's Allie Pape barreled toward her for a potential game-tying basket, the sophomore guard for the Thomaston girls basketball team braced for collision with eight seconds to play.
The ref's whistle blew. The call was a charge.
In a game where baskets were as precious as finding a gold doubloon in the sand, it was not surprisingly a defensive play that locked up the Golden Bears' 36-31 victory in the Berkshire League tournament final Monday night before a lively, packed house at Lakeview.
"We were defending the 3-point shot. When she drove, it was just play good defense and hope we got the call," Beaudoin remarked as she waited to clip her strand of the championship net afterward.
Thomaston (18-4) captured its first BL tournament title in three years and third in six seasons while winning the rubber match from the Bobcats (19-3). The two teams split in the regular season while sharing the conference crown.
"We know Thomaston has a legacy of winning. We want to keep that legacy. We were saying at the end, ‘It's all heart. It's all heart. It's all heart. We want it more,'" said sophomore guard Aylin Lahey, who scored a team-high 13 points, including eight in the second half.
The game followed the path from Lakeview's 36-33 victory here nine days earlier with both offenses enduring long droughts. In the third quarter, Thomaston's only points were on a 3-pointer by Lahey and Lakeview's only points were two foul shots by freshman Christina Barone.
"I said to my (assistant) coach, ‘How many did we score in the third quarter?' She said, ‘Three, but that's better than last time, and they only scored two,'" said Thomaston coach Brian Mozelak. "So, we won the quarter 3-2, but we won it."
Pape's nifty pass to Mickie Rea for a buzzer basket gave Lakeview a 10-9 lead after one period. Lakeview owned a 19-12 lead midway through the second quarter, but Thomaston went on an 11-1 run with Madison Decker's 3-pointer giving the Bears a 23-20 lead at halftime.
Ahead 26-22 going into the final period, Thomaston enjoyed a 32-27 edge on Lahey's drive to the hoop with two minutes left. Barone scored off a rebound and Addie Foss hit a short jumper for Lakeview to make it a one-point margin with 32 seconds left.
Decker canned one foul shot, but Rea rebounded the missed second attempt, and Lakeview had a chance to tie or go ahead.
"They had four fouls, so if we get fouled, we're shooting. If (Pape is) attacking the basket, I like our odds," said Lakeview coach Kerri Stolle. "She just went a little too hard."
"We were trying to take away Pape knowing they would probably try to reverse the ball to her," said Mozelak. "We told them, ‘Play defensive help. Be ready for the drive.'"
Lahey hit one of two free throws for Thomaston with 6.5 seconds left, and Emily Dos Anjos rebounded her miss and scored to ice the game with six seconds left.
DosAnjos scored nine points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Thomaston, which dominated the boards with a 35-26 advantage. Beaudoin had seven rebounds, and Decker finished with nine points.
For Lakeview, Barone finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Pape scored nine.
Player of the Game
Thomaston's Aylin Lahey: She led her team with 13 points, including eight in the second half, and grabbed four rebounds.
Quote of the Game
"Sometimes, girls basketball is a rock fight. It's not pretty, but you keep fighting and scrapping, and hopefully your team comes out on top." - Thomaston coach Brian Mozelak.
Thomaston 36, Lakeview 31
LAKEVIEW 10 10 2 9-31
THOMASTON 9 14 3 10-36
Lakeview: Addie Foss 2 0 4, Ella Turtoro 0 0 0, Alyssa Barone 0 0 0, Charlotte Foss 0 0 0, Allie Pape 2 3 9, Teagan Moran 0 0 0, Christina Barone 6 3 15, Mickie Rea 1 1 3, Dorothy Olmstead 0 0 0. Totals: 11 7 31.
Thomaston: Aylin Lahey 4 3 13, Brynn Beaudoin 0 1 1, Madison Decker 3 1 9, Addison Patchell 0 0 0, Tess Harkness 2 0 4, Emily DosAnjos 4 1 9.
Team records: Lakeview 19-3; Thomaston 18-4.
This article originally published at Thomaston holds off Lakeview in rubber match for Berkshire League tournament championship.