Last-second basket lifts Bishop Brady girls basketball past Kennett to D2 championship

BEDFORD – Isabella Rivera isn’t lefthanded, but the Bishop Brady High School junior didn’t have much a choice of which hand to shoot with as she drove to the basket.

Rivera was a step ahead of everyone else on the court, and a championship was on the line, so she tried to go in for a layup just like she did all winter long.

The basket was good with about five seconds left in Sunday’s Division II girls basketball championship game and Kennett was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer, giving Bishop Brady a 52-50 win over the Eagles in the final, played at Bedford High School. The title is the first for in the Giants’ program history.

Rivera’s basket came off a turnover just over halfcourt, after Ami Rivera, her sister and a senior for the Giants, forced the inbounds pass to Sydnie Chin to go off the Kennett sophomore’s outstretched hand and to Isabella Rivera.

“We’ve been taught defense our entire lives. Ami put very good pressure on (Chin) and I just got it for the layup. It was like every layup I’ve been doing all winter. My mind went blank, but it was a lefthanded layup, so I was like ‘don’t miss.’”

It was the only basket of the game for Isabella Rivera, while Ami Rivera had 18 points for Bishop Brady (17-2), including the basket that tied the game at 50 with 21 seconds remaining in regulation. Libbey Hicks added 22 points, including five of the Giants’ eight 3-pointers, as Bishop Brady overcame a 12-point deficit in the first quarter.

“You’ve got yourself in a hole,” Bishop Brady coach Sal Alosa said of what he told his team when it was down 16-4. “They took over, they said we’re going to dig ourselves out. These kids don’t know what quit means. These kids made this commitment 15 weeks ago and they fulfilled it.”

Maddie Stewart led Kennett with 18 points, 11 of which came in the first half, while Chin added 11 points and Sierra Parsons was also in double figures with 10.

The Giants outscored the Eagles (15-3) 21-8 over the final nine-plus minutes of the first half, taking their first lead of the game in the final seconds of the half. Halle Laramie grabbed an offensive rebound and got the ball to Ami Rivera for a basket with 3.7 seconds left that made 25-24 Bishop Brady at the half.

That momentum carried into the third quarter. Hicks hit three 3-pointers in the frame to help Bishop Brady take a 38-30 lead with 2:44 to play in the frame.

“We weren’t hitting shots,” Ami Rivera said. “We knew once we started hitting, it would be a different game. Libby Hicks had a couple of steals, she really brought us back into this game. We just know that if we didn’t start cracking down on defense, this game would be a lot different.”

But after Hicks’ 3 gave Bishop Brady its largest lead, Kennett responded with a 9-0 run, going up 39-38 on a basket by Parsons with 20 seconds left in third. The Giants came right back, with Hicks scored with 10 seconds to play to put Bishop Brady back in front by one going into the fourth.

The teams traded baskets early in the fourth, with Hicks making one of two free throws to tie it at 45 with 4:43 to play. A jumper by Samantha Sidoti gave the Eagles the lead, but Ami Rivera put the Giants up 48-47 with a 3-pointer.

Stewart answered with a 3 at the other end to make it a 50-48 lead for Kennett, and after Ami Rivera missed two free throws that would have tied it with 2:30 remaining, the Eagles were able to hang on to the ball for most of the next two minutes.

Bishop Brady was able to tie up the ball for a jump ball and Kennett retained possession, but with 40.1 seconds left, the Eagles were called for a five-second violation on the inbounds. After a timeout by the Giants, Ami Rivera tied the game with a drive to the basket.

“I want the ball in Ami’s hands,” Alosa said. “Ami or Libbey, she was the hottest. Ami has been here for four years and if I’m going to lose, I want to lose with one of them shooting it. One was hot and one is the best, and she showed it. Libbey was outstanding hitting jumper after jumper at one point. They deserved it.”

After the tying basket, Kennett got the ball over halfcourt and called a timeout with 12.1 seconds remaining, setting up the steal and layup by Isabella Rivera.

“When I saw that ball go off her hand, I knew Isabella was going to get it,” Ami Rivera said. “I ran so fast down here. Once that ball went in, I saw Riley (Marsh) sprint back and I did the same thing. We were going to make them earn the last shot.”