Photos by Joshua Ross
On any given night, one of a handful of Harborwomen can lead the team in scoring, which is why they are so hard to beat. Last night, it was Senior Captain Ryley Blasetti. After the team's slow first quarter start, she absolutely took over the game, not only with her scoring, but her leadership on the court.
The 5th seed Falmouth Clippers came ready to play. Their defense early in the game seemed to frustrate Hingham a bit. The Harborwomen did a good job getting the ball down low to their inside players to make some easy baskets. Sophomore Colleen Johnston banks it in early in the first quarter.
Despite playing some good defense, the Harborwomen found themselves down 12-3 in the first quarter on some really good 3-point shooting by the Clippers. They managed to cut into the lead finishing the quarter only down 13-9. Sophomore Perry Blasetti with the attempted steal late in the quarter.
Once the second quarter started, Ryley Blasetti took over. She started the quarter with 3 straight pull up jumpers giving the Harborwomen the lead they would never relinquish. Her confidence spread to the rest of the team and it was a different game after that. She finished with a game high 20 points.
Sophomore Caroline Connelly has quickly become one of the Harborwomen's best players. She has not only made an impact on the last half dozen games with her team leading rebounds, but she is consistently scoring in the double digits. Last night was no different for the Patriot League Keenan Division All Star with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Hingham started the 3rd quarter with a 29-27 lead in front of a standing room only crowd and the Harborwomen gave them a lot to cheer for. Senior Captain Grace Bennis, who is usually in the corner launching and burying 3-pointers, was diving across the court for loose balls to start the quarter.
Senior Captain Jess Johnson battled underneath the basket for rebounds and loose balls the whole night. The Harborwomen extended their lead to 44-37 by the end of the third quarter.
As the fourth quarter started, the Harborwomen again turned to their senior leaders to finish the game strong.
Coach Buczynski played with a very short bench last night, but did manage to get in Freshman Colette Hanney late in the game, who buried a 3 to just about close it out for Harborwomen.
The final score was 61-42. With this win, the Harborwomen move on to the semi finals against top seed Norwood. The game is currently scheduled for 3/2 at 7:15pm in Taunton.
This game also marked the last time these seniors would play together on their home court. Congratulations Grace, Jess, Haley, Ryley and Corinne for outstanding high school careers.