Farley, Oliver Ames claw it out
NORTH EASTON — With the bleachers overflowing at a jam-packed Nixon Gymnasium, a sellout crowd extended to the baseline, around the corner, and nearly into the lobby.
“It’s a high school basketball atmosphere you would dream of,” Oliver Ames coach Brian Costello said.
They watched attentively as 4-foot-10inch Oliver Ames sophomore Mari Rhodes stepped to the line in a one-point game with 11.2 seconds left. Rhodes hit the first, missed the second, and then the Tigers accidentally fouled with 4.6 remaining.
Whitman-Hanson sophomore Jenna Mishou missed the first, made the second, and OA senior Katherine Farley dribbled out the clock to preserve a thrilling 33-32 triumph for the resilient, fifth-seeded Tigers.
It was a fitting ending, as Oliver Ames (17-6) leaned on its depth all night to outlast the plucky No. 13 Panthers (18-5). No
OA player finished in double figures, but seven scored in a balanced, defensive-minded Division 2 quarterfinal classic.
“If you looked at both of us going through this, this was inevitably what this game was going to turn into,” Costello said.
The Tigers and Panthers won their previous four tournament games by a combined 12 points. This one didn’t look destined for that same fate early, as OA’s lead ballooned to double figures, but WhitmanHanson never relented.
“You dig yourself a 14-point hole at halftime in back-to-back games, it’s tough to be able to recover,” Whitman-Hanson coach Michael Costa said. “Like we’ve done all year, the girls continue to compete and scrap and claw. We made it interesting.”
The Tigers built a 6-2 edge through one quarter behind strong play from reserves Farley and Rhodes. Oliver Ames flummoxed Whitman-Hanson with its length and relentless ball pressure, and made everything difficult.
Then came the offense, as OA extended the margin to 22-8 at halftime. Farley continued to impress inside, Rhodes wreaked havoc defensively, and sophomore point guard Avery Gamble showed impressive body control at the rim.
Mishou (15 points) paced the Panthers with 6 points in the half, but WhitmanHanson couldn’t generate a rhythm.
The Panthers stormed back in the third quarter, using a swift 15-2 run to slice the deficit to 24-23. Dylan Hurley, Taryn Leonard, and freshman Maliah Pierre were active on both ends and thrived on the glass.
Sarah Hilliard (team-high 9 points) scored four quick points to help Oliver Ames take a 28-23 edge into the fourth. Gamble kissed one home to make it 32-26 Tigers with 1:18 left, but Pierre and Lillie MacKinnon converted for W-H.
Then Rhodes helped send OA to its second semifinal in three years and earn a date with No. 1 Medfield.
“I was obviously very nervous, but we practice free throws every day,” Rhodes said. “You just have to go in and do what you have to do. I tried to keep it composed.