PLAYOFF BOUND!
NHS varsity teams earn first-round byes; Girls play at home today at 2, Boys play Thursday at 5:30
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
With undefeated runs through the Lighthouse Conference, both the boys' and girls' varsity squads

MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent Thousand-point scorer Jordan Ferreira (above) and six other Whalers seniors hope to close out their high school careers with a flourish this postseason. After having finished 14-6 in the regular season, the sixth-seeded Whalers will look to get off on the right foot Thursday at home against Div. 4 foe South Shore Tech at 5:30 p.m.

received first-round byes with second

round home games starting today in the south sectionals of the state tournament.

The girls, whose 18-2 overall record netted them a number three ranking in Division 4, will host the winner of Monday's Provincetown/Bristol-Plymouth matchup this afternoon at 2 p.m. The boys, seeded sixth in Division 4 with an overall record of 14-6, take on number 11 South Shore Vocational Tech, owners of a 12-8 season record, tomorrow afternoon at 5:30 p.m.

The girls enter the tournament with Lighthouse Conference top scorer Angela Paterson and experienced post players Mandy Cahill and Whitney Butler. Seniors Aileen Fredericks and Cassie Moran are proven guards, while the recent comeback of sophomore Shantel Hanniford adds extra spark.

MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent The Lady Whalers enter this afternoon's tournament game against the winner of Provincetown/Bristol-Plymouth with Lighthouse Conference leading-scorer Angela Paterson (above). The 18-2 Lady Whalers netted the third seed in Division 4, and will look to climb back to and beyond last season's impressive tournament run.

The team's depth has allowed coach Willis Ferreira to substitute freely and with confidence throughout the year, with Stephanie Espinoza, Bianca Brown, Parinda Darden, Lindsay Fry, Ashley Clinger, Grace Anne Tornovish and Caroline Stanton all playing vital roles.

For the boys, who finished the regular season with a 69-37 victory over Mashpee on Feb, 20, tomorrow's game marks the fourth straight year the Whalers have appeared in the post season. Jordan Ferreira, who scored his 1,000th high school career point two weeks ago, also led the Lighthouse Conference in scoring. The Whalers made it to the quarterfinal round last year, and with seven seniors on the team, coach Beau Almodobar likes the looks of his seasoned squad. As far as preparation," he said last

week, "we don't do anything differently

besides step up conditioning. If you're going to win games in the tournament, the teams that win have mental toughness, where nothing else is a distraction. It sounds simpler

than it is; it isn't easy."

The team also has another year of

experience under its belt, with seniors Evan Hourihan, Tomas Smaliorius, Adam Spencer, Carl Stevens, Ed Coffin and Mike Aucoin joining Ferreira in a last tournament go-round. Also on the team are playoff veterans Eric Lowell and Josh Butler, with Chris Welch, Troy Sullivan, Rasheed Smith and Delroy Lawrence rounding out the squad.

The boys played South Shore Vo-Tech twice this season - 71-39 and 69-55 victories for the Whalers.

And so Nantucket once again has the pleasure of both varsity teams appearing in the state tournament, a distinction that few schools can boast.

For fans, there's no better treat, especially with two home games this week as

an appetizer. I