RallyNorth.net

HAVERHILL — A stifling fullcourt press helped Whittier Tech claw its way back into its District 4 North Section opener, but it proved insufficient to keep the Warriors from staving off postseason elimination.

Facing Commonwealth League rival Shawsheen for the third time this season, the opening half was much like their regular season affairs that featured a split in games neither team won by more than three and included a double overtime Ram victory earlier this month.

But the ninth-seeded Rams blew open their two-point lead at intermission with a 24-point third quarter that featured a 16-1 opening stanza run that forged a 42-25 lead with 2:41 left.

The eighth-seeded Wildcats, however, cranked up the pressure in the fourth. Forcing turnovers on 10 of Shawsheen's first 12 possessions, Whittier closed the gap to 52-42 midway through the frame as guards Xciana Flores (4) and Kayle Hobbs combined for six of the team's eight steals.

"I was proud of how gutsy the girls played," Bradley said. "We got them down to 10, and I thought we could get them right here. But give Shawsheen credit, they kept their composure and were able to keep us away from them."

Emma Saulnier came off the bench took advantage by hitting two of her four treys while Flores added four points of her own in the run.

"Maybe we should've start that a little bit earlier," coach Kevin Bradley said of the press. "We were pretty good when we were playing aggressive. It came down to missed shots, especially foul shots."

Whittier (12-9) and Shawsheen (13-8) both struggled to find the net, combining to shoot 26.7 percent from the floor (37-139) and 43.1 percent from the line (22-51). The Wildcats were a woeful 15 of 68 from the field.

When told his team shot 22.1 percent, Bradley replied: "That's not bad, that's horrendous. (Shooting) hasn't been our problem (down the stretch). It's just been a matter of coming back from injuries. We've just been trying to stay healthy."

Flores paced the Wildcats with 13 points, while Saulnier added 12 and Hobbs, celebrating just the fourth leap-year birthday of her life, chipped in nine. But it wasn't enough to keep Whittier from losing its sixth straight to close out the season. Other than the 84-82, double-OT loss to Shawsheen, the Wildcats scored 48 or fewer five times.

"It was a growing season," Bradley said of a campaign that opened with nine wins the first 11 outings despite a pair of sophomores starting. "None of them really played on the varsity last year, and they're all young. And they're all back next year since we don't have any seniors. So, this was a good learning season for us."