PEABODY — The first time Archbishop Williams and Bishop Fenwick played this season, Fenwick won by 20. Come their second meeting, Fenwick won again, but just by six. That said, the third meeting could have been dangerous for the Crusaders.
Spoiler alert, it wasn’t.
No. 3 Fenwick defeated No. 11 Archbishop Williams 59-35 in its home gym Friday, and the team made up of seven underclassmen is on to the Final Four against No. 2 Norwell.
Fenwick head coach Adam DeBaggis has been vocal about his team’s youth this season, and couldn’t have been prouder once the clock hit its zeros.
“They did a really good job,” DeBaggis said. “They’re really mature for their age.”
Anything can happen in the state tournament, even a 49-22 run. That’s exactly what the hosts did after the first quarter – one they actually trailed by three at the end of (13-10).
“A lot of nerves… not even jittery, just so excited,” DeBaggis said. “It’s hard to shoot and score when you’re that excited.”
Then, that excitement turned into points – a lot of them. In a 19-point second quarter for the Crusaders, senior captain Erica Lendall brought the (very loud) crowd to its feet, burying two threes within a minute.
When asked if Lendall jump-started the team, DeBaggis was quick to respond.
“Definitely,” DeBaggis said. “That’s how she is. Erica is one of those big-time players.”
Turnovers were the difference-maker for the visitors, something head coach Matt Mahoney credited Fenwick for.
“They put more pressure on us… they made us turn the ball over a lot,” Mahoney said. “That kind of changed the game a little bit.”
The offense wasn’t bad, either. Cecilia Kay led the way with 23 points, followed by Celia Neilson who tacked on 15.
“Cecilia and Celia work great together,” DeBaggis said. “We just talked about running the plays effectively. We were running them correctly, but not hitting the wide open person… then we started hitting that person.”
Speaking of Kay, she scored a fastbreak layup with seconds remaining in the third quarter – one Fenwick led 50-24 by the end of. And from there, they didn’t need much more.
Other highlights included Caitlin Boyle converting a lefty and-one in the second quarter, and Kate McPhail scoring an offensive rebound-putback in the third.
There are 12 players on Fenwick’s roster, but Friday, it had a 13th as the crowd made an impact from the opening tip-off. DeBaggis, who stands right in front of the student section, said it made all the difference for the girls.
“It’s fun for the kids, and that’s really what it’s all about,” DeBaggis said. “A lot of memories have been made in this gym.”
