The Old Rochester Regional High School gym was packed for a doubleheader basketball game against Wareham Saturday, Dec. 27. The Lady Bulldogs took on the Lady Vikings in the first clash of the night, defeating them 38-37.

The Bulldogs were dominant in the first quarter. By the quarter’s end, they had jumped out to a 10-4 lead. In the second quarter, the Lady Vikings caught up to within 3 points. When halftime began, ORR was hanging on to a 21-18 lead. The Lady Bulldogs maintained a thin margin of a lead all the way through the third quarter. But, 20 seconds into the fourth quarter, Wareham took its first lead of the game.

Throughout the final quarter, the lead seesawed back and forth. With less than a minute left, the game was tied. As the final seconds of the game ticked down with Wareham in the lead by one, senior tri-captain Kaleigh Goulart drove to the basket on a fast break. She was fouled and went to the line with the chance to give ORR a lead. Goulart sunk both free throws to put the Bulldogs up by one. The Vikings had seven seconds to win, but were unable to score.

The clutch foul shots Goulart made were just two of her total 17 points.  Goulart was the only senior to play to the end of the game. Senior tri-captain Morgan Browning fouled out earlier in the fourth quarter and senior tri-captain Ashley Pacheco sat out all game with a concussion. As the playing time of the seniors decreased, the underclassmen stepped up and contributed to the win, said Coach Bob Hohne.

“This win was rewarding because young players continued to play well under pressure and rose to the top,” he said.

The Lady Bulldogs next game is Saturday, Jan. 3 at home.