Tewksbury's Sarah Boudreau makes her mark with the red-hot Owls
February 20, 2009
Lowell Sun Sports
Sarah Boudreau is a champion.
The Westfield State College women's basketball team is in the process of putting together one of the best records in program history -- having recently clinched the MASCAC regular season title -- and a huge part of the Owls' success rests with Tewksbury's talented Boudreau.
The 5-foot-6 junior, WSC's starting point-guard, is a co-captain and consistent Dean's List student.
Westfield is 20-3 overall with 11 straight wins and an 11-0 record in MASCAC play.
There is just one pre-tournament game left versus Fitchburg State on Saturday, when the team will show support for the fight to put an end to breast cancer by wearing pink.
For the 23 games to date, Boudreau boasts 22 starts (she missed one game with the flu), 620 minutes played, exactly 100 points, 69 rebounds, 58 assists, 40 steals and 6 blocked shots as the team quarterback.
During one glowing stretch late last month, Sarah contributed 10 points and turned the ball over only once in a 72-53 win over Bridgewater State, added a flawless floor game (no turnovers) and netted 15 points (8-for-8 free throws) in a 74-62 victory over Fitchburg State and had 6 points, 6 assists, no turnovers in 26 minutes as WSC beat Framingham State, 64-44.
Coach Andrea Bertini understandably can't stop raving about No. 32, one of nine underclassmen on the Owls' roster.
"Sarah has been starting for us since she was a freshman," noted the veteran coach earlier this week. "She is a tremendous ball handler, an even better defender and an unbelievable leader. She is one of those players that -- as a coach -- you hope to have more than once in a career.
"She has a very high basketball IQ. She is an extension of the coaching staff on the floor. Sarah does a great job not only keeping herself composed but her teammates as well."
"Sarah also works relentlessly in practice," noted Bertini. "She never takes a drill off. She plays just as hard in practice as she does in a game. She's very internally motivated to be the best student and the best player she can be every day. I couldn't ask for a more genuine, hard-working team-oriented player at point guard.
"(Obviously), I could rave about Sarah all day," concluded her coach.
Boudreau comes from an athletically oriented family and wanted to emulate her role-model older siblings.
Brothers Tim and Mark were both multisport standouts at Tewksbury High, while sister Leah played soccer. Tim went on to play at Northeastern and Mark at MIT.
Her father, Jim, is a world-class drag racer who has been plying that trade for four decades and has held numerous world and national timing records while competing all over the country. Her mother, Martha, is a retired Wilmington High schoolteacher.
Her parents attend most of the games played in Eastern Mass. and often travel out to Westfield home games .
Jim, who is still very busy on the race circuit, is planning to go to the ACDelco Gatornationals, in Gainesville, Fla. in March. He also hopes to compete at several other top events in the East and Midwest.
Sarah applied to only Division 3 colleges because the former Tewksbury High hoop standout and captain knew she could play at that level -- and she selected Westfield because of its great Elementary Education program.
The year she arrived at WSC the starting point-guard graduated -- helping pave the way for Sarah to step in and start immediately.
The No. 32 jersey is significant because Tim and Mark also wore it.