The Wilbraham & Monson Academy Girls' Basketball team is at the all-or-nothing portion of the season.
In their playoff opener, the Titans took it all.
Kayla Mokwuah '18 scored 17 points and WMA never let Kimball Union Academy get into an offensive flow as the host Titans posted a 56-41 victory in a New England Class C quarterfinal matchup March 1.
"In my third year as a coach, I couldn't be more proud," Coach Durelle Brown said. "This is what I expected. It's one thing to expect it but it's harder to make it actually happen.
"The girls deserve all the credit in the world. They take a tongue lashing from Coach (Janae) Jones and I, and trying to get them to mentally prepare to play in a harsh environment, playing tough games, and playing games that mean a lot. We have a saying right now, 'pressure is a privilege.' It's a privilege to know you have to win a game."
The win launched the third-seeded Titans (17-4) into the semifinal round, which will be played Saturday at a site and time yet to be determined.
WMA's man-to-man defense held sixth-seeded Kimball scoreless for the first nine minutes, and the Titans. The Academy received back-to-back baskets by Kayla and Katie Cronin '17 to open the second half and KUA never seriously threatened the rest of the way.
"Defensively, we locked down on their best player," said Kayla, who once again dominated the defensive paint. "We minimized her and their runs. We shared the ball really well, got the ball inside, and dominated the boards."
Meera Miller '17 scored 12 points for WMA, Courtney Thrun '17 added nine and Leilani Bennett '19 eight in the quarterfinal win.
"This is huge," Coach Brown added. "This is the playoffs. We aren't going to have pretty wins. Toward the end of the game I don't think we felt we could celebrate because we didn't finish the best way. But when the program gets a postseason win, that's huge."