TAUNTON — When it will get to March and match time, it’s not uncommon to see shut video games and thrilling finishes.
But in Monday evening’s D2 semifinal in opposition to Oliver Ames, the Medfield women basketball group was not about drama.
The Warriors jumped out to an early lead and by no means appeared again in a 60-46 victory. Top-seeded Medfield awaits the winner of Tuesday evening’s sport between Northampton and Worcester South.
With the win, Medfield improves to 22-2, whereas Oliver Ames’ season is over at 17-7.
“Feels good. Been a long time (since Medfield advanced to the state title game),” Medfield coach Mark Nickerson mentioned. “It’s been seven years since we’ve been there. We’ve had a couple of close calls the last couple years, so I was hoping we might get over the hump this year. Nice to have an opportunity to win a state championship. But we’re going to see a real good team coming after us. It’s not going to be easy. We’re going to have to work hard for it.”
Leading the way in which for Medfield was sophomore Izzy Kittredge, who completed with a game-high 21 factors. She hit the sport’s first discipline purpose with a left wing 3-pointer, and placed on a show of scoring, each together with her jumper and with drives to the basket.
“Going to the rim. Shooting the three. Great defense. Big rebounds. She just played out of her mind tonight,” Nickerson mentioned. “Not out of her mind because she is capable of that, but it was impressive.”
Tess Baacke scored 13 for Medfield, whereas Annie Stanton and Naya Annigeri added 10 apiece.
For Oliver Ames, Kamryn Derba had 14 factors, together with 4 3-pointers, and Sarah Hilliard added 13 factors.
Oliver Ames was in vary early, regardless of falling behind. But within the second quarter, Medfield acquired triples from Annigeri — who’s only a freshman — and Stanton to assist construct its result in 29-17.
Although OA pulled tighter with an early three from Derba to begin the third quarter, Medfield pulled away. The Warriors buried back-to-back threes from Kittredge and Annigeri.
Kittredge had 10 factors within the third quarter alone, and completed with a reasonably spin transfer and bucket as her group ended the body with a 52-32 lead.
“I just really tried to do everything that is available to me,” Kittredge mentioned. “If the drive is open, I drove. If it was my shot, I took a shot. It’s not that I chose to do each one, just try to do what was best for my team in that moment, and try to score.”
The sport began on the proper foot for Medfield. Kittredge sank that trey, and after an Annigeri drive, Medfield owned a 9-1 lead.
As it did all evening, Oliver Ames battled again, and Hilliard’s basket down low introduced the Tigers to inside 11-8.
But Medfield by no means flinched. The Warriors retook the momentum on a Kittredge basket, and Medfield held a 15-8 lead.
“It felt close the whole way,” Nickerson mentioned. “They’re a tough team. You can put up points quick. You see their range out there. You can’t sit back, and I felt like at the end in the fourth quarter we started to try not to lose instead of trying to win the game. They came crawling back in. Cut it to 13. It felt like it was two. We had some big possessions at the very end there where we got a layup on a backdoor cut. Got some rebounds, some longer possessions, and kind of soaked the clock away.”