IPSWICH — Looking to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons, the Ipswich High girls basketball team got just a little bit closer to doing so Thursday night.
Playing rival Rockport High for the third time this season, the Tigers utilized a full court press, capitalizing off of the Vikings’ mistakes and generating a number of points off turnovers throughout. The result was a satisfying 47-36 on Dough Woodworth Court.
The victory, its fourth straight, pushed Ipswich’s record to 8-6, meaning two wins over their final six regular season contests will earn them automatic entry into the Division 4 state playoffs.
The Tigers have won eight of their last 10 contests after beginning the season 0-4.
Freshman guard Victoria Eaton had a big night for the hosts by dropping a team-high 14 points, with a number of them coming off steals. Zao Scarano, a sophomore guard, also came out hot, scoring six of her 13 points in the first quarter to give the Tigers the start they were looking for.
“They are a rival and we already played twice; each game was like a rubber match,” Ipswich coach Dan McPartlin said, whose squad defeated the Vikings 49-36, earlier this season after losing the first meeting between the two teams in December, 42-24.
“It means a lot to come away with this win because they always play hard, they’re a tough team, and a lot of the same kids we have now played in town together for a long time.”
Rockport (now 10-5) qualified for the Division 5 state tournament with their win over Nashoba Valley Tech two weeks back. Since then, they’ve hit a bit of a dry spell offensively, resulting in three straight losses.
“They had a really strong and aggressive press,” said Rockport head coach Jordan Fears of the Tigers. “We just couldn’t keep up, and we weren’t moving the ball fast enough.”
Vikings star sophomore Sunny Gallagher helped keep her team within striking distance by dropping a game-high 22 points. She benefited by driving the lane and getting to the free throw line with regularity, knocking down nine shots from the stripe.
Natasha Proposki was the Vikings’ next leading scorer with six while Maggie Reed chipped in four.
Trailing by just two at the half, Rockport fell further behind as they admittedly had a difficult time breaking the Ipswich press. The Vikings just could not buy a bucket in the big moments, but at times they were aggressive and got to the free throw line where they thrived.
Junior captain Julia Hubbard and freshman guard Jules Rafferty both added six points each for Ipswich.
“We are trying to go .500 so we can make the playoffs, and that was winning basketball (today), so it was a big one for us,” McPartlin said.
Ipswich 47, Rockport 36
at Ipswich High School
Rockport 6 10 11 9 | 36
Ipswich 11 7 17 12 | 47
Individual statistics Ipswich (8-6) — Victoria Eaton 6-2-14, Zoa Scarano 5-3-13, Julia Hubbard 3-0-6, Jules Rafferty 3-0-6, Julia Soares 2-0-4, Keira McPartlin 2-0-4, Jada Holman 0-0-0, Reagan McPartlin 0-0-0, Lily Cummings 0-0-0. Totals 21-5-47.
Rockport (10-5) — Sunny Gallagher 6-9-22, Natasha Proposki 3-0-6, Maggie Reed 2-0-4, Gabby Lucido 1-0-2, Ryliegh Hopkins 1-0-2, Summer Warren 0-0-0, Calleigh Trickett 0-0-0, Lucy Flannagan 0-0-0. Totals 13-9-36.
Halftime: 18-16, Ipswich.
3-Pointers: R — Gallagher; I — None.