Take a bow, Johnston

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The Johnston girls’ lacrosse team captured the Division III championship this past weekend with a 7-6 victory over Westerly, capping off an impressive calendar year for girls’ sports at the school.

The Panthers entered the title game as the underdog against the undefeated Bulldogs, erasing a 6-3 halftime deficit to eventually lift the trophy. It was all just business as usual for the Lady Panthers.

In all three seasons, at least one Johnston girls’ sport has made a deep postseason run or hoisted some hardware. It all started with disappointment back in the fall before vindication in the winter.

The girls’ soccer team was undefeated entering the Division III finals against East Providence, whom it had beaten 5-2 earlier in the season on Senior Night. Sophomore Bianca Robbins was far and away the state’s leading scorer with 46 goals, but she was held scoreless by the Townies.

Regardless, thanks to a late goal from Gabriella Scarcella, the Panthers forced overtime at 2-2. Neither team could notch the game-winner, and that would prove costly for Johnston. East Providence went on to win in penalty kicks.

However, the Panthers, most notably Robbins, would get their revenge on the court.

Johnston sported one of the best girls’ basketball squads in the state this year, ripping off a perfect 18-0 in Division II play and finishing in the state’s Final Four featuring a squad with just one senior. Junior Jordan Moretti was the state’s fourth-leading scorer with 20 points per game, while sophomore Gabriella DiRaimo added 11.1.

Robbins, sophomore forward Amelia Moore and freshman center Caroline Howe each chipped in on the scoring end, too, but their defense was invaluable. Johnston didn’t allow an opponent to eclipse 50 points in its final 10 league games, including playoffs.

Then came the chance for vengeance. Johnston edged Rogers in the D-II semifinals to set up a final against who else? East Providence. There would be no overtime in this one. Five different players had at least eight, including Robbins with nine, en route to a 60-45 title-clinching win over the Townies.

Robbins and DiRaimo kept the winning going in the spring, along with some of the former’s soccer teammates. Grace Sarah’s 65 points led the way for the Panthers, helping Johnston

earn the No. 2 seed in the D-III playoffs.

The Panthers dispatched No. 3 Toll Gate in the semifinals to set up a tilt with the perfect Bulldogs. It looked as though Westerly would cruise to another win, but Johnston locked down on defense in the second half.

Robbins scored twice after the intermission, and had an assist to soccer teammate Kaylee Lameiro for the game-winner. Goalkeeper Jacsmile Cassion stopped 13 shots for Johnston.

The crazy part of all this success? It is virtually guaranteed to carry over to next year. Almost unfathomably, the soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams all return their top five scorers from the previous season.

That’s next year, though, and they can focus on it then. For now, these teams should take a bow for the success they’ve had in 2016-17. It’s been a banner year for the Panthers.

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