DUDLEY — So much for any possible postseason jitters.
Shepherd Hill vaulted to a 12-1 lead Tuesday night, allowed just four points through three quarters and finished off a 57-22 girls’ basketball victory over the High School of Commerce in a Division 2 state tournament preliminary.
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The 21st-seeded Rams were dominant from the opening tip in front of a lively home crowd. Shepherd Hill caused confusion defensively for Commerce immediately, creating turnovers by the handful.
“They were excited to come out and play in front of the home crowd,” Shepherd Hill coach Laura Hackenson said. “We were excited to start with the press, see where it went with that, and obviously I was very happy with how successful they were in the first quarter.”
Next for the Rams (16-6) is a trip to 12th-seeded Newburyport for a round of 32 game at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Every basket in Tuesday’s first quarter was followed by a full-court press and unrelenting man-to-man pressure. The press continued to work wonders for the Rams, who held their opponent from Springfield to a sole free throw and led, 27-1, after one quarter.
Shepherd Hill was equally effective on offense, converting steals into easy layups and hitting jumpers that were usually uncontested. In the first quarter, Amanda Adamuska (10 points) was particularly effective guarding the inbound passer as the head of the press, and quickly trapping opponents in the corner.
The Rams’ lead continued to snowball in the second quarter despite Shepherd Hill taking off the press. Shepherd Hill enticed Commerce to shoot from beyond the arc, and controlled the boards, limiting second-chance opportunities.
The Rams had little drop-off from their starters to reserves. Forwards secured inside while the guards prevented dribble-drives from any success, grabbing several mishandled passes.
Thirteen Rams scored, with freshman guard Aryanna Sheehan leading the way with 14 points.
“She can handle the ball, she’s confident,” Hackenson said. “She’s definitely going to play some important minutes for us as we move forward here.”
By halftime, Shepherd Hill led, 43-3, even after picking up the Commerce ballhandlers at half court.
“We’ve played some really tough opponents this year, and I think that helped us tonight,” Hackenson said. “Everybody was able to get into the rotation and contributed tonight, and a win like this can only help moving forward for sure.”
Shepherd Hill’s bench gained valuable experience in the second half, with all 15 on the rosters seeing game action.
Commerce’s Leala Samuel led all scorers with 17 points, 14 in the fourth quarter.
The Rams’ largest lead was 48 points, after Shepherd Hill held Commerce scoreless in the third quarter. Junior guard Emery Mullen, the leading scorer in Mid-Wach B during the regular season, hit only a pair of free throws early and gained some needed rest.
Shepherd Hill have a challenge ahead in Newburyport, which posted an 18-2 regular-season record.
“We looked forward to this matchup the moment the bracket came out, so we’ve been able to do some research on them,” Hackenson said. “They’re a really respectable program, and I think it’s a pretty good matchup for us.”
—Contact Matt Williams at [email protected].
