Girls continue to win
One lone loss to date
BY STEVE SHEPPARD
With victories at home (against West Bridgewater) and away (at Provincetown), the Lady Whalers have run their record to 8-1, with the only loss to date recorded at West Bridgewater in the second game of the season.

Angela Paterson is one reason why the Lady Whalers are 8-1, as she scored 23 points to go with 8 assists, 5 steals and 7 rebounds against Provincetown. Here, she drives for one of her 10 points against West Bridgewater. ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent

West Bridgewater came to the island last Wednesday to discover that the Whalers are a much improved team from the one it played on the mainland a month-and-a-half ago. In this meeting Nantucket prevailed with a balanced attack, 55-25.

Playing with a cohesiveness and maturity marked by patience and steady play development, Nantucket let West Bridgewater know from the outset that it was ready to avenge the Dec. 15 loss. The Whalers were never behind in this one, working to a 21-9 lead at halftime and outscoring the Wildcats, 34-16, in the second period.

"We really prepared for this one," coach Willis Ferreira said afterward. "It was a huge win for us; West Bridgewater is always one of the more elite teams we play."

Callie Moore had an outstanding effort for the Whalers and was the game's high scorer with 18 points. Shantel Hanniford and Angela Paterson each had 10 points, with the rest of the scoring spread out among six players. It is this emphasis on teamwork that has the team poised for a certain tournament run.

The team spirit carried over to Saturday's game at P-town, where the Whalers won, 76- 60. Moore had another good game, scoring 16 points. Paterson scored 19 of her 23 points in the second half and also had 8 assists, 5 steals and 7 rebounds.

The game was not as close as the final score indicates as P-town made a flurry of three-pointers after things were out of reach. "Provincetown was very scrappy," Ferreira said. "They were small and quick and bothered us early with pressure on our guards. They really made us work for it."

There are only two home games remaining on the regular season schedule - against Cohasset on Feb. 10 and Dennis-Yarmouth on Feb. 15.

The junior varsity also prevailed at Ptown,

39-19, and improved its record to 5-1. I