HANOVER — In No. 5 St. Mary’s previous game against No. 12 Apponequet Regional, coach Jeff Newhall, as well as leading scorer Bella Owumi, said it was the best they had played all year.
In Friday night’s 47-31 win at No. 4 Hanover, not so much. But despite Newhall admitting the Elite 8 contest was “hectic,” good teams find a way.
“Not the prettiest thing, but Hanover is a good team and they play physical,” Newhall said. “Based on a lot of their scores, they play a lot of games like this, so I’m not surprised it was a little bit mucky.”
Not only the four-minute scoring drought in the third quarter, but Owumi (2 points) finished with no field goals.
“I think, overall, she influences the game in so many different ways. Everybody likes to look at points,” said Newhall, whose Spartans are seeking their fourth consecutive state title. “She never really settled in on offense, which is fine. I think that’s why basketball is a great team game.”
Team game, indeed. Jillian Roberts (18 points) of the Spartans went on an 8-2 run in the fourth quarter. If her corner three with 3:40 remaining wasn’t the dagger, her following triple from the top of the key was, putting St. Mary’s ahead, 47-29.
“She did the same thing that she did on Monday, when she had three or four threes in the fourth quarter,” Newhall said. “She’s progressively gotten better over the two years that she’s been here… I’m not surprised that she wanted the ball and was looking to take the shot.”
AJ Hyacinthe (9 points) – the only senior on the roster – showed her experience with a clutch triple ahead of Roberts’ run.
“I just felt like we needed her presence on the floor,” Newhall said.
Then, there was Reese Matela (8 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks), who went on a 4-0 run at the rim during the third quarter, one that ended with St. Mary’s ahead just 31-23.
“I thought some other kids did some really good things,” Newhall said.
Even in the first half, the depth never let up. For the third consecutive state tournament game, Juliana Conte (9 points) entered the game in the second quarter and hit a three. Better yet, in this one, she connected on three.
“Juliana, same thing. Similarly to the other night in the second quarter, she comes in and gives us big minutes,” Newhall said. “Three big threes.”
Hanover coach Brian Fisher credited St. Mary’s, a side he knew wouldn’t be easy.
“They’ve got kids who can shoot, they’ve got bigs, and they can score,” he said. “Those younger kids have the experience. Knowing that, I knew we were in for a game.”
He admitted it was hard getting past the Spartans’ trap defense, too.
“We had three days of practice where we were practicing that trap and how we’re going to break it,” Fisher said. “And we did OK at times…. It’s hard to simulate.”
Taking positives from a negative, Fisher touched upon a few points, including Hanover’s strong defense on Owumi.
“We shut her down, and that was our goal. That was our gameplan: shut down those two (Owumi and Lily Norton),” Fisher said. “They hit 80 (points) a bunch this year, and we held them to 47.”
But in the end, “Those other kids beat us,” according to Fisher. His Hawks checked out with a 17-win season, while the Spartans are set to face No. 1 Foxborough in the Final 4 (TBD).
“They’re going to be very difficult for anyone to beat. I think they’re probably the best team in the state – any division,” Newhall said. “But tonight, we’re going to enjoy this.”
