Boys and girls rebound in doubleheader
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
There were a few things riding at the John J. O'Neill gym Saturday afternoon when both the boys' and girls' varsity teams hosted Sturgis Charter School.

Ashley Clinger (left) goes for the ball against Sturgis. In Saturday's second varsity matchup (right) Eric Lowell reaches for the rebound while Tomas Smaliorius (24) and Evan Hourihan move in. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent

Each team was coming off losses to tough Dennis-Yarmouth, the boys looking to rebound after losing an overtime thriller at home last Tuesday. For the girls, their 54-42 defeat at D-Y represented their first loss of the season and they were determined to get back on the winning track against Sturgis.

There was also the Jordan Ferreira milestone watch, as the senior forward needed just 38 points to reach the 1,000 point mark.

Both squads wasted little time in setting the afternoon's tone, as the girls coasted to a 67-18 victory and the boys followed suit, taking the nightcap, 60-39.

As they have all season, the girls went after Sturgis with a balanced attack. Nine Nantucket girls scored, with Angela Paterson and Whitney Butler leading the charge for the Lady Whalers, each scoring 15 points. It was Paterson who set the game's pace, as 13 of her points came in the first period. Butler scored nine of her total, meanwhile, in the third period.

The depth of the Lady Whalers' bench was in evidence, as coach Willis Ferreira freely substituted throughout.

"It's always good to get back into the gym after a loss and get a win," he said afterwards. "It's also good to be 9-1."

He's also looking forward to the Valentine's Day rematch with Dennis-Yarmouth, a home game this time.

The win moved the girls closer to another appearance in the Division 4 South Sectionals, as they are one win away from qualifying.

Ashley Clinger contributed to the cause with 12 points, six of them in the fourth quarter. Also scoring were Bianca Brown with eight points, and Stephanie Espinoza and Aileen Fredericks, who each had seven.

On the boys' side, Ferreira scored 14 first quarter points, 12 of them on four 3-point shots, and paced all players with 19 points. The boys pushed the ball inside in taking a 38-11 halftime lead and cruised from there through the fourth quarter. Eric Lowell had 13 points, while Mike Aucoin was strong in the post with 11 rebounds.

The Whalers are now 6-5, 3-0 in Lighthouse

Conference play. I