LAWRENCE — The MIAA did the Central Catholic girls basketball team no favors this week, releasing their first set out power rankings just a couple days before Bishop Fenwick’s visit to Memorial Gym Sunday afternoon.
“They’re already angry,” said Fenwick head coach Adam DeBaggis, just minutes after his playoff-barred Crusaders dusted Central, 52-32.
“A lot of the time, it’s working in our favor. We’d rather be in the playoffs for sure, but we’re trying to prove to the world that we are one of the best teams in the state. So every game for us is a playoff game. It’s tough for the opponent, but there’s already a lot of anger.”
Bishop Fenwick (8-1) led every step of the way against a Central team that came in at 7-2 with a Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic championship on its resume, good for a No. 14 nod in the aforementioned MIAA Division 1 rankings.
“I think they would be in contention to win the Division 2 state title (if there was no one-year Fenwick postseason ban by the MIAA). They’re playing every game like it’s for a state title,” said Central coach Casey Grange.
Senior captain Cecilia Kay led the way with 15 points, but there was balance in the Fenwick ranks. Sophomore Caitlyn Boyle and senior Isabella Lopez-Marin pitched in eight apiece, while Celia Nelson, Tess Keenan and Kate McPhail divided up 15 points evenly.
Fenwick broke out to a 16-9 lead after one quarter, but saw that advantage evaporate when Central’s Lilly Phillips and Kerri Finneran drained back-to-back threes. That was as close as Central would get, though. Kay would return to the floor and score seven points in the quarter, pushing Fenwick to a 27-20 halftime lead.
Central kept in range until late in the third when the Crusaders on the floor that allowed the Raiders back into things in the second, basically put them away late in the third scoring by seven straight, with Kay on the bench.
“We just weren’t hitting open shots, we missed a few defensive assignments, gave up a couple ‘and-1s’ and those little things add up,” said Grange. “Next thing I look at the scoreboard, and we’re down 15.”
At 45-29 heading to the fourth, it was over.
“We don’t want to see her on the bench, but it was absolutely great to see that. The group out there is a group that struggled in the second quarter. They did great together, our smaller group with only one six-footer (Boyle),” said DeBaggis.
“We have the best combo of forwards in the state (Kay and Boyle), I would imagine. I don’t know who is out there, We utilize that, they work well together. But the whole team really played well today. We finished this game, and I’m very happy about that.”