The Walpole Rebels girls’ basketball team hosted the Rebel Hoop Classic this past February vacation. The Rebels faced both Medfield and Norwell on subsequent days, and left the tournament with a loss to the undefeated Medfield Warriors, and an overtime win to Norwell.
Senior Adrianna Frattasio started the game against the Warriors (who were ranked third in the state according to maxpreps.com prior to the tournament) off on a high note with three point basket. But in the remainder of the first quarter the Rebels struggled with Medfield’s press and tough defense. Because of this, there were many turnovers and lost opportunities for the Rebels to convert on the offensive end. Likewise, Walpole’s tough, half-court defensive posed problems for Medfield. The final score of the first quarter was 14-8 with Medfield on top.
Both teams came out strong in the second quarter, and kept the intensity up until halftime. Within ninety seconds, senior Captain Shannon Cullen was able to put up 5 points and 3 rebounds, keeping the Medfield posts off the boards. Due to having 3 fouls in the first half, Cullen was forced to sit on the bench, insuring that she wouldn’t foul out at the end of the game when the team would need her most.
Junior Darci Bruce also did an exceptional job keeping Medfield from getting easy second scoring opportunities with 8 rebounds, along with blocking shots. Junior Bridget Nicholson ended the first half of play with a basket, making the Rebels take the lead 22-20.
The third quarter was much like the first quarter, with many turnovers committed by both teams. Nicholson hit a three pointer at the buzzer sounding the end of the third quarter to tie the game at 28 all.
In the fourth quarter, Nicholson hit another three. Cullen had a nice defensive block, which then set up Nicholson with a breakaway at the basket. Nicholson was fouled by a Medfield player, and went on to make both of her foul shots to put Walpole up 34-31 early in last quarter of play.
But the Rebels remained in foul trouble, with four of their five starters having four fouls each with five minutes left in the game. Cullen fouled out of the game with four minutes left, while Nicholson was forced to intentionally foul a Medfield player with only fifteen seconds left, which also gave the Rebel her fifth foul of the night. Medfield came out victorious with a final score of 45-38.
The consolation game was played on Wednesday night at Walpole High School where the Rebels faced the Norwell Clippers. Despite not being a contender for the Rebel Hoop Classic title, both teams played to win, because it affected their state tournament seeding.
In the first half of the game, Norwell’s 6’2″ center appeared to be unstoppable on the offensive end. The junior hit her 1,000 point, an impressive milestone for any high school basketball player, in the third quarter, and continued to secure rebounds on both ends of the court. But Walpole adjusted and alternated both King and Cullen on defense to stop the Warriors from getting easy baskets.
Going into the fourth quarter of regulation game play, the score was tied at 42. Both posts finished with double-doubles on the game, which, was back and forth, with both teams able to hit shots and make foul shots. The game came down to a foul shot made by a Norwell player with not enough time left on the clock for Walpole to have a good scoring opportunity.
In overtime, the Rebels proved that they deserved to win by outscoring the Knights by seven in the four minutes of extra game play. Nicholson had seven points in overtime and finished with 26 for the game. The final score of the game was 76-69.
Nicholson finished as the tournament MVP for her strong performances in both contests. The tournament was regarded as almost a pre-tournament test for the girls: “These games are going to be so important for us in the long run. Although we lost, the experience we had against strong teams like N0rwell and Medfield allowed us to get ready for a playoff-like atmosphere. Some teams may have had a week or longer to rest, so those teams may be rusty. We will be sharp from the opening whistle,” said senior Captain Steph DeSantis.
The team, along with DeSantis, hopes that the strong play transfers over to the tournament. The playoff-like atmosphere shown in the Rebel Hoop Classic should prepare the girls for what may come in Hopkinton on Wednesday night.
