CAMBRIDGE — There wasn’t any talk of hoping to make the playoffs in the Milton girls basketball program back during the fall. With a veteran team that returned 12 players from last season, first-year head coach Charlie Drane made going to the playoffs the expectation.
“Let’s not even pretend we may or may not (make the playoffs),” Drane said. “We are going to the tournament.”
Even though the Wildcats came off a 7-14 season, Drane didn’t think making the postseason was a bold claim. He saw the talent at his disposal.
And on Monday, his statement was proven correct.
Needing a win in either of its final two games to guarantee a postseason spot, Milton punched its ticket to the state tourney after beating Cambridge Rindge & Latin, 42-32.
The win improved Milton’s record to 11-9, ensuring a winning record required for an automatic qualifier for the Division II state tournament. The Wildcats last made the tournament in 2018 as the 16-seed in the South sectionals.
“The talent has gotten progressively better. It’s not just one thing,” he said. “They had been building over the last few years. It’s good to them to finally get to the tournament.”
Senior captains Grace Pater and Victoria Fish did the heavy lifting on offense against an aggressive Falcons team.
Pater’s 14 points were all scored in the first and fourth quarters. She dropped eight early points as Milton held a 16-3 lead after the first quarter. After Cambridge Rindge & Latin closed the score to 35-32 in the final frame, she scored three consecutive baskets in transition to put things out of reach.
Fish had 12 points of her own. She also swatted multiple shots on the defensive end. A four-year varsity player, Fish went through tough times with the program. The Wildcats went a combined 18-44 in her first three seasons, including a nine-game losing-streak her sophomore year.
“I took it as motivation for me,” Fish said. “I really wanted to leave high school making a tournament, just because it feels like success. Every year we’ve grown a little more.”
While the talent from the seven-win season remained the same, the added experience of playing together for another season help the Wildcats grow as a unit.
Not only does Fish get to lead the Wildcats in the tournament for the first time this decade, she gets to do it with her younger sister Sophie at her side.
“I’ve grown up playing with her since the little kid league,” Fish said. “We have great chemistry, and I’m glad it worked out for us.”
Given the tough schedule with the Bay State Conference, Drane knew Milton had a good shot to make the postseason even if the team was under .500. But the Wildcats more than held their own, going 7-6 in the league, including a win at Needham in January.
“I don’t know the last time we went .500 in the conference,” Drane said. “There wasn’t a game we were blown out start to finish. Every game we competed and fought hard.”
Now with the playoff spot in-hand, Milton hopes to improve its seeding in its season finale at Boston Latin on Wednesday. The Wildcats are ranked 25th in the MIAA Power Rankings.
At its best, Milton can hang around with D-I powerhouses like Needham, Natick and Braintree. The Wildcats also lost by nine to Walpole earlier in the season.
While the team will shift its focus to a deep playoff run, the Wildcats relished the moment after the final buzzer, knowing they helped change the direction of the program.
“This was goal we always aimed to reach,” Fish said. “Now that we achieved it, it feels great.”
