Millis girls basketball falls to Cathedral in Final 4: 'one of the most talented teams in the state'
BRIDGEWATER – Its opponent conceded the opening tip. And nothing else.
Other rare aspects the Millis girls basketball team witnessed: a relentless full-court press; triple-team defense; a large rebounding disparity.
When Cathedral finished a 68-37 victory in the Division 4 state semifinals against his team on Tuesday, Millis head coach Dave Fallon was asked if any Tri-Valley League foes can compare to what the Panthers threw at the Mohawks.
His first response was to point to the team that will play in the Division 2 championship game this weekend.
“Medfield, obviously, their pressure is good, but even Medfield doesn’t have the depth or the speed that this Cathedral team does,” Fallon said. “It’s like we’re playing an AAU team out of Boston."
Cathedral, the top seed in D4, raced to a 14-0 lead before an Abby Powers free throw with a minute and 18 seconds remaining in the opening quarter put Millis on the board. A 3-pointer by Hijjah Allen-Paisley 10 seconds into the second continued the dominance as the lead quickly grew to 20 points.
Millis did well to beat Cathedral’s pressure, but usually ran into a taller opponent near the basket.
Hailey Bassett, a senior captain who plays down low and can shoot the 3, did not play due to a knee injury suffered in the quarterfinals last week.
“They’re one of the most talented teams in the state and we have 160 girls at our public school,” Fallon said. “It would be a tall order no matter who we had or didn’t have. Tough matchup for every team in the state when you play Cathedral.”
And out of state.
The Panthers (18-5) opened the season with a loss to Neumann-Goretti out of Philadelphia, which is currently 20-6 and playing in the Pennsylvania state tournament. Cathedral then lost by three to Brooklyn Law and Tech, which is now 27-3.
Back in Massachusetts, Cathedral defeated four teams that advanced to the Final Four in their respective divisions: Bishop Feehan (Div. 1); Worcester South (Div. 2); Tyngsborough (Div. 3); and St. Mary’s of Lynn (Div. 3). The Panthers have won 11 games in a row heading into the title game against South Hadley this weekend.
Jasmine Day-Cox, the team’s lone senior and career 1,000-point scorer, totaled 16 points for Cathedral and three other of her teammates reached double figures against Millis.
“We’ve had some talented groups, but it’s really tough to compete against a team with that type of talent,” said Fallon, who knew that the Panthers were unlikely to contest the opening tip. “I noticed they did that on all the film too. I don’t know if it’s a mentality thing. It’s an interesting strategy because you’re giving away one possession.”
Grace Higgins and Ella Maher both drained 3-pointers in the third quarter for No. 4 Millis (18-8) and Lindsey Gratton (team-high 12 points) drifted in for two driving layups in the final quarter. Captain Kyra Rice finished with nine points and played her final game in maroon and white as did Izzy Jewett (3 points), Riley Caulfield (2) and Powers (1).
The senior group reached the state finals in Division 5 a year ago and compiled a 34-16 record over the past two seasons.
“This group has been special," Fallon said. "That group provided a lot of leadership whether they had the word ‘captain’ next to their name or not, they were real leaders in the school. They all play together in multiple sports and they really brought everyone on this ride. This group will be difficult to replace, that’s for sure.”
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached attdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Millis girls basketball falls to 'one of the most talented teams in the state'
