Coach John McNamara embraces daughter Erin (28 points) in closing minutes of state semifinal win over Archbishop Williams at the TD Garden.
(Boston) Pentucket played one of those, “How can anyone beat them?” games against Archbishop Williams at the TD Banknorth Garden on Tuesday afternoon and now get to move on to the state finals in Worcester on Saturday (10:45AM).
The final score was 62-37 and that margin accurately sums up the difference between the two teams on this day.
Tess Nogueira was part of the smothering Sachem defense that kept the ball away from 6-4 Valerie Driscoll (#33)
Pentucket frustrated the Archies with a fullcourt defense that kept the D3 South champs from organizing on the offensive end. The biggest fear the Sachems had going into this one was Valerie Driscoll (Michigan bound/ 6’4”).
No defensive scheme would save the Sachems if Valerie ended up with the ball down low. So, Pentucket applied pressure and more pressure anywhere someone had the ball and limited Valerie’s touches and points (6 points).
Meanwhile, Pentucket found open shots constantly and led by Erin McNamara (28 points) and Ashley Viselli (18 points) kept the scoreboard changing in their favor.
Erin McNamara defended by Aidan Duquette
Erin’s offensive game was particularly impressive. Her 28 points came on 9-for-14 shooting, including 5-for-7 on three’s and 5-for-5 from the foul line. She also handled the ball plenty and had just one turnover.
The Archies had their only lead of the game (5-4) thanks to Kayla Papazian’s layup. The next nine points belonged to Pentucket as Erin hit a three on a pass from Holly Jakobsons, Ashley connected on four free throws and Erin assisted on a Tess Nogueira layin. This spurt put Pentucket ahead 12-5 after five minutes of the first quarter. The Sachems led 19-11 at the end of the first period.
Pentucket went through a brutal first six minutes of the second quarter – fourteen possessions/two air balls/three points. If there was ever a time for the Archies it was during these six minutes and they did get back to 22-21 with the last basket coming on a putback by Erica Knowles.
Up to this point, Valerie Driscoll had hardly been a factor and still the Archies were close. The future didn’t appear all that promising for Pentucket.
However, the last eleven points of the first half were scored by Sachems. Erin assisted Ashley on a trey. Erin spun in and used her left hand for a layup-and-one. Nicole Viselli assisted Erin on a trey and Erin ended the run with another layup. The Sachems held a 33-21 lead at halftime.
Pentucket started the second half with four empty possessions but then followed that with four productive possessions (10 points) to gain a 43-25 led after four minutes.
During this run, Erin had a three (assisted by Emily Lane) and then had a block that led to a layin. Then Erin assisted Ashley on a trey and finally Sarah Higgins assisted on an Ashley layup. This segment took the starch out of the Archies. The lead after three was 49-31.
The Sachems continued to dominate on both ends in the final quarter. The Bishops didn’t score until the 2:13 mark while Pentucket registered eleven unanswered. Halfway through this quarter, Archies coach Jim Bancroft pulled all his starters and before the game ended two entire rosters got the chance to say that they’d played on the Garden floor.
Emily Lane, Ashley Viselli, Erin McNamara, and Holly Jakobsons celebrate at the end.
Singling out scorers for commendation is easy – just look at a box score. Defenders aren’t so easy, especially with Pentucket because they come at teams from so many angles with different players. A good trap in the backcourt could lead to a pass being intercepted by another player further down the court. It is a team concept and effective enough to have gotten Pentucket to the state D3 finals.
The Sachems forced fourteen first-half turnovers and kept the ball away from Valerie Driscoll. That’s pretty good defense in anyone’s book.
AW defeated Pentucket in 2007 and 2008 on their way to the state championships. They have won the D3 South title four straight years.
Excellent defense has been the Sachem standard all season. When their offense gets rolling, as it did versus AW, they are very difficult to deal with. One more win will confirm, as some of us suspect, that they’re the best team in all of D3.
(All stats are unofficial.)
McClelland Miscellanea 