EASTON, Mass. - Oliver Ames coach Elaine Clement-Holbrook said before the season and after Sunday afternoon’s semifinal of the Sue Rivard Tournament that there will be a learning curve for the young Tigers this season.
On Sunday, Springfield Central, which was ranked No. 13 by ESPNBoston.com and is the defending Division 1 West champion, gave a few lessons to OA on how to close out a game.
The Golden Eagles scored 29 points in the fourth quarter, including eight of her game-high 20 from sophomore guard Sha’raya Haines, and broke the game open with a 15-2 run to start the fourth on their way to an 80-63 victory. OA was led by sophomore Francesca Calabraro, who finished with 16 points and five rebounds.
Clement-Holbrook said, “They played their game to perfection.”
She continued, “We were better today than we were yesterday. Even though the score didn’t reflect it at the end, for three quarters anyway we played with them. I saw some pluses and I saw some minuses and we just need to recognize those and adjust when we see them again.”
Oliver Ames jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter. Mackenzie Webster provided a spark off the bench with four points in the first and Kaitlyn McCarthy had five rebounds. A layup by Calabraro capped an 8-0 run that made it 13-6, but Central responded with seven straight to head into the second quarter tied.
Turnovers were a big problem for the Tigers throughout the game. OA had 22 in the first half alone, according to Clement-Holbrook, and those turnovers allowed Central to go on big runs. A 15-3 run to start the second put the Tigers behind 28-16, but OA did not fold and was able to cut into the lead before halftime.
McCarthy (10 rebounds) scored three of her nine points and Webster (13 points and nine rebounds) added give OA momentum. Junior guard Hannah Carroll also buried a quick-release three from the corner (her only points in the game) that made it a five-point game. Central scored the final basket of the quarter and went into the break leading 38-30.
“I would consider us to be pretty young and to have to play at that tempo…Honestly, we have to do a much better job recognizing where the shooters and keeping them away from the rim because they were fast and they were physical,” said Clement-Holbrook.
In the third, OA picked up its on-ball defense, with junior Sam Bamford providing some energy off the bench to try and keep Central’s Ishanna Brown out of the lane. Offensively, senior Meg Hurley (nine points and nine rebounds) finally got on the board with her first four points and Calabraro added five of her own, including a big three that cut the lead to 48-45.
Heading into the fourth, OA was down only 51-47, but the Golden Eagles had another gear, particularly on the defensive end of the floor and on the boards.
Clement-Holbrook marveled at the speed of Central and the problems that it caused the Tigers. Central also started to knock down its outside shots and freshman Makayla Thompson buried two three’s from the same spot during the big run to open the quarter.
“They started nailing the outside shot,” explained Clement-Holbrook. “I think we had used up so much gas in the first half too that I don’t know if we really had our legs underneath us, but I’m looking at it as growth.”
The Golden Eagles made five shots from beyond the arc in the final quarter. OA did not give up and Hurley and Calabraro scored four apiece in the fourth but by then the damage had been done.
“I don’t want them to hang their heads,” said Clement-Holbrook, “because this is a long season still and hopefully if we see this style again then we’ll be a little better off…The pieces are there just a matter of getting them all working at the same time.”
After playing Hockomock power Franklin and highly ranked Springfield Central, Oliver Ames will play the consolation game of the Rivard Tournament on Monday night against another top 20 team, Medfield (No. 11 in the ESPNBoston.com rankings).
About that tough stretch, Clement-Holbrook joked, “You think for a moment -- oh my god what have we done?”
She added, “As long as we understand that you grow from this, you don’t put your heads down and say we didn’t win. Right now this isn’t about winning and losing -- it’s about developing a sense of team, this is about developing a sense of you did something really well today…and just move from that point.”
Josh Perry can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.