Tess Backe gets her moment in Medfield basketball state title 3-peat
· Yahoo Sports
LOWELL — Tess Backe hugged Naya Annigeri close and looked up. Two of Medfield's girls basketball captains embraced with time on the clock in Friday's Division 2 state championship game against St. Mary's but the job finished. Annigeri smiled broadly under the bright lights.
The Warriors led by more than 30. The bench emptied, so the starters sat together and absorbed the scene.
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"Today was just playing with my best friends. She has been there for so much — three years, I don't know what I would do without her," Baacke said.
Raising a third straight state championship trophy became a matter of waiting. Many of them experienced it before. Some knew the feeling twice.
"Every single year we try and aim for a state championship, but this year felt different," Baacke said.
Medfield coach Mark Nickerson tells the Warriors every game they have a target on their back. The words aren't empty. Medfield won 30 consecutive games entering Friday's final. None of their 24 wins this season finished with a single-digit margin.
The championship didn't either. The top-seeded Warriors completed a 24-0 season with a 72-38 win against the No. 3 Spartans. They trailed 4-3 with 4 minutes, 36 seconds left in the first quarter then ripped off a 9-0 run. The lead grew to 20 wtih 2:35 left in the third quarter and 30 with 4:53 left.
The public address system blared Eifel 65's Blue (Da Ba Dee) during the home stretch because it was all Big Blue.
Once the clock hit all zeroes, the Warriors waited for their medals and received the trophy, posing for a photo. Once they were released, Baacke weaved through cheerleaders, chairs and media members to reach the Medfield student section. She hoisted it above her head then fell backward into them.
"The past two state championships I've been the person that's just with the team. It was truly awesome," Baacke said.
Baacke scored 17 points, tied with Annigeri for second on the team. Abby Broderick led Medfield with 25. It was a rare scoring outburst for the senior captain, who usually defers to teammates and gets them involved.
"Tess doesn't get enough credit. She's a great defender. She's the heart and soul of her team," Nickerson said. "Everybody takes from her lead."
Baacke put up 29 points on senior night, and Nickerson told her, "You can do that every night, but it's a credit to you that you don't."
"She's a real team player. That's a special thing," Nickerson said. "Not everybody knows her story. She is a special person, and she's gone through some really difficult stuff and come out stronger for it."
Her mom Tara Baacke died of brain cancer when she was seven years old in 2016.
"I have my family here behind me and I have my amazing team, and I don't know what I would do without them," Tess Baacke said. "I can always lean on them, and Medfield is such an awesome community that whenever you're down, they're always be there to help you."
She repaid that support by lifting the community and raising another trophy. They embraced her the same way.
"I'm going to be looking back at that memory for the rest of my life," Baacke said. "This is one of the most exciting moments of my life, especially doing it with this team."
Contact Kyle Grabowski at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Medfield girls basketball's 'heart and soul' Tess Backe soaks in 3-peat