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Parolisi, Owls foil Londonderry's plan

Wednesday, February, 06 By Dave Dyer
Staff writer

The way Timberlane sophomore Tianna Parolisi is progressing, teams may need to rethink their defensive strategy against the Owls.

Londonderry came out in a box-and-one against Owls' standout Sam Wheeler last night with | at best | mixed results in a 43-40 loss to Timberlane. The University of Maine-bound Wheeler was held to five points, but Parolisi | with help from senior Kristin Crotts | picked up the slack as the surging Owls (9-4) won their sixth straight and ninth out of their last 10.

Parolisi connected on her first four shots, three of which were 3-pointers, and led all scorers with 16 points while Crotts chipped in with 13 points.

"We've seen diamonds-and-one and now the box-and-one, and we've seen other things," said Timberlane coach Bruce Johnson. "I've told Sam to expect it, and she's very content with it. We've told her that we'll still score points. Gimmick defenses only work if no one else scores, but I know we have others who can score.

"Tianna had another good game. She's learning all the time and becoming a lot stronger in her play."

Parolisi started some last year, but she's just starting to come into her own as a scorer. She scored 19 points against Keene Monday night, and she's been scoring in ways beyond her sweet outside jumper. She also had two nifty drives against the Lancers.

"Last year, I felt I just filled a position," said Parolisi. "But I'm getting more confident in myself."

Parolisi and Crotts combined for 18 points in the first half as the Owls moved out to a 26-13 lead against the tentative Lancers. Londonderry (9-4) regrouped in the second half. Trailing 37-29 after three quarters, the Lancers had a chance to force overtime but a 20-footer at the buzzer wouldn't fall.

Although Wheeler, a returning Eagle-Tribune Super Teamer, was held to five points, she had 11 rebounds. Shannon Rose was 3 for 5 from the floor for six points.

"We're getting better at communicating and our defense is coming around to where it should be," said Johnson. "Earlier in the year, we were giving up 50 points and now it's in the 30s and 40s, which is more what we're looking for."

As for Londonderry, Chelsea Rennie had a solid game with 13 points and nine rebounds, but no one else reached double figures. Callie King, who had scored a combined 33 points in her previous two games, was held to six points.

Plagued by poor shooting (5 of 18) and turnovers (10) in the first half, Londonderry never got the sustained consistency veteran coach John Fagula was looking for.

"We're just not at the point where we understand what needs to be done all the time," said Fagula. "We're still learning."

Fagula looked on the bright side of the defeat. "I consider this a good dress rehearsal for the (Class L) tournament," he said. "I didn't know much about their personnel other than Wheeler, but now I know."

In other words, expect the Lancers to be paying a lot closer attention to Parolisi if the two teams meet again.