Best record ever in the books, Lady Whalers look to extend winning ways in new season
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
Last year at this time, the Lady Whalers were hoping to improve on their 16-6 record, the second best in Nantucket High School history at that time.

ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent Caroline Stanton fights for the loose ball during practice last week. The Lady Whalers begin defense of their league title at Mashpee next Monday.

They improved on it, all right. They leapfrogged past the previous high of 17 wins to finish 20-4 overall and one game shy of playing for the Division 4 state championship.

Now, with many starters returning, expectations remain high.

"We were one win away from getting to the Garden and playing for a state championship," head coach Chris "Willis" Ferreira said before practice late last week. "It was a great run."

With four consecutive Lighthouse Conference titles dating back to the 2002-2003 season, the 2007- 2008 Lady Whalers look to keep that streak alive by relying on the leadership of returning seniors Whitney Butler and team captains Cassie Moran, Mandy Cahill and Aileen Fredericks.

And then there's Angela Paterson, now a junior, who merely led the team in scoring in both her freshman and sophomore years. She is not only a gifted scorer, but a skillful ball handler who sees the court with a keen eye. She will rely even more on those talents this year because of the graduation of point guard Maryanne Bradley, who brought a special spark to last year's squad.

"We're going to miss Maryanne's abilities," Ferreira said, "and right now Angela's going to play point for us." With the season beginning next Monday at Nauset, and with several underclassmen hoping to move up to the varsity squad, the team is still finding new ways to gel. "All the pieces are there," Ferreira noted. "We just have to try to put it together. We may not be successful right away - sometimes it takes a little while for a team to learn and understand new roles."

They will focus, he said, on the lessons learned from last year's run through the playoffs. "We've got to defend, we have to get better on defense and rebounding. We have enough size to dominate the boards."

Entering his 15th season as head coach, Ferreira likes the makeup of this team, and believes it has what it takes to duplicate, or better, last year's championship run. "We have a lot of basketball talent, and we're a little more experienced," he said. "Last year we played well at the right time. To do well in the tournament, you have to be healthy and playing well.

"They work hard," he continued. "This group wants to be here, every single one of them."

Ferreira said even though last year's team lost in the South Sectional finals to Sacred Heart, he believes that just getting to the game and winning three tournament games to get there, provided needed insights. "When you get to that level, and you play at that level it can be intimidating at first. I think it's just a confidence type of thing. These girls learned a lot."

And now, with the most solid core of veterans he's had in some time, Ferreira is enjoying being along for the ride.

"It's a good thing to be a part of."

The first home game is scheduled for next

Wednesday against Upper Cape. I