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March 9, 2009

Georgetown falls at Garden, but achieves five-year goal

Dan Guttenplan

BOSTON — The cornerstones of the Georgetown basketball program — Taryn O’Connell and Haley Gisonno — tearfully exited the TD Banknorth Garden floor yesterday afternoon with 1:47 remaining in their team’s pending loss to Millis in the Division 4 state-title game.

O’Connell, the leading scorer and rebounder in program history, earned one final ovation from the swarm of Georgetown High students and parents as she made her way to the bench. Gisonno, who returned from a torn ACL that sidelined her for the first eight games this season, received hugs from many of the coaches and players.

Georgetown’s 60-43 loss to state champion Millis surely stung in the moments following the game when the girls answered questions in the media room at the Garden. But the girls had completed a journey that started five years ago when they joined the last Georgetown team to appear in the Garden as seventh-graders in 2004.

“When they were in seventh grade, they were awestruck watching us,” Georgetown coach BarriAnn Alonzo said. “They watched our entire journey, and they decided they’d be the next team to come back to the Garden. They did it. That’s a six-year accomplishment.”

O’Connell and Gisonno and five other seniors — Shannon Hartford, Maria DeGenova, Gina DeGenova, Courtney O’Brien and Kelly Gillen — led a team that, like the 2004 Royals, saw its season fall one win shy of a state title. Gisonno, who tallied statistics for the Royals in the 2004 state-title game, was the team’s statistical leader in yesterday’s game with 13 points.

“When I came here and did the book in seventh grade, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world,” Gisonno said. “(Alonzo) said, ‘You’ll play here when you’re a senior.’ Just to be here with Miss Alonzo and the whole team, my best friends, it made it so much better to actually play and not just be here to tag along as a seventh-grader.”

The Royals earned the right to return to the Garden after a Cinderella-like run through the Division 4 North bracket as the No. 14 seed. They posted four consecutive victories over higher-seeded teams. In the sectional final against top-seeded New Mission, O’Connell and Gisonno combined for 50 points and 31 rebounds.

“We’ve always wanted to go to the Garden,” O’Connell said. “When we finally made it, we had to ask ourselves — Are we actually going, or are we just saying this? We’re finally here, so this was fun.”

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Georgetown High School

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