The brackets are out and the postseason gets underway on Monday night. The Hockomock League is sending eight of its 12 girls basketball teams into the playoffs and HockomockSports.com has your preview of the state tournament action.
Bombardiers are back in tourney
It has been four ling years since the last time that the Attleboro girls have been in the postseason, but the turnaround for this team has been remarkable, particularly with star guard Bri Hochwarter unable to take the court. Head coach Missy Traversi has instilled a team-first attitude and willingness to do the hard work on defense and on the glass, which has been the Bombardiers strength this season. With post players Beth Clifton and Bri Laplume, Attleboro does not have a lot of height in the paint, but it has toughness and energy.
While hard work is great and can win a few games, teams still need to make shots. The addition of transfer Kim Runey and freshman Emily Houle has given the Bombardiers two weapons on the perimeter that can stretch the defense. The continued development of talented sophomore Kerri Beland as a shooter and slasher has also taken the Attleboro offense to another level this season.
Attleboro not only is back in the playoffs, but will be hosting the preliminary round game against Brockton. The Bombardiers have beaten Durfee twice this season, but the Boxers are a tougher test out of the Big Three. The one thing that can be guaranteed about a Traversi-coached team is that it will be confident about being able to get a victory. If Attleboro does get by the prelims, it gets a third chance at rivals North Attleboro on Wednesday.
If the Bombardiers are knocking down shots and getting out on the break, as they did in the second half against Taunton in the game that clinched qualification, then this team has the potential to provide North with a real test.
Rocketeers have tournament run in their sights
The Kelley-Rex division co-champions will be hoping to make some noise in the tournament. With Hockomock League leading scorer Meg Ronaghan on the block, the Rocketeers know that they can score with most teams in D1, but with a young core of players, inexperience will be North’s biggest challenge. Sophomores Danielle Perron and Melissa Beaupre will be facing the pressure to perform on the playoff stage for the first time and it will be interesting to see how they react.
North could be made more comfortable in Wednesday’s opening round with a match-up against league rival Attleboro. The Rocketeers have already beaten Attleboro twice this season, but both games were close in the fourth quarter so it should not be looked at as an easy win. The Rocketeers are facing a tough bracket with defending sectional champs Braintree on their side of the draw.
The Rocketeers are a team that plays better at its pace and needs to take care of the ball, both of which fall on Perron as the starting point guard. The backcourt leadership of senior Sarabeth Parent will be critical to assist her young teammate. In the end, if Ronaghan plays as she has for much of the season, then North knows it will be about depth and defense that will decide how far it can go.
Panthers seek return to sectional final
Franklin knows how to win in the tournament. Last season, the Panthers advanced all the way to the sectional finals before losing to Braintree and many of the key pieces from that team are back for the division co-champions. Senior point guard Kristi Kirshe, shooting guard Sarah Shaw, and forward Alicia Kutil provide the backbone for the Panthers and the many players that coach John Leighton brings in and out of the game.
The bench has been crucial for Franklin this season. Sophomore Lexi Martin has been a sparkplug on both ends of the floor and has impressed in her first varsity season, while junior Lauren Irvine adds post defense and rebounding. Really, the bench has had to be important because Franklin has a habit of getting out of the gates slowly and falling behind early in games. This is not a team that shoots the ball consistently well and relies heavily on defensive pressure and hitting the glass.
When the Panthers get going - watch out. Franklin is physical and tenacious on defense (so the officiating will be important). If the Panthers force turnovers and get out on the break, it energizes the team. One turnover becomes two then three and, before you know it, Franklin has run off 10 straight points. This defensive effort should be enough to get past Needham, which struggles to score at times, in the first round and could lead to a showdown with top seed Newton North in the semifinals.
Tigers want to take on top seed
Initially, Taunton looked to have lost its chance at the postseason with a tough loss to King Philip late in the season. But, two games against Durfee turned out to be excluded meaning a win over New Bedford was enough for the Tigers to get into the tourney. Now that they are in, the Tigers want a showdown with the top seed, Newton North.
To get there, Taunton will need to beat the other team from Newton, Newton South, in the preliminary round. Taunton is talented and versatile, but not very deep. Depth is a bigger problem in a long regular season than it is in the playoffs as rotations naturally shorten anyway. The key will be getting the ball into the hands of forward Angie Martinez as often as possible. The senior has been a double-double machine this season and surprises teams with her agility and quickness on the block. Martinez is also an underrated passer in the paint and the Taunton offense should be run through her as much as possible.
The Tigers can also count on the perimeter talents of point guard Kim Hixon, forward Emily Richman, and guard Sahar Khalil. Khalil, in particular, can be a difference maker. When she is knocking down shots from three-point range, it changes the dynamics of the Taunton offense and does not allow defenses to pack the post. If the Tigers get past Newton South, they will have nothing to lose against the sectional’s top seed. Who knows what can happen then?
