Lady Whalers dispatch Provincetown, Hull
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR

MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent Mandy Cahill, Grace Anne Tornovish and Angela Paterson are all smiles after Friday's thriller with Hull.

If there was anyone still out there who couldn't quite grasp the merits of high school athletics, it is hoped that person was in the vicinity of the Nantucket High School gym last Friday. A passerby within earshot most certainly would have sensed the excitement emanating from the basketball hardwood.

For when the state tournament game between Nantucket and Hull had finished, islanders knew they'd witnessed something special.

In an overtime thriller, the thirdseeded Lady Whalers out-dueled the Pirates of Hull by a 59-56 score to advance to Monday's semifinal matchup with second-seed Cohasset. The three-point margin of victory equaled last year's point differential against Hull, a 52-49 squeaker in the 2007 semifinal game.

This one was a barnburner from the opening tip, as both Nantucket and Hull swarmed each other on both ends of the court. No lead was safe, as each team battled back time and again. Nantucket led by one, 12-11, at the end of the first period, only to salvage a 21-21 tie at the half. Even with the Lady Whalers leading by 10 (40-30) at the start of the final stanza, and by eight points with a little over two minutes to go, Hull hung tough and scored nine unanswered points to lead by one, 52-51, with 46 seconds to go.

A clutch free throw by sophomore Shantel Hanniford with 30 seconds remaining tied the game and sent it into overtime.

Whew!

"I knew they were coming in here for revenge," coach Willis Ferreira said afterwards. "I knew they had to foul, and Shantel made that big foul shot."

If the game's opening half was marked by aggressive play, it was also notable for the lid Angela Paterson found on the basket. The Whalers' scoring leader was shut out for the first two periods of play.

But the team spirit of the Lady Whalers prevailed, as first half scoring was spread over five players, with Aileen Fredericks leading the way with seven points, followed by Hanniford with five, Bianca Brown with four, Whitney Butler with two and a big 3-point shot by Mandy Cahill.

Paterson came out firing in the second half, hitting three straight 3-pointers for an entrée, following that up with a bomb from half-court that sparked the crowd. The junior finished the game with 22 points.

Hanniford scored five points in the overtime period, while the Whalers' defense limited the Pirates to two baskets. With Nantucket nursing a three-point lead, it was still a one-possession game in the final seconds but Nantucket prevailed.

The grudge match with Hull came after the complete domination of Provincetown in the tournament's first round last Wednesday, a game Nantucket led 30- 4 at the half, and one that was marked by Angela Paterson's thousandth career point. With the Lady Whalers utilizing a defense that allowed virtually no inside shots, the final in that one was 45-13.

But as the Lady Whalers know from experience, it only gets tougher with each successive round - the game with Hull proved that.

"That's just playoff basketball," Ferreira said. Last year's victory over Hull propelled Nantucket into the Division 4 finals. Entering Monday's game, only Cohasset stood in the way of a return trip.

"It's not easy getting back there," Ferreira said. "We're just trying to get better."

But Friday's victory, the last home game of the season, is one that will be savored. "It feels good," said the coach. "I'm just proud of the kids."

The Lady Whalers played Monday in the Division 4 semifinals against No. 2 seed Cohasset in Sandwich. A recap will appear in next week's paper, but if the Lady Whalers prevail, they will face the winner of Millis-vs.-Chatham in the Division 4 finals Friday at 7

p.m. in Braintree. I