Unbeaten Andover hands Medfield first loss
WOBURN >> Faced with yet another elite scorer to slow down in a battle of unbeatens Monday afternoon, the Andover girls basketball team delivered one of its best defensive performances to close out its regular season as IAAOB 27 Comcast Tournament champions.
Star scorer Kate Olenik — coming off a 33-point outing in the tourney’s first round — looked like she was in for another big game for Medfield by starting off with four points out of the gate. But that’s all the Golden Warriors (22-0) would allow the senior, using their size and athleticism to force others to step up in a 55-44 win over the Warriors (19-1) in the tournament’s Richard Antonelli bracket.
Marissa Kobelski and Michaela Buckley starred as Olenik’s primary defenders, while well-rounded performances from Amelia Hanscom (18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals) and Anna Foley (18 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three blocks) were other signature catalysts.
“Defensively, we came out real well,” said Golden Warriors head coach Alan Hibino. “I thought we left a few points on the board in the first half. … In the second half, we just made a commitment to doing what we do. That meant just executing our stuff offensively and getting stops defensively.” With a clear focus on ball movement and working their way into the paint as much as possible, the Golden Warriors gave Medfield fits trying to slow down Foley and her arsenal of weapons to pass to. Running the offense through the 6-foot-3 senior helped Andover grind its way to a seven-point halftime lead before finding its true rhythm in the third quarter.
Hanscom — who had just four points in the first half — kicked into another gear in the frame, scoring eight points and moved the ball well within the offense. Whenever Medfield produced misses, the Golden Warriors extended possessions with four of their 13 offensive rebounds.
Despite 5-for-20 3-point shooting, Medfield still found a way to stay afloat. Annie Stanton took over as primary scorer with 17 hard-fought points, aided by seven points each from Izzy Kittredge and Tess Baacke. A four-point swing from Stanton even pulled the resilient Warriors to within nine with just under six minutes left, but Hanscom exploded again within a 9-0 run to all but seal the win.
A similar fight came in the second final within the Comcast Tournament’s doubleheader, only Wachusett came much closer to pulling off a major comeback.
As part of a classic backand-forth between state title contenders, Walpole saw a comfortable, nine-point lead it built with under two minutes to go nearly evaporate when clutch shooting and a full-court press helped the Mountaineers cut the advantage to three points and a chance for a tie. But the Timberwolves (18-2) clamped down on the final attempt to seal a suspenseful, 56-53 win.
“We’ve got to learn how to play in situations like that, I thought they did well,” said Walpole head coach Dave Wall. “That was a fun game. Not going to get a much better tune-up. … When it’s a couple good teams going at it, no one’s going to quit. My whole thing is, ‘How do you respond, good or bad?’”
For every run Izzy Adams (25 points, 15 rebounds, three steals) led the Timberwolves on with their typical fast-paced play, Mary Gibbons (22 points) and Wachusett (18-2) bounced back. Chaos-inducing defenses led to a combined 35 turnovers and 25 steals, as both teams pushed the tempo and fought off opposing runs.
It seemed that after ending each quarter down by no more than eight points, Wachusett was finally spent when the Timberwolves jumped up by 11 points with less than three minutes to go. Chloe Bindon (10 points) and Brooke Walonis (seven points, seven rebounds) had contributed toward a very deep effort for Walpole, and the Mountaineers were fading.
But after Rileigh Leary (15 points) sank a 3-pointer with 23 seconds to go, Emerson Allyn’s steal and quick layup in the full-court press cut Wachusett’s deficit to 55-51. A Walpole missed free throw helped it split that deficit in half just three seconds later, and another missed free throw gave the Mountaineers the ball with 10 seconds left in a threepoint game.
The Timberwolves forced the ball out of primary shooter Gibbons’ hands and prevented Leary from getting it, leaving Allyn’s last bid from deep no good to secure one last win before the state tournament starts.