NORWELL — The No. 6 Bishop Fenwick girls basketball team marched into the house of the No. 3 Norwell Clippers and took home the win Friday night, taking the victory by a score of 64-49 in a Division 3 tournament quarterfinal game.
Sophomore Cecilia Kay led the offense for the Crusaders with 28 points and 10 rebounds, followed by senior captain Olivia Found — who had 15 points, three rebounds and six assists — and Ella Andrews — who finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and one assist.
Through the first half of play, this was a hard-fought battle through and through. The Crusaders went into the half leading 18-14. Neither teams’ defense wanted to give an inch as every single point scored had to be earned. The unwavering willpower of the Crusaders allowed for them to maintain a lead, no matter how slim.
“We played with more composure,” said Fenwick coach Adam DeBaggis. “I’m really proud of these girls. We’ve been working really hard. There’s been so much improvement over the last couple of weeks with composure and playing hard with composure. It’s been unbelievable.”
Resilience and composure have been the biggest things the Crusaders have worked on all season, and it’s paid off. After a long bus ride and an aggressive offense and defense attack from the Clippers, the Crusaders were able to keep their composure and apply pressure throughout the entire game, going ahead by as many as 20 points in the final quarter.
One factor that really shifted the tide in favor of the Crusaders was their defense. The defensive prowess of the Crusaders allowed for them to force turnovers, and no matter how hard the Clippers fought to gain momentum and show signs of life, the Crusaders would turn things right back into their favor through their impeccable defense.
“We love turning our defense into offense,” said Found when talking about the team’s offensive performance during the second half of the game. “Getting a lot of steals and fast breaks is how we like to play.”
Bishop Fenwick (20-6) now moves on to face a team it knows all too well — No. 2 seed St. Mary’s — in the Division 3 semifinal round. Tipoff is set for early next week, with the date, time and location to be determined.
