'Bolts senior captain Aydan Gulliver (PHOTO BY LARRY YIN)
BY CHARLIE ADAMS, TSM LEAD WRITER
(Cranston, RI) The Cranston East Lady ‘Bolts got their season underway Wednesday at home against the Moses Brown Quakers. Coming off of a 13-10 season that saw a solid playoff run, the team struggled with turnovers following the loss of former starting point guard Kathy Hernandez to graduation. The Quakers dominated the second half, pressuring the Thunderbolt defense and scoring at will en route to a 56-33 victory.
In the tough opener loss, captains Mya Jiminez and Aydan Gulliver led the team in scoring with 18 and 8 points, respectively.
The Quakers’ full-court defense brought East much difficulty on offense early, as the ‘Bolts seemingly gave up turnovers left and right. Held scoreless for the first 5 minutes of the quarter, the Thunderbolts’ Mya Jimenez scored all 7 of their first-quarter points.
Entering the second period trailing by 10, the Lady ‘Bolts responded with a strong quarter that brought the deficit to just one point entering halftime, 23-22. A much improved defensive front with fewer turnovers helped to slow down the Moses Brown offense. East also took advantage of Quaker foul trouble, playing the entire second quarter in the bonus at the free throw line.
The Lady ‘Bolts took their first lead of the game early in the third, 25-23, but the lead didn’t last long. A 27-3 Moses Brown run over the rest of the third quarter and into the final period put the Quakers in total control. The visitors’ full-court press re-emerged as a turnover-causing machine, putting East behind 41-28 going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth only saw more of the same errors, as Moses Brown outscored East 15-5 in the period to close out the 56-33 victory.
After hitting the road to face Tiverton on Friday night, the team returns home next Tuesday against Mt. Hope at 7:00 pm.
To keep up on all things regarding Thunderbolt sports, go to www.tbsportsmedia.com and @tbsportsmedia on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.