Cohasset holds off Whalers in finale

By Allison Goldsmith
I&M Sports Editor

(March 11, 2010)Playing for the Division IV South title Saturday afternoon at UMass-Boston, the girls varsity basketball team showed resilience and pride as it stormed back from a 23-point deficit against Cohasset late in the fourth quarter. But in the end, it was too little, too-late, and the Whalers lost to the undefeated and top-ranked Skippers 58-49.

Nantucket, which fell behind in the second quarter, made big shots and hustle plays down the stretch, but eventually ran out of time as Cohasset held on to earn its second sectional title in three seasons.

“They are tough. They never quit. That is what I was most proud of. We didn’t give up. We could have easily let 18 get to 30 or 40 (points down), but they were up for the challenge,” head coach Willis Ferreira said.

The third-seeded Whalers, who came into the game riding a 19-game winning streak, closed out the season with a new team-record 21 wins to go along with only three losses.

Cohasset (25-0) defeated Manchester-Essex, 50-40, in the Eastern Mass Division IV Finals Tuesday at the TD Garden in Boston.

The Skippers – who beat Nantucket 57-21 in the Cohasset Christmas Tournament – proved quickly how they came into Saturday’s final with a perfect record and the top seed. Cohasset has height to control the inside and a well-rounded offensive attack, something the Whalers had not seen much of this season. The Skippers’ ability to make baskets kept Nantucket out of its rhythm running the floor. They took leading scorer Jess Halford out of the offense with solid defense and forced the Whalers into uncharacteristic mistakes and too many fouls.

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