BROCKTON — Bridgewater-Raynham’s Bella Antonageli was brilliant last night in the Trojans’ home gymnastics meet against Barnstable High.
Just not brilliant enough to singlehandedly upset the defending Massachusetts State Champions.
Tali Twomey turned in a handful of clutch performances last night to help the defending state chamnpion Red Raiders to victory over B-R.
Sean Walsh/capecod.com sports
Antonageli took home first place finishes in every single event, but it was the undefeated Barnstable Red Raiders (9-0) that stayed as such, capturing their ninth straight victory, 143.9-136.5.
Antonageli took first place in the All-Around with a score of 9.4, the vault with a score of 9.4, the uneven bars with a 9.6, and both the beam and floor routines with a 9.4 on each.
What set Barnstable ahead of its hosts was that Barnstable took every other place in the meet.
Sophomore Lauren Hansen and junior Tali Twomey each scored 9.2’s in the All-Around, falling behind Antonageli tied for second place and in the vault it was junior Kayla Myrbeck (9.2) and Hansen (9.1), again, in second and third place.
Antonageli’s 9.6 score in the uneven bars may have been incredible, but again Hansen held her own with a 9.4, as did Twomey with a 9.3. At this point in the meet, things really started to add up for the Red Raiders, in spite of Antonageli’s repeated successes. The difference-maker, Barnstable assistant coach Jillian Pacheco said, was the Red Raiders’ performance on the balance beam. The beam had been Barnstable’s weakness up until last night.
“Tonight the girls really did a great job on the beam,” Pacheco said. “It made a big difference in the night. I am proud of them because yesterday’s practice we were really hard on them.”
Antonageli took first place on the beam with a 9.4, but Abigail Chetwynd took a critical second place. Bridgewater-Raynham’s Nina Petti took third place at 9.2.
Barnstable salvaged the victory by taking home second and third place finishes in the floor routine, with Antonageli scoring yet another 9.4 and Hansen and Twomey tying once again for second place with identical 9.2’s.
Pacheco said she was not fully certain but thought it was possibly the first high school gymnastics meet she has ever been a part of where one competitor took home first place in every meet event.
Barnstable next faces a tough Falmouth/Mashpee team tomorrow night, Thursday, Jan. 15 at home at 8:00 pm.
“It will be a good one,” Pacheco said.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm
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