By Allison Goldsmith
I&M Sports Editor
The girls basketball team took another step in the right direction Tuesday, defeating Lighthouse Conference rival Cape Cod Academy in the first league game of the season, 65-36. With the win the Whalers also improved to a perfect 6-0 on the season.
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Photo by Nicole Harnishfeger
Bianca Brown goes up for the basket against Cape Cod Academy’s Mollie Kinlin during Tuesday’s 65-36 win. The first-year varsity player scored nine points to go along with seven rebounds and one block. |
“It feels good. I think all of our wins are important. We want to win our league first and then have the best record we possibly can,” head coach Willis Ferreira said.
Nantucket has an important week of games coming up, with challenging match-ups against Chatham at home Friday and Dennis-Yarmouth on the road Tuesday. The Whalers will also host a rematch against Norfolk Saturday.
“Chatham is important. Chatham will let us know where we stand,” Ferreira said.
On Tuesday the Whalers dominated the visiting Seahawks, who fell to 2-5 overall this season. The starters took charge early, going up 33-2 before giving way to the bench by the second quarter.
“A lot of kids played and we got to see things we don’t get to see all of the time,” Ferreira said, regarding the playing time seen by the bench Tuesday. “The effort is always there. They always play hard and pretty much know what they are doing out there.”
In the first quarter Angela Paterson picked off five steals that translated into points for the Whalers. She dished off three assists to Aileen Fredericks for a quick six points and took two to the hoop herself as Nantucket exploded to the early lead. Whitney Butler and Bianca Brown worked the boards with a combined 10 points off offensive rebounds.
Butler finished with a game-high 10 rebounds, while Brown pulled down seven.
In the second quarter Ashley Clinger took over underneath, scoring six of her season-high 12 points to go along with three rebounds.
“Once we got going we didn’t miss many baskets today. In the first half we made almost everything we threw up there,” Ferreira said.
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Photo by Nicole Harnishfeger
Mandy Cahill looks to the hoop during Tuesday’s win over Lighthouse Conference foe Cape Cod Academy. |
The Whalers led 27-2 lead after the first quarter and 40-15 at the break.
Paterson got things going out of the half with a three-pointer to start off scoring for Nantucket followed by baskets from Fredericks, Mandy Cahill and Butler off smart passing before the starters were done for the day.
“I like the bench. I don’t know if it’s as good as it was a year ago, but it is getting closer,” Ferreira said.
Stephanie Espinoza, Grace-Anne Tornovish and Parinda Darden scored points off the bench.
Cape Cod Academy scored only four points late in the third quarter, but almost doubled their total point output with 17 points in the final eight minutes of the game, including three straight three-pointers.
Paterson paced the Whalers with 15 points, seven steals and five assists. Butler and Brown each scored nine, while Fredericks chipped in with eight points. Cassie Moran and Lindsay Fry had four assists each.
Cape Cod Academy center Mollie Kinlin led the way with a game-high 17 points, while Alie McGraw picked up 12 points, including three three-point shots, and Kendra Hickman knocked down seven.
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