NMH v. Choate: Dani Dimes

Bash Hudson

February 15, 2022 @ 02:27 PM

Northfield Mount Hermon beat Choate 43-34 Saturday afternoon in one of the biggest defensive duels I have seen this winter. Both sides struggled from the field all game, and after the third quarter, the game was tied at 30. Someone had to take the game over and put the team on their back, and a rising ’24 point guard did just that.   Player of the Game: <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/D431F406-B610-4145-934E-896CBB6C53F2-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1644956148.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-388403" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/D431F406-B610-4145-934E-896CBB6C53F2-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1644956148-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="283290" first="Dani" last="Ceseretti"] - NMH - 5’11’’ - PG - ’24 Ceseretti came up clutch for NMH in the 4th. She asserted herself on offense and attacked the Choate defense repeatedly, getting to the rim at will. Her size, length, body control, and footwork gave Ceseretti a clear advantage, and she either got a layup or free throws down the stretch of the quarter. Besides her clutch play, Ceseretti is one of the best passers I have seen. She isn’t a flashy passer but is one of the most accurate. Her eyes are always up in transition seeing the floor, and there aren’t many players I trust more than Ceseretti to make a play when in the high post.   NMH Standout: [player_tooltip player_id="289709" first="Sierra" last="Bentley"] - 5’11’’ - CG - ’23 Bentley’s one of the most versatile athletes in her class. I mainly noticed on defense her ability to switch on to any Choate player and contain them. Bentley also has a high defensive IQ and was a valuable weak-side defender. She is an athletic shot blocker and aggressive on the glass. Bentley plays like a big on defense but has point guard skills on offense. I liked seeing her push the tempo on the break and see her speed, quickness, and slashing ability from the perimeter.   Choate Standouts: [player_tooltip player_id="328968" first="Kameryn" last="Perry"] - 5’11’’ - CG - ’23 Perry’s value to Choate goes far and beyond the stat sheet. She was by far the best defender on the court Saturday afternoon, and she was impactful throughout the whole game. She has the size and length to defend guards and wings and constantly disrupted the NMH offense. Choate switched on defense most of the game, and Perry smothered whoever she ended up guarding. Perry essentially eliminated her assignment out of the halfcourt set and made it impossible for them to get the ball.   [player_tooltip player_id="329033" first="Paika" last="Van Der Maas"] - 6’2’’ - SF/PF - ’24 Van Der Maas seemed to be the only player from both teams who could get into an offensive rhythm. She finished the game with 16 points, including a couple of three-pointers and tough alley-oop layups. Van Der Maas’ jump shot is a thing of beauty, and at her size, she is unbothered by an aggressive closeout.