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Martin's big second half leads Whittier

Thursday, January, 24 By Jessica Wright
Staff writer

HAVERHILL | After a tough first half of fighting through double teams, freshman Danielle Martin turned it on in the second half to finish her night with a game-high 15 points and lead Whittier to a 30-27 victory over Presentation of Mary.

"We ask a lot from her and she's stepping up," said Wildcat head coach Kevin Bradley. "She's maturing very quickly."

Whittier trailed by two points at the half after scoring only nine points in the first two quarters. But then the 'Cats broke out for 11 in the third quarter to put the Panthers (5-4) away for good.

"It was like a football score in the first half," said Bradley. "But in the second half, we came out and got in our rhythm."

It was Martin that led the charge. She scored six unanswered points during that run to put the Wildcats ahead. Annemarie Perez added to the damage, making two key free throws of her own.

This was the second big game in a row for Martin, the No. 3 scorer in the Eagle-Tribune area at 16.0 points per game. She had 33 against Notre Dame of Lawrence.

PMA's best chance to take momentum came with 5:19 left in the fourth quarter. Becky Smith drew a technical foul, and hit both of her free throws. But on the following possession, the Wildcats stole the ball and scored a basket at the other end.

Smith led the Panthers with nine points, while freshman Danielle Silva scored seven while dealing with double and triple teams. PMA struggled from the free throw line, hitting only 5 of 18.

"We had an off-day shooting," said Panthers coach Bob Melillo. "We had too many turnovers and Smith was in foul trouble for most of the end of the half."