By Paul Vozzella
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The semifinal usually showcases an intense, neck-and-neck matchup with a shot at history on the line. Well, that was not the case on Tuesday night. The Warriors cruised to a 69-47 win over North Quincy and returned to the State Championships this past Saturday night to defend their Division 2 Girls Basketball Championships.
The first 1:36 of action in the semi-finals last Tuesday evening were deceiving with North Quincy snagging five offensive rebounds to get out to an early lead. Just a few clicks of the clock later, sophomore Naya Annigeri went coast-to-coast to give Medfield the lead.
It would be smooth sailing from there. Medfield never trailed again in the contest with Annigeri’s 24 points and 6 assists leading the way.
“I mean, what more can you say about her,” questioned head coach Mark Nickerson about Annigeri. “I don't see every other team play every night. I don't practice with every other team, but it's hard for me to believe there's too many players better than her in
this league.”
The first quarter was highlighted by four different layups made plus a foul. Three out of the four were capped off with a made free throw, giving the Warriors a 23-13 lead by the end of the period.
Similarly to its Round of 16 matchup, Medfield struggled from downtown, missing every three-point attempt in the first quarter but making up for it by attacking the basket and hitting free throws. Nickerson alluded to his team’s early-season matchup against Millis in which it took 47 shots from behind the arch as a learning point.
“We've been determined since then to find a little bit more balance offensively, and I think we've done that,” said Nickerson. “We're not always gonna shoot well. Last game we shot 64% for the game. We didn't come close to that today, but we did good enough to win.”
By the end of the second frame, Medfield was 2-for-13 from deep but held a 37-18 lead. This did not stop junior Tess Baacke from playing classic Medfield basketball as she opened the team’s scoring in the second half with a made shot from downtown. Baacke finished with 16 points on the night.
Heading into the fourth quarter with an 18-point lead, a win was in clear sight for the Warriors. A defensive effort including 16 steals helped pave the way to victory. Captain Izzy Kittredge accumulated four steals herself to tag along with 7 points, 17 rebounds
and 5 assists.
“My teammates are always pressuring the ball and it makes it easier for you to get deflections,” said the junior. “Also, just communicating and trying to see both the ball and the person I'm guarding at the same time.”
Medfield played against South High for all the marbles on Saturday, March 15 at the Tsongas Center. The girls clinched their second straight D2 State Championship in an impressive 69-20 win.
