TURNERS FALLS — The Massachusetts Vocational Athletic Director Association Small School girls basketball championship goes through Turners Falls. 

Franklin Tech earned the No. 1 seed and hosted No. 4 South Shore Vocational on Friday. Both teams started slow, with the Eagles leading 11-9 after the first quarter before Franklin Tech took over the game in the second quarter, not allowing the Vikings to score and putting up 16 points of its own to take command of the game. 

Hannah Gilbert finished the game with 23 points while Lea Chapman did everything, scoring 10 points, snagging 15 rebounds, coming up with 11 steals and blocking five shots as the Eagles controlled the game throughout the second half to advance to the finals with a 46-27 victory. 

“The girls played hard and executed defensively,” Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache said. “The first quarter was tight but the second quarter was huge. We went on a big run and shut them down. We’re fortunate to be playing at home. That’s the tough part in this tournament and the state tournament where you take a long bus ride and it puts you in a tough spot. Proud of the girls tonight. They battled and executed the game plan well.” 

The Eagles advance to host Blue Hills RVT in the championship game, with the game taking place on Sunday at 3 p.m. Blue Hills defeated Minuteman, 36-33, in the semifinals on Friday. 

It was the outside shooting of Mia Bradshaw that kept South Shore in the game in the first quarter. Bradshaw knocked down a pair of 3’s to provide the Viking offense, while Gilbert (2), Chapman and Kendra Campbell each scored baskets and Kait Trudeau knocked down a 3 for Tech to give the Eagles their 11-9 lead after eight minutes. 

It was a near perfect second quarter for Franklin Tech, much due to its press forcing turnovers which led to easy baskets on the other end of the court. Gilbert got the quarter started with a 3, Chapman made a free throw and scored in the paint and Gilbert got to the line and made a pair of free throws before scoring off a turnover.

Campbell later got to the rim for a layup, Gilbert scored on a dish from Campbell and Campbell scored herself and suddenly the second quarter had ended with Tech holding a 27-9 lead, with the Vikings not able to score in the frame. 

South Shore began to find answers to the Eagle press in the third quarter, but Franklin Tech still continued to create havok which led to multiple steals and 10 second violations. Chapman made a free throw, Gilbert scored inside, Campbell swished a 3 and Lilianna Inman made a free throw to put the Eagles up 34-19 going into the fourth quarter. 

Rose Earner scored in transition to open the fourth quarter for the Vikings but Franklin Tech answered with a 12-0 run from Gilbert and Chapman to put the game away. 

Gilbert drilled a 3-pointer, Chapman scored back-to-back baskets inside, Gilbert knocked down another shot from downtown before getting in the paint for two, giving the Eagles a 46-21 lead with just two minutes to play. 

Kendra Campbell recorded nine points and came up with five steals, Kyra Goodell had six steals while Trudeau had five steals and six rebounds in what was a dominant defensive performance for Franklin Tech against a team who came in at No. 21 in the MIAA Div. 5 Power Rankings. 

“They have five seniors,” Gamache said. “They’re in the tournament too and the last set of rankings we’re neck-and-neck. This was a good test but now we’re focused on Sunday.” 

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