RallyNorth.net

Reggies break past Whittier

Saturday, December, 15 By Dave Dyer
Staff writer

After a bumpy start to the season, the Greater Lawrence girls took a step in the right direction yesterday afternoon.

After a 52-29 Commonwealth Conference win over Whittier, 10th-year coach Tricia Fleming, whose last two squads went 22-4 and 17-7, respectively, believes the Reggies can do much more.

"We looked better than the other night (a 54-28 loss to Minuteman), but I think we're still a whole lot better than we looked today," said Fleming. "These kids have so much more to offer."

Still, there were positive signs, particularly in the second half. The Reggies, who led 24-15 at the half, showed good scoring balance, with Tiffany Aguirre (13), Angie Gonzalez (11) and Aisha Hernandez (10) all in double figures and Geraldine Jimenez adding eight points.

Moreover, the Reggies scored many of their points on fast breaks and press-breaking plays, with Hernandez scoring eight points off the break in the fourth quarter alone. "We've always worked on that (fast breaks) and I think we can do more of it," said Fleming. "Aisha is very quick and can help us, but she needs to work more on using her quickness.

"I was really happy with Geraldine. She's basically a JV player we're forcing to play varsity. We didn't expect this from her."

As for Whittier (1-1), the Wildcats played good full-court defense, particularly in the second quarter, but they could never get any consistency on offense. Freshman Danielle Martin of Haverhill led with 11 points, but the team only had nine field goals for the night.

"Defensively, we're all right," said Whittier coach Kevin Bradley. "We just have to do a better job of making our shots and free throws."