Fenwick girls eliminate Lynnfield for second straight year

DANVERS – A gritty defensive effort propelled Bishop Fenwick to a Division 3 North quarterfinal victory over Lynnfield, 47-34, last night at St. John’s Prep.
“It’s tough to win in the tournament, but we took care of business,” said Fenwick coach Adam DeBaggis. “We won through being mentally tough.”
Fenwick (15-6) trailed only once, after Lynnfield’s Emma Mancini (19 points, 15 rebounds) hit the first hoop of the game.
Fenwick’s Colleen Corcoran (six points, eight rebounds) quickly tied up the game at 2-all. Mikayla Porcaro (10 points, four rebounds) then drilled a three-pointer for a 5-2 advantage, and Fenwick (15-6) led for the remainder of the game.
Fenwick extended the lead to seven (11-4), but Lynnfield worked the ball down low to Mancini to stay within three, 13-10, at the end of the first quarter.
Lynnfield (13-8) was eager for a chance for redemption after Fenwick ended its season last year in the MIAA tournament, but struggled to find any depth on offense.
“I’m disappointed,” said Lynnfield coach Bob Melillo. “I really feel like we could have beat Fenwick. We got a little frustrated and missed open shots, but the girls worked so hard.”
Mancini, who is headed to Endicott College in the fall to play both basketball and volleyball, dominated the second quarter. She scored all 11 points as Lynnfield trailed, 26-21, at the half.
“Fenwick really pressured us in the second half and our shots weren’t falling,” said Mancini, who was blanketed by Jennie Meagher (eight points, five rebounds, three blocks) during the second half. “I was tired, but it was so worth it just to play and lead this team.”Fenwick showed its depth in the second half. Sophomore guard Samantha Mancinelli (13 points, three rebounds) drilled back-to-back three’s, helping the Crusaders open a 37-22 lead just two minutes into the third. Fenwick also received exceptional play from junior shooting guard Sydney Brennan (eight points, five rebounds, six assists).
“The difference was working together as a team,” said Brennan. “We based the whole game off our defense, and we knew we had to play a tight defense to win.”
Entering the fourth with a 44-32 cushion, Fenwick and Lynnfield engaged in a defensive standstill. The teams combined to score only five points, and a Porcaro layup was the lone field goal in the quarter.
“We pressured their guards all game,” said DeBaggis. “My philosophy is to play the whole team, and we have the depth to do that. That was an advantage for us in the fourth quarter, and we saw that when Colleen fouled out and kids stepped up.”
Corcoran, the team’s backbone on both sides of the ball, committed her fifth foul with three minutes to play.”You need to be the best cheerleader on the bench when you foul out,” said Corcoran.
Fenwick now advances to the North semifinals (with a date and time to be determined) against the winner of Friday?s game between Latin Academy and Manchester-Essex.
“Not every game goes our way,” said Corcoran. “So we know we need to fight.”Justin Barrasso can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.