Medfield making its point as No. 1
Top-seeded Medfield may have been winning at halftime, but all the momentum belonged to the visitors from Norwood in Friday night’s MIAA Division 2 girls’ basketball quarterfinal.
The ninth-seeded Mustangs had just held their Tri-Valley League rival to one field goal in the second quarter and clawed back into the contest after allowing the first 11 points of the game.
But the way Medfield came out of the half showed what makes them so dangerous. Forcing turnovers, getting out in transition, and getting contributions from others let the Warriors pull away for a 57-43 win to earn a spot in the semifinals against an Oliver Ames squad they defeated by 19 in December.
“Quite honestly, we were in a panic. They made us panic. Their pressure made us panic,” said Medfield coach Mark Nickerson, whose squad won each of the two regular season meetings by 27 points.
The halftime break was just what the Warriors needed.
“We really needed to take a deep breath,” said sophomore forward Izzy Kittredge, who scored eight of her team-high 15 points in the opening quarter that saw Medfield lead, 19-7. “In the second half, we really talked more and played more together.”
Norwood senior Tricia Wladowski led all scorers (19 points).
Division 1 State
Bishop Feehan 75, Lexington 26
— Senior Julia Webster delivered a 23-point, 12-rebound doubledouble to power the No. 1 Shamrocks (19-4) to the quarterfinal win. Junior Maddy Steel added 20 points via six 3-pointers, junior Lilly Singer provided 10 points and six rebounds, and junior Charlotte Adams-Lopez dished out 10 assists in the triumph. The Shamrocks held No. 8 Lexington (18-5) to just four points across the second and third quarters. Division 3 State
Foxborough 78, Pentucket 48 —
Behind a balanced attack led by Addie Ruter, the No. 1 Warriors (22-2) picked up the quarterfinal victory. Ruter had a game-high 23 points, Kailey Sullivan supplied 21, and Camryn Collins had 17 for Foxborough, which had nine players score.
The defending Division 2 champions led by 13 at the half, but pulled away with a dominant third quarter, outscoring Pentucket (22-1), 26-6, in the frame.
Medway 41, Newburyport 34 — Ellie Copeland, Olivia Melanson, Victoria Bullard, and Anna Freeman all scored nine points for the third-seeded Mustangs (19-4) in the quarterfinal win.
Norwell 62, Sandwich 40 — The South Shore League rivals entered their quarterfinal with only one loss apiece — against each other. In the third meeting, the second-seeded Clippers (22-1) left no doubt, pulling away from the seventh-seeded Knights (21-2) late in the first half for a convincing win at home.
Norwell junior captain Reagan Dowd (21 points) had the hot hand from her first shot. Dowd canned her first four 3point looks in the first half as the Clippers sliced up a Sandwich defense that stifled opponents all season. They pushed the ball up early to avoid a swarming press, and Maddie Oliver (11 points) collapsed a tough zone with her drives to hit cutters like freshman Alex Cassidy (11 points) for layups.
St. Mary’s 47, Hanover 31 — Sophomore Jillian Roberts had 13 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter to lead the No. 5 Spartans (19-6) to the road quarterfinal win. The Spartans led after each quarter, but needed big buckets late to put No. 4 Hanover (17-6) away. AJ Hyacinthe (8 points) hit a 3 early in the fourth to put the Spartans back up by double digits, and Roberts took over the rest of the way. Division 4 State
Millis 42, Littleton 38 — Junior Lindsey Grattan netted a teamhigh 12 points and drew a huge charge in the final minutes, and senior Izzy Jewett added seven points (all in the third quarter) and seven rebounds as the No. 4 Mohawks (18-7) picked up the quarterfinal win. The Mohawks held their four-point lead through the final minutes — in which neither team scored.