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Masco pressure, slow start doom Ipswich

Friday, January, 11 By Matt Jenkins
Staff writer

Masconomet girls basketball coach Bob Romeo wasn't expecting to hold Ipswich junior forward Amber Smith scoreless for long stretches during any point in last night's game.

So you can imagine his surprise when the Chieftains held the entire Ipswich team at zero for the first 11 minutes and cruised to a 58-41 win at home.

Ipswich trailed 13-0 after the first quarter and the Masco lead swelled to 19-0 before Tigers' freshman Hannah O'Flynn put back a rebound with 4:47 to go in the first half.

"To pitch a shutout (in the first quarter) against a team that good is pretty impressive," Romeo said. "It would be hard to shut out just Amber, let alone the whole team."

Despite turnovers on its first three possessions, Masco set the tone for the game by playing tight halfcourt man-to-man defense. The Chieftains made it virtually impossible for the Ipswich guards to make an entry pass into Smith, who saw a regular rotation of bodies on her.

The pressure defense sent Ipswich into an early shell. "We tried everything we could to not have them intimidated or nervous in the first quarter," Ipswich coach Mandy Zegarowski said. "There really was no reason for them to be. Everyone I have on this team, except one freshman, has been here before. That was pretty disappointing because that's not how we play."

Considering the slow start, Ipswich did a pretty good job of clawing its way back into the game.

The Tigers, now 8-1, outscored Masco 13-9 before intermission after scoring their first basket, and they did manage to cut the deficit to 12 (37-25) in the third quarter.

The outcome never really seemed to be in doubt, however. Each time Ipswich made a move, Masco (7-1) had a quick and easy answer. Defensive rebounds were quickly turned around and exchanged into layups on the other end, and the Chieftains got solid contributions from some role players. Caroline Stewart was immense with 25 points from a variety of spots on the floor, but Krissy DiBenedetto (11 points), Carly Kiernan (9) and Merri DeAngelis (8) did a ton of damage with Ipswich holding Jamie White and Annie Burns to a combined three points.

"I think if we didn't get burned by the layups we could have made even more of a comeback," Zegarowski said. "Every time something positive happened for us, they just turned around and pushed the ball and we didn't get back in time."

Smith scored her first bucket with 56 seconds left in the first half and added two free throws before intermission. Ipswich found a way to get Smith more involved in the second half as she netted 10 points in the third quarter and six in the fourth.

Even though Masco played tough defense on Smith, she still found a way to get 20 points.

"We tried to keep the ball out of her hands as much as possible," Romeo said. "We were good at it early and then she made the adjustments that she needed to to get the ball in her hands. Once she has it she's so tough because she can shoot the pull-up jump shot. Really, it's what we tell the kids who aren't guarding her (that matters). When she gets to the paint you have to try to get in her way and not foul her. You have to make it difficult for her to get baskets." Six-foot center Audrey Shaughnessy also had a strong second half for Ipswich, scoring six of her eight points after the break.

On paper, it looks like a lopsided game, but Romeo walked away impressed with Ipswich.

"I told Mandy after the game, 'You didn't win and I'm sure you're disappointed, but your team didn't quit,'" Romeo said. "They never stopped playing."