By Dean Geddes
I&M Staff Writer
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Photo by Jim Powers
Nantucket’s Mandy Cahill, right, and Easthampton’s Katelyn Barrikko fight for a rebound in the first half of Saturday’s game. Easthampton beat the Whalers 56-41.
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The Whalers are off to a quick start early in the season after two wins in the past eight days.
Nantucket (3-1, 0-0 Lighthouse Conference) beat Chatham 36-35 in a nail-biter last Wednesday before falling to Easthampton 56-41 Saturday. The Whalers then rebounded to beat Cohassett 49-36 on Monday.
On Monday, Evie O’Connor, Aislinn Dugan and Angela Paterson each had 12 points in Nantucket’s victory over the Skippers.
The Whalers were 18 for 22 from the free-throw line, and perfect in the second half, converting on all 11 they attempted.
“That really helped us get the lead and keep it,” head coach Willis Ferreira said. “Free throws are something we have struggled with over the past couple years.”
The Whalers trailed 10-4 early in the game, when Paterson scored eight points in row – a pair of three-pointers and a baseline jumper – that gave the Whalers a 12-10 lead.
The Whalers shifted to their 2-3 zone early in the first half and found it to be a successful way of stopping Cohasset’s offense. This was the first time the girls had played zone defense and Ferreira was impressed with the results.
The Whalers had 12 steals in the game. O’Connor led the team with four.
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Photo by Jim Powers
Nantucket's Anna Burnham passes the ball in the first half of Saturday's game against Easthampton. |
“The zone defense allowed us to play Mandy (Cahill) and Whitney (Butler) a lot, and they dominated the boards,” Ferreira said.
Butler finished the game with 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. Cahill had 11 rebounds and three blocks.
The Whalers took a 21-18 lead into the half, and extended it to 34-26 about midway through the second half.
Cohassett then went on a 6-0 run to pull within two with about five minutes left to go in the game.
But the Whalers made their free throws and their zone defense only allowed Cohassett four points in the final five minutes of the game.
The win improved the Whalers’ record to 3-1 on the season, and a perfect 3-0 on the road. The three teams they have beaten so far this season – South Shore Voke, Chatham and Cohassett – are all teams they lost to last year.
The girls’ next game is Saturday, Jan. 7 when they look to maintain their perfect road record against Norfolk County Agricultural High School.
Shot down
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Photo by Jim Powers
Nantucket’s Ashley Stetson looks to unload the ball during the second half of the Whalers’ loss to Easthampton Saturday at home. |
The Whalers couldn’t keep pace with a sharp-shooting Easthampton squad in a 56-41 loss at home on Saturday.
The girls tied the game at seven five minutes into the first half on Paterson’s jump shot. The Eagles answered right back with a fast-break layup, taking a two-point lead they would slowly extend the rest of the game.
Six minutes into the game, Easthampton began running a full-court press that gave the Whalers problems, resulting in turnovers and easy baskets for the Eagles.
“Our passing wasn’t good,” Ferreira said. “We made lazy passes that they were able to get their hands on.”
Nantucket was trailing 21-15 when Dugan got fouled, putting the Whalers in the double bonus and forcing Easthampton to stop the press for the remainder of the half.
Dugan made both of her free-throws and on the next offensive series, Paterson found her under the basket for a layup and the foul.
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Photo by Jim Powers
Nantucket's Cassie Moran, left, looks to pass around Easthampton's Stephanie White in the first half of Saturday's game. |
Dugan made the free-throw to convert the three-point play and bring the Whalers to within three with 3:22 left in the first half.
But the Whalers were outscored 10-3 in the final minutes of the half and Easthampton went into half-time leading 33-23.
In the first half, the Whalers were six of 13 from the free-throw line, while Easthampton made 17 of 21 from the charity stripe.
Eagle sophomore guard Stephanie White was a perfect 11 for 11 from the line.
In the second half, the Whalers struggled on the boards and couldn’t cut the lead to less than eight points.
Eagle’s head coach Amanda Kemp said her team worked hard all game and played “extremely aggressive.” She was happy with her team’s free-throw shooting, specifically White’s.
Mandy Cahill was the only Whaler who could get anything going on the glass,
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Photo by Jim Powers
Nantucket's Alleen Fredericks drives to the hoop in the second half of the game against Easthampton on Saturday. |
finishing the game with a team high 12 rebounds, five on the offensive glass.
Paterson led the Whalers with 11 points and four assists, and Cahill chipped in with six and also had three blocks.
“We weren’t able to do what we wanted to do,” Ferreira said. “It was just one of those days.”
Last Wednesday, Paterson’s 13 points helped the Whalers beat Chatham 36-35. |
