By Allison Goldsmith
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Photo by Jim Powers
Maryann Bradley brings the ball up-court against
Groton/Dunstable during a scrimmage on Saturday. |
I&M Sports Editor
The girls varsity basketball team opened its season with a 48-42 victory over Division II Dennis-Yarmouth Tuesday.
The Division IV Whalers (1-0) streaked to a 10-point lead at halftime with an aggressive style of defense. But an inability to put the ball in the basket consistently allowed the Dolphins to remain within striking distance.
Nantucket hit key free throws down the stretch to protect the lead and earn the win.
“We had our moments. We looked good at times and struggled at times. It was the first game and those things happen. It was definitely a good test for us and I am happy to walk out of there with a win,” head coach Willis Ferreira said.
The Whalers will travel to West Bridgewater on Friday before hosting the home opener on Saturday at 1 p.m. against South Shore.
Against Dennis-Yarmouth on Tuesday, freshman Shantel Hanniford led the Whalers with 13 points, including 12 in the first half. Angela Paterson scored 11 in the game, picking up two three-point shots in the first half. Mandy Cahill had a strong game under the basket with six points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots. Aileen Fredericks added eight points, while Calli Moore scored six, including four big free throws down the stretch to keep the lead.
The Whalers have not faced Dennis-Yarmouth in recent years, but added the larger school to the schedule early in the season as a challenge.
“We tried to schedule them to toughen our schedule up a little bit. Some of our league teams aren’t as tough. I think maybe they are down a little bit, but they were good athletic kids and it is good to play in that environment,” Ferreira said. “That is a good win for our program. We can go to the Cape and play with the big boys. We are so young and inexperienced right now, to get out of there with a win is just a positive thing for us.”
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Photo by Jim Powers
Whitney Butler goes a shot in girls basketball scrimmage against Groton/Dunstable on Saturday, Dec. 9 |
Nantucket fell behind early, but a wholesale substitution of all five players on the court brought new life to the Whalers’ offense. The new line-up reeled off a 14-5 run over five minutes to take the lead at 18-12 with six minutes remaining in the half.
“That group did a good job getting out and running the break,” Ferreira said.
The Whalers held a 29-19 lead at the half.
“We were up 10 at the half and let them back in the game. I would have liked to come out in that second half and get that lead to 16 to 20. We just got off to a slow start and they crept back in,” Ferreira said.
Despite the inability to break the game open, the aggressive Whalers’ defense kept the pesky Dolphins at bay.
“We have been working on it in the past two weeks and we got better at it today. It is just a matter of playing hard and working hard. To be able to play 10 players is a positive. To get to the bench and get fresh legs in there helps us,” Ferreira said.
The Whalers picked off 27 steals from Dolphin players, but turned the ball over 26 times themselves. The Dolphins hit big shots late in the half including a layup and a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two points, but the Whalers hit their free throws at the end to seal the game.
Pre-season test
The Whalers played their second scrimmage of the season at home against an athletic Groton/Dunstable squad on Saturday. The dueling teams played two 16-minute halves followed by two more 10-minute periods.
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Photo by Jim Powers
Angela Patterson goes for the shot in the girls basketball scrimmage against Groton Dunstable on Saturday, Dec. 9. |
The Crusaders brought a tough defense against the Whalers, which was a good warm-up for Tuesday’s match against Dennis-Yarmouth.
“I thought they were aggressive. They played the type of defense that was good for us. It was good to see that you can’t practice that tenaciousness. I thought it was good for us to see that you can’t put the ball out front or they will just take it from us,” Ferreira said.
Ferreira made sure all 13 varsity players saw significant time on the court in preparation for Tuesday’s season opener. The Whalers kept pace with the Division II program out of Central Mass. for much of the game.
“I saw a lot of good things and I saw a lot of
things we need to work on, especially with the younger players,” Ferreira said.
Nantucket struggled with the Crusaders press as Groton/Dunstable scored a number of points off steals, but Ferreira attributed the difficulties to the combination of personnel on the court. The Whalers were also playing in the Cyrus Peirce middle school gym, which is noticeably smaller than the high school court.
“I thought we did a good job of handling it for the most part. We made plays and we scored enough,” Ferreira said. “I really liked the fact that everyone that went in just played hard. No one got frustrated.”
Hanniford led the Whalers in scoring with 12 points, while classmate Johnica Farmer chipped in with 10 points. Fredericks knocked down eight points and Paterson scored seven. Whitney Butler, Moore and Parinda Darden scored four points each, while Erin Lindsay, Cahill and Maryann Bradley added two points each.
Reach Allison Goldsmith at sports@inkym.com |
