Jewel shines in the fourth; Doherty halts Naps' rally.

• Position: SPORTS

Byline: Craig Holt

WORCESTER - The Doherty girls' basketball team played solidly for three quarters during last night's game with rival Holy Name. But the fourth quarter was a different story.

No.6 Holy Name, which trailed by 16 points late in the third period, stormed back in the final stanza. However, the Highlanders had Jewel White and the senior center delivered, hitting two clutch free throws with 1:21 to go to help defuse the Naps' resurgence and spark Doherty to a hard-fought, 54-53 home victory.

The No. 7 Highlanders, who never trailed, improved to 5-2. Holy Name, the defending Central Mass. Division 1 champion, slipped to 4-3.

"We've got a good team, but if you want to do anything, Holy Name is on the list, so this is a good win for us," Doherty coach Jim Reynolds said. "But if we want to be a better team, we've got to be smarter. There's been a couple of close games now where we've lost our composure in the fourth quarter. We missed some crucial free throws, but we've got to be able to put four quarters together. I'm pleased to get the win, but it wasn't easy."

White led the victors with 17 points, including 9 from the free-throw line. She was particularly tough in the paint, where she frequently put the ball on the floor and got fouled as she spun to the basket. Senior guard Diamond Powell added 10 points, while sophomore forward Tatiana Mojica came off the bench to score 9.

The Naps got outstanding games from senior Ryan Weekes and junior Hailey Rafferty. Both girls scored 16 points and both hit 8 free throws. Senior center Brittany Langford added 8 points.

Doherty was hurt by poor shooting and turnovers in the fourth quarter. The Highlanders were outscored, 20-6, and sank just one field goal, an Alayna White layup.

Holy Name used an 8-0 spurt to close to 52-51 with 1:30 remaining. Sophomore point-guard Anh-Dao Tran drained two hoops while Langford scored from in close. Rafferty added two...