Spartans soar past Fenwick

HAMILTON – To those who might be concerned that Brianna Rudolph?s ankle injury she suffered last week would somehow derail the St. Mary?s girls basketball team from its intended objective … get that right out of your mind.Rudolph, who turned her ankle in a Division 3 North tournament win over Charlestown last Friday night, suited up for Tuesday?s semifinal game against Bishop Fenwick at Hamilton-Wenham High. But coach Jeff Newhall was still playing “wait and see” about how effective she would be.Turns out he didn?t have anything to worry about. The senior, one of two career 1,000-point scorers in the lineup for the Spartans Tuesday, was everywhere. She scored her team?s first 10 points, 21 in the first half, and 36 for the game as she almost singlehandedly led her team to a 68-35 thrashing of Fenwick.The Spartans will play at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell (Saturday, time TBA) for the chance to win their first D3 North title since they won the 2011 state championship. Their opponent will be either Winthrop or Manchester-Essex (that game is tonight, at 7 p.m. at St. John?s Prep).?Big players step up when the season?s on the line,” said Newhall, “and this was a big game. She was the best player on the floor tonight and she played like it.”?The win was the most important thing,” said Rudolph, who acknowledged that her ankle was “pretty sore.?For me, defense is the big thing, and we played about as good as we can play,” she said. “Once you hit a couple, you get in the rhythm of the game.”Newhall said Rudolph seemed to be the only player on either side who was in any kind of rhythm. Fenwick coach Adam DeBaggis would undoubtedly agree. Despite Rudolph?s first-half explosion, the Spartans only had 28 points, because no one else on the Spartans except Sharell Sanders could hit a field goal … and she had only one.The problem for Fenwick was that the Crusaders weren?t connecting either, and went into the locker room down 28-16.?At the time,” said DeBaggis, “I thought we were doing pretty good. The only reason we were down by 12 is that we couldn?t score. I thought we did everything we said we had to do to keep them in check.”And even then, he said, there was no stopping Rudolph.?She?s good,” said DeBaggis. “She is very good.”Although the final score showed a 33-point margin of victory, most of that differential came in the fourth quarter, when the Spartans turned on the afterburners and outscored the Crusaders 24-10. Still, St. Mary?s snuck steadily away from Fenwick during the third quarter, as the Crusaders remained cold. Katie Lipka and Gianna Pizzano each had 13 for Fenwick.Newhall echoed Rudolph?s statement that defense was important.?I thought we played great defense,” he said, and again, DeBaggis seemed to agree.?They?re physical,” he said. “And I don?t mean they?re dirty. They?re just aggressive and they?re physical. And they make it hard for you to play any type of team offense. If you?re going to beat them, it almost has to be man-to-man.”The majority of Fenwick?s points came that way, as any time the Crusaders tried to work the ball around, it invariably got stolen.?Also huge for us,” said Newhall, “was (Gianna) Moschella. She played great defense. She held (Bridget) Corcoran to one point.”