Lady Whalers reached the heights yet again
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
There are times when high school sports are as good as it gets, and the tournament runs by both Nantucket varsity teams the past two years qualify as sports of the highest order.

ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent It was this layup against Provincetown that gave Angela Paterson her 1,000th point. The junior looks to add to her total next year.

The girls' season stopped at the semi-finals this year, one game shy of last year's trip to the Division 4 South Sectional finals, the farthest any Nantucket basketball team had gone in the post season. Far from being a disappointment, going three games deep into the state tournament is a quantifiable success by any measure.

Just ask last year's South Sectional champion Sacred Heart: the Saints got bounced by number 16 seed Millis in the first round this year. Millis - with a 9-11 regular season record - went on to beat South Shore Christian and Chatham before dropping this year's South Sectional final to Cohasset, Nantucket's new arch rival.

Ask, too, last year's Division 4 state champion New Mission High School, who improved on last year's regular season record to go 18-2 this year before losing to Manchester (and any Whalers football fan worth his salt can tell you all about Manchester) by a point, 67-61, in this year's quarter-final round.

Nantucket's making it back to the semi-finals, in comparison, is a pretty neat feat. So is the 20-3 record. And have we yet talked about Angela Paterson nailing 1,000 points in her junior year, the earliest any Lady Whaler put up those numbers in the annals of Nantucket High School? Paterson is third for the moment in Lady Whalers history, behind Kari Harvey (1,338 points) and her sister Adriene (1,149 points).

Fortunately, Paterson will be back, as will Shantel Hanniford, Parinda Darden, Grace Anne Tornovish, Lindsay Fry, Bianca Brown, Ashley Clinger and Caroline Stanton.

Let's not forget the seniors, however, who were a big reason why this team boldly went where no Nantucket team had gone before:

•Mandy Cahill, who provided a solid and steady presence at center; make no mistake, a real reason Nantucket matched up well against other tournament teams was because of Cahill's abilities in the post.

•Aileen Fredericks: her ability to spark the team with big baskets, her enthusiasm and defensive strength made her a team leader.

•Whitney Butler: Another strong player in the pivot, whose inside moves and shot blocking spelled the difference in countless games.

•Cassie Moran: A strong defensive player who also knew how to get open and, as a passer, find the open player.

•Stephanie Espinoza: A transfer student and a great pickup for the team. With her court sense and inside shooting touch, the addition of Espinoza helped ensure the team's seamless transition from last year's championship run to this year's successful season.

All are part of a team that can look back with pride at what was accomplished.

And so, we celebrate. There was much to cheer about, and, like last year, much to build upon for

next year. I