By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
Heartbeats thumping. Footsteps thudding onto the wooden court floor as a basketball is soaring into the air. The slight sound of a swoosh as the ball travels through the net and cheers filling the gymnasium space as streams of sweat dripping down onto the floor from the working players. These are small details of the Medfield girls' basketball competition against the Dover-Sherborn Raiders for a Tri-Valley League competition last Friday evening. The Warriors contended with grit and persistence, leading them to win the night’s competition 62-46.
As soon as tip off launched the first quarter, the MedBall girls were fueled with energy and drive. The team worked swiftly down the court to start tallying up points onto the scoreboard, but the Dover-Sherborn girls were prepared for the Warriors' offensive pressure. The Raiders were quick to defend their side of the court, responding with the same amount of defense pressure, blocking the Warriors, and reaching for rebounds off the hoop. However, the Warriors' skillset has depth on the bench and the MedBall girls moved the ball quickly around the net creating holes to make baskets quickly. By the end of the first quarter Medfield took the lead 18-9.
Two minutes quickly passed by in between the first and second quarter, and the teams went straight back to action on the court. Dover-Sherborn came back onto the court with a burst of zest under their feet. The Raiders quickly inched up the leaderboard, narrowing the point gap that the MedBall girls had created. Sinking three’s left and right, and finding new ways to challenge the Medfield Warriors’ offense, the Dover-Sherborn girls closed the second quarter, adding 13 more points. However, the MedBall team knew the game wasn’t nearly over yet, and continued to counter D-S’ new changes on the court. The girls communicated well and snuck the ball into the net to continue their lead into the second half 29- 22.
After a brief ten-minute break to debrief and strategize the second half, the teams returned to the court with resilience. The MedBall girls continuously swept the ball right from the grasp of the Dover-Sherborn girls, maintaining possession. The Raiders made opportunities for themselves to shoot, hoping to add more points on the board but the Warriors quickly snagged the rebounds off the net. Fans from the crowds cheered as the Warriors continued to rack up points to secure their lead. By the end of the third quarter, the Med Ball girls were up 45-30.
Dover-Sherborn looked for new ways to continue to challenge their hosts of the evening in the fourth quarter. Flinging the ball in the air to make quick and snappy passes, the D-S girls got around the Warriors' tight defensive wall. The Raiders were able to pick up 16 more points to tally up at the end of the competition; but it was just short of the MedBall girls’ lead. The talented Medfield players secured their win for the evening after gaining 22 more points in the fourth to polish off the night 62-46. Sophomore Izzy Kittredge pocketed 18 points with eight rebounds for the evening, alongside her was freshman Naya Annigeri, who tacked on another 18 points and nine steals for the Warriors as well. Sophomore Tess Baacke launched 12 points up on the scoreboard with seven rebounds to help fasten the win against the Raiders for the evening.
Head coach Mark Nickerson shared his thoughts on the game: “We had our moments in the second quarter they cut it to three at one point, they are a good team. I wouldn’t say we were in total control of the game but I’d say anytime we needed a big steal or a big basket, we got it, and we were able to extend to seven by halftime, and coming out in the second half we always say it’s going to go one of two ways. Either extend and try to put the game away or they are going to cut into us and we have to battle the rest of the way, and we extended tonight, we were up by thirteen before they even knew it happened. Naya Annigeri and Izzy Kittredge were both great offensively, and defensively. They both had some pretty impressive numbers for a freshman and sophomore. I can’t say enough about Mary Palladino and what she has done for us all season long… she has accepted her role, she has flourished in that role, and every time she comes in the game, she does something great,” says Nickerson.
The girls will continue their season as they will be traveling to Holliston High on Friday, February 2nd for a 6:30 PM tip off.
