HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL: Whitman-Hanson tested by Hingham, unbeaten run survives

WHITMAN – In comparison to the previous 10 wins on the season, the Whitman-Hanson High girls basketball team had to take a more beaten path to clinch its 11th straight and keep the unbeaten run alive.

In what was a gritty, defensive game for the first three quarters, the Panthers eventually pulled away from Hingham at home Friday night, 52-37, in the High School Girls Game of the Week. With the win, Whitman-Hanson takes one step closer towards clinching the Patriot League Keenan Division.

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Tied at 27 apiece with 2:09 to go in the third quarter, the Hingham (8-2) defense forced some turnovers up until that point and baited the Panthers, an efficient offensive team, into a uncharacteristic shooting night and held them well below their typical season average point total.

Until Whitman-Hanson flipped a switch, that is.

The Panthers then sprinted onto a 22-4 run born out of forcing turnovers and a four timely hits from distance. Hingham didn't score its first field goal of the fourth quarter until there was a minute left to play.

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“Up until this point, we haven’t faced much adversity so I think during that first quarter, when it was nip and tuck and it was close, Hingham’s a great team and the girls were like, ‘What do we do?’ I said, ‘Hey, it’s a two-point game, you held them to nine points in the first quarter, we’re fine,’" Whitman-Hanson head coach Michael Costa said postgame. "This is bound to happen, it’s not going to be a cakewalk all season. We’re going to play tough teams.”

The Panthers – who typically score in the 60s – were held to just six points after the first quarter and 17 at halftime. Hingham secured narrow leads after the first (9-6) and second (19-17) quarters. One of the area's most dominant teams was met with a defensive intensity that it typically unloads on its opponents.

“The defense was great all game, I think we were just a little anxious in the first half, missing some easy shots," Costa said. "But once the second half rolled around, we kind of relaxed and we were kind of able to find a rhythm.”

The Panthers were led by a game-high 19 points from senior forward Abigail Martin, who scored 12 in the second half. Senior guard Katelyn Cirillo finished with 8 points and knocked down a pair of 3-pos in the fourth quarter to help Whitman-Hanson pull away down the stretch. Seniors Rosie MacKinnon and Caitlin Leahy each finished with 7. Hingham was led by Perry Blasetti's 13 points.

“Honestly, we’re right there with them," Hingham's first-year head coach Roland Millien said. "At the end of the game, we started to commit tired mistakes. We started telegraphing our passes, we started to not come to the ball, attacking the rim and consistently looked for jump shots. We didn’t move the ball at all and that’s a recipe for disaster against a Top 10 team.”

“I’m actually glad it happened because now they see that when you don’t do the little things, they turn into big things," Millien added. "And the big thing was (Whitman-Hanson’s) huge fourth quarter that they had.”

Down two starters – Megan and Anna Stone – on Friday, Costa had to rely on his top playmakers even more. Martin – who scored on quality looks in the paint by way of a few inbounds plays in the second half, as well as spot-up 3-point shots – played a big part in shrugging off the low-scoring first half.

“She’s such a versatile player, both offensively and defensively," Costa said. "She makes winning plays on the glass, with her length getting deflections, blocked shots and all that stuff. She stepped up huge."

"We’re missing two starters tonight, so we needed that from her," Costa added. "(Guards) Lauren Dunn and Caitlin Leahy pretty much played the whole game, I think they emptied the tank and it was well worth it.”

By securing its 10th win of the season earlier this week against Plymouth South, Whitman-Hanson punched its ticket to the tournament. The Harborwomen, who are also on the cusp of 10 wins, look forward to a rematch with the Panthers on February 15 in Hingham. That's quite a tourney tune-up for each team.

“I think the fact that we went out there today and they pushed us to the best we could be, I think that really helps us in the long run,” Martin said. “I think when two teams like that play against each other, it’s really good to use that as a base and build off of that from there.”

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Whitman-Hanson survives Hingham's tough test