Senior captain Kelsey Garrity knocked down a game high 20 points in the Highlanders' 56-50 defeat to Medford on Friday night. The Highlanders now stand at 3-5 overall.

By Mike Rubin

Following a promising first half, the Somerville High girls basketball team, slowly allowed a potential win to slip away.

Kelsey Garrity notched a game high 20 points and Indira Evora added 14, but the Highlanders suffered a tough 56-50 defeat to archrivals Medford in Friday’s Greater Boston League match-up at the Brune Field House. Coupled with last Tuesday’s win over Malden, the Highlanders currently stand at 3-5 overall.

“It was an apathetic second half combined with untimely fouls,” said coach Shannon Clark. “It led to another nail biting loss on our home floor.”

In the first half, the Highlanders engineered a 12-10 lead before key shots by Evora and Garrity propelled the way for a 24-17 lead at the half.

In the second half, the Mustangs responded, erupting for 19 third quarter points followed by a 20-point surge in the second half.

“In the second half, Medford made some adjustments and switched defenses,” said Clark. “We found gaps in the zone, but we were unable to convert.”

Clark also emphasized that foul trouble served as a detrimental factor to the Highlanders second half troubles.

“We committed five fouls in the first 1:42 of the third quarter,” said Clark. “Medford seized control of the game, and they outscored us by 11 in the third quarter.”

Facing a 36-32 deficit heading into the final quarter, the Highlanders appeared to have righted the ship, creating an early second half run. Regaining momentum, the Mustangs counterattacked with a run of their own as Tania Holmes, who recorded 14 points secured the win with a pair of key shots.

Freshman Sarah Donnelly haunted the Highlanders, erupting for a team high 19 points for the Mustangs, including 16 in the second half. Donnelly, who nailed two three pointers, also knocked down seven of eight shots from the free throw line.

“She was the difference in crunch time,” said Clark. Donnelly outplayed our entire front line, nailing two threes and making seven of her final eight free throws.”

Also contributing for the Highlanders in the loss was Ella Tyler with six points followed by Ashley Auciello with three. Rounding out the scoring was Lindsay Rimpel and Esther Joseph with two points apiece.

In a dominating performance last Tuesday, the Highlanders cruised to a 56-24 win over Malden. Led by a balanced scoring attack, Evora knocked down a game high 13 points while Garrity added 12 in the win. Other key scorers included Shykela McAndrew with seven points followed by Melissa Baptista with six. Meghan O’Brien added five while Joseph and Rimpel chipped in with four apiece followed by Tyler (three points) and Auciello (two points).

In the first quarter, the Highlanders raced out to an 8-2 lead before cruising to a 20-9 halftime edge. Led by Garrity and Evora, the Highlanders continued to dominate en route to a commanding 37-12 lead through the end of three quarters.

“We turned to our bench for a spark,’’ said Clark.  “Joseph, who subbed in and provided solid play at the point guard position, and Lindsay Rimpel, who scored two quick points and controlled the boards with five straight rebounds (three offensive), changed the tempo of the game. Garrity and Evora did a great job and they took over in the second quarter.”