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Janaina Marinho keeps cool under pressure during Saturday’s game against St. Mary’s. |
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Photos Vincent Guadazno
Nikita Eddy outmaneuvers a St. Mary opponent Saturday. |
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PHS girls eke out win over St. Mary’s
By Nikki Wing
Banner Correspondent
To say the Provincetown girls basketball team got off to a slow start on Friday night against the St. Mary's Eagles would be a bit of an understatement. Fortunately, the Fishermen found their footing and by the final buzzer had managed to stave off an aggressive St. Mary's assault to hold on to a two-point lead for a 37-35 victory.
In the opening minutes of the game, both teams had trouble converting on offense. Blocked shots and steals abounded on both ends of the court, but it wasn't until almost four minutes had elapsed that St. Mary's opened up the scoring with a short shot off the backboard from the bottom of the key. Provincetown had a chance to answer at the 10:48 mark when Janaina Marinho drew a shooting foul. But Marinho missed both shots and St. Mary's scored twice more to go up 6-0 with 8:34 remaining in the first half. Provincetown finally answered, scoring their first points of the game at 7:51 when point guard Caitlin Tobias stole the ball and made her break-away lay-up.
After a St. Mary’s time-out, Provincetown increased defensive pressure on the Eagles' ball handlers just as they crossed midcourt, producing a series of steals. Nikita Eddy then scored twice, putting Provincetown in front for the first time, 7-6, with 4:47 remaining. The lead change galvanized the Provincetown players as they shook off their sluggish start and bumped up the pace of the game.
The fast-paced end-to-end action didn't abate in the second half. The overwhelming number of Provincetown steals finally seemed to pay off and the Fishermen started building a solid lead. Melissa Lomba's second three-point shot at 11:26 gave her team a seven-point lead, 23-16.
But then the Eagles unleashed their full court press. It proved dangerously effective against the Fishermen, and within two minutes St. Mary's had pulled within a point, 27-26. With 5:46 left in the game, the Eagles pulled ahead, 27-28. Provincetown battled back, making good on a foul shot and another Lomba 3-pointer. But the Eagles again pulled within a point after a time out.
It was now Jenny Schmidt's turn to step up for the Fishermen, as she broke through the press and scored back-to-back baskets.
With only :45 left in the game, Provincetown held a tenuous two-point lead, 37-35. St. Mary's drew a foul and a chance to even it up but missed the front end of their 1-and-1 opportunity. The suspense wasn't yet over, as the Fishermen lost possession with just 23 seconds remaining. Provincetown caused an Eagles turnover with 12 seconds left and managed to retain possession until the final buzzer.
"We were putting shots up, but nothing was falling for us," explained Coach Jamie Colley of her team's stymied beginning. She attributed her team's victory to their well-balanced play. "It was the first day we played as a team and had some great, great passing," she said, adding that it was individual efforts such as those by her "player of the game" Schmidt that tied it all together.
The Provincetown boys basketball team faced North Cambridge Catholic in a hotly contested game on Saturday. The Fishermen came up just short, losing 67-60 to what coach Ned Oliver described as "the best team" he'd seen all year. Oliver was "very pleased with the effort" his team displayed.
Provincetown was in fact ahead at the half mark, 36-33, easily breaking Catholic's zone press which produced quick early baskets. North Cambridge switched to man-to-man defense which proved too tough to handle. Ultimately, Provincetown couldn't outlast an obviously much bigger and much deeper team. Tyrone Phipps' opposite stood at 6' 5", yet Phipps still managed to score 19 points and pull down 12 rebounds. For the first time this season, Zach Luster faced a guard as speedy as himself and yet he too still managed to nab 22 points. Alex Rokicki scored 13 points, including three three-pointers.
The Fishermen front court hung in for most of it against their larger counterparts. Eventually, the intense effort wore the home team down and Provincetown began getting fewer second and third shot opportunities. Oliver reiterated that he was "very proud" of his team's performance, noting that keeping a powerhouse like North Cambridge Catholic to 67 total points was quite a feat. The Fishermen are now 9-3.
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PHS Sports
Nauset Sports |
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Jan 27th, 2005