Oliver Ames Looking For More
Last year, the Tigers were shocked in the first round, falling to Fontbonne at home. This year, the seniors on this team will look to get the team back to where they were their freshman year – winning the state championship. After winning the title in 2010, Oliver Ames has had two playoff runs that have come up short of their goal – including a 52-50 loss in the semis in 2011.
Now 1,000 point scorer Caitlyn Abela and point guard Asia Mitchell are looking to get back to their winning ways. They destroyed opponents throughout the season, and got their only loss at arguably the best time. They lost their perfect season with a loss to 2nd seeded Medfield. The two had the same record but OA won the top spot on a coin flip. Based on the brackets, it looks like a rematch is a strong possibility. After the lone loss, the Tigers will have plenty of fuel to get themselves that rematch.
However, the D2 South girls bracket is full of talent and no games can be taken lightly, or OA might see a repeat of the last two years.
Foxboro Returns To The Playoffs
After two tough draws in 2010 and 2011, Foxboro had an off year with a 4-16 record. Now the 2012-2013 team, who went 15-5, is ready to make some noise in the playoffs. Despite their impressive record, the Warriors were on the very edge of either playing at home or taking a road trip. Fortunate for Lisa Downs and her squad, they will be hosting a first round game with Holliston.
Ashley Snyder will have to be the leader for the Warriors this postseason run, but she won’t have to do it alone. The UMass-Lowell commit has seen the emergence of sophomore Katherine Tamulionis, who has exploded onto the scene to become one of the Hockomock’s leading scorers. Danielle Roma has been a solid contributor, as she brings a lot of energy to the table. Downs wasn’t there for the last two postseason runs for Foxboro, who lost to the eventual south winners in Hopkinton (2011) and Oliver Ames (2010).
This year, if Foxboro can come up with a win in the first round, they will most likely meet Oliver Ames. The Warriors struggled with the talented OA squad this year, dropping both games, but nobody wants to play a team three times.
Sharon Will Have to Earn It
The Eagles had one of their better seasons in recent years, but didn’t do themselves any favors with two losses to close out the end of the season. Sharon went from possibly hosting a first round game – which Foxboro is doing so with a 15-5 record – to traveling on the road with their 13-7 record. They didn’t draw the easiest opponent either, as Fontbonne has been several deep runs into the playoffs the last couple of years.
It will be hard to count Sharon out though, as they have a handful of players that can score the basketball. Karlie O’Driscoll has been a monster for the Eagles this season, both scoring wise and on the glass. She has been complimented by Katie Lowerre, Andrea Bender, and Lily Abarbanel. When you can name that many scorers on one team, not many people will want to face you in the playoffs.
If Sharon pulls of the upset of Fontbonne, the road won’t get any easier for the Eagles. The winner of 4th seeded Duxbury and 13th seeded Hopkinton will await either Sharon or Fontbonne. There is a possibility Sharon could make a deep run, and if they do, they will surely have earned each win.
Stoughton Will Be Hungry
The Lady Black Knights will have to play with a chip on their shoulder after being reminded of last year’s four point loss to Newton North. Now, North is the top seed and in order for Stoughton to extract revenge, they will have to win their side of the bracket and meet North in the South Finals.
It’s not exactly a stretch that Stoughton can make a run either. When at full health this year, they have played some great basketball. They are responsible for two of Foxboro’s five losses, winning both in close fashion. They dropped a tough loss to Foxboro’s playoff opponent Holliston in their second to last game before finishing the season on a win.
Not many teams have a player like Nicole Daniels and that’s going to benefit Stoughton in a big way. Beyond Daniels, Mackenzie McGrath has emerged as a great scoring option. McGrath has been in and out of the top ten scorers in the Hockomock this year, and her scoring will be needed if Stoughton wants to make a deep run. The Black Knights shouldn’t look past their game against Plymouth South, but not many teams will want to play the D1 South defending champion Braintree Wamps.
Postseason Predictions
There is a lot of talent in the Hock and they have sent eight teams to the playoffs as proof. There are a handful of teams – such as Stoughton, Foxboro, Sharon, Attleboro, & Taunton – that are talented enough to steal a game here or there. Some of them might even might make a decent run into the playoffs. But the Hockomock’s best chances will fall on Franklin, North Attleboro, and most likely Oliver Ames.
North will try to ride talented scorer Meg Ronaghan into a hot streak that could result in a deep run. They have a good chance of making a run to at least the semi finals, after they play the winner of Attleboro/Brockton and if they win that, the winner of Barnstable and Wellesley. Franklin has a good chance of reaching the semi finals as well, but on the other side of the bracket. They will host Needham, and if they get a win, will host either Marshfield or Dartmouth. The Panthers will be hungry to get and earn a spot in the finals for the second straight year.
The best chance for the Hockomock girls falls with 19-1 Oliver Ames. The Tigers swept through their league schedule and their only loss came to Medfield on the last game of the season. It’s likely a OA-Medfield matchup is seen in the D2 South Finals.