Girls are perfect to start season
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
Girls' head coach Willis Ferreira was smiling after Saturday afternoon's 63-24 rout of South Shore Vo- Tech and why wouldn't he? The Lady Whalers appear to have picked up right where they left off last winter, earning three straight wins to start the season.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent A well-balanced attack has helped the Lady Whalers to a 3-0 start. Above, Ashley Clinger (35) looks to the hoop against the South Shore Tech Vikings, while Angela Paterson (right) goes up for two of her 23 points.

After dispatching Nauset, 56-31, in the season opener, the girls played host to Upper Cape Regional last Wednesday and rode to a 60-30 victory.

With score differentials of 25 and then 30 points in the season's first two games, and the South Shore Vikings' trip to the island sandwiched between two wicked storms, the visitors ran into the Lady Whalers' scoring surge as a 39-point difference was dropped on the visitors.

Last year's Lighthouse Conference scoring champion Angela Paterson began the season at Mashpee by scoring a career-high 32 points. Upper Cape countered by isolating Paterson, and South Shore Tech was also determined to key on the team's scoring leader. Despite the defensive pressure by the Vikings, Paterson scored 23 points in Saturday's contest, 12 of them in the first quarter.

But as was evidenced at the John J. O'Neill gym Saturday afternoon, the secret to the Whalers' success is their all-round play. Everyone played Saturday, with the scoring distributed among 10 players.

Ferreira spoke of other teams keying on Paterson after the contest. "We still scored 63, and it wasn't all Angela," he said. "I thought everyone played well. Cassie (Moran) and Aileen (Fredericks) did a good job getting the ball inside to Mandy Cahill." Cahill was a factor in the pivot with two blocked shots and 11 key rebounds to go with her 10 points.

Ferreira also praised his bench, which is getting more experienced by the game. "Lindsay Fry came off and scored some points and Bianca Brown was tough on the boards, just to name two players," he said. "We mixed and matched a little bit. It's good for the kids to play and get some varsity experience."

Fry nailed two 3-pointers, the first coming at the end of the first quarter.

Whitney Butler also picked up six points.

The girls have plenty of time to rest. Their next game isn't scheduled until

Jan. 5. I