Panthers complete repeat
SPRINGFIELD — After a nail-biting win in the state championship game a year ago, the Cathedral girls
CATHEDRAL 61 QUABOAG 32
basketball team made sure there was no real drama this time around.
The Panthers raced out to an early lead and never looked back as Cathedral rolled to its second consecutive Division 4 state championship with a 61-32 win over Quaboag yesterday at Springfield College.
“The first time we were here, we came out nervous,” Panthers coach Clinton Lassiter said. “Having that experience from last year, we were a little more poised, aside from our freshmen, who almost threw up before the game.”
One of those freshmen was forward Mackenzie Daleba, and she was instrumental in the Panthers’ hot start. Daleba scored 12 of her game-high 16 points in the first eight minutes of the game and grabbed seven early rebounds to help Cathedral (19-4) clean up the glass in the first half.
“I think because she was so nervous, her jitters took her to the right place,” Lassiter said.
“She’s big, she’s strong, she’s aggressive,” Quaboag coach Clifford Lanier said of Daleba. “She’s going to be a great player, no doubt about it.”
Daleba finished with 11 boards and senior center Masseny Kaba was the other half of the Panthers dominant 1-2 punch down low. Kaba also notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and most of her production came in the first half as well.
A stifling press gave Quaboag (18-7) fits early in the game. Cathedral guards Dejah Jenkins (10 points), Amani Boston and Lara Matos spearheaded the full-court trap and helped the Panthers force double-digit turnovers in the first half.
“As of late, that’s been our staple: Running, pressing and rebounding,” Lassiter said.
The Panthers had all three factors rolling yesterday, and a 13-2 run to start the third quarter gave Cathedral a 51-17 lead just minutes into the second half. At that point Lassiter started to empty the bench, and every Panther dressed for the game saw action as Cathedral counted down the final minutes of its championship repeat.
Senior Alexia Paquette led Quaboag with 13 points and also added four rebounds in the losing effort.