RallyNorth.net

O'Connell makes history but Royals are ousted

Wednesday, March, 05 By Evan Mugford
Staff writer

Georgetown junior Taryn O'Connell could've done without the celebration that ensued when she scored her 1,000th and 1,001st career points last night.

The milestone meant little to the 5-9 forward, who was far more concerned with her team being only seconds away from having its season come to an end.

Despite the junior co-captain's milestone bucket that served as the finishing touches on a 26-point, 13-rebound evening, No. 15 Georgetown fell to No. 3 Mt. Alvernia, 59-48, at Concord-Carlisle High School.

The Royals' Cinderella tournament run, which included victories over No. 2 Matignon and No. 10 Lowell Catholic, fell one win shy of the Division 4 North final. Instead, Mt. Alvernia (17-2) will face Cape Ann League surprise Manchester Essex Friday evening (6 p.m., Salem State College).

When O'Connell went over 1,000 points in the closing minutes, Georgetown coach BarriAnn Alonzo called a timeout to allow her teammates to recognize the achievement.

"Taryn didn't even know it was her 1,000th point," Alonzo said. "The entire team didn't know. That's the way this team operates. They don't care how wonderful one person plays, they operate on how the whole team plays."

Eclipsing the 1,000-point barrier seemed like a fitting ending to O'Connell's brilliant postseason. She averaged 27.3 points and 14.7 rebounds in three games as compared to 17.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per game during the regular season.

"I'm sure if Taryn had her choice, she would rather substitute 15 of her points if it meant we'd win the game," Alonzo said. "It's a bittersweet milestone. She was really confused because she wasn't sure why everybody was grabbing her and high-fiving her."

She's the first Royal to crack the 1,00-point barrier since 2005 grad Megan O'Connor, who finished with 1,322 points. Georgetown led 11-10 after a quarter but Mt. Alvernia outscored the Royals 20-7 in the pivotal second period. Michelle DeRoma led Mt. Alvernia with 24 points.

Senior co-captain Julie Fehlmann (8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) fouled out for the only the second time all season. "She was great," Alonzo said. "She's very versatile. She did a nice job today. She hadn't fouled out all year until the tournament, but that's the way it goes."