MIAA D2 Tourney: The Saving Grace

Bash Hudson

March 7, 2022 @ 03:44 PM

Thursday night, I traveled to Western, Massachusetts, to see a Division 2 battle between #13 Holyoke High vs. #20 South High. Despite being on the road in front of a loud, animated crowd, South High came out as the more aggressive team on both sides of the ball. They controlled the entire first half and found themselves up 10, but Holyoke came out on fire from three in the third. With the score knotted up at 47 heading into the 4th, South High got a big performance from their point guard and won 66-55. They advance to the Sweet 16 to face Walpole.   Player of the Game: <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/83535BA3-DE9C-4D1D-AFAD-995CE2E71A79-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1646688676.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-397457" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/83535BA3-DE9C-4D1D-AFAD-995CE2E71A79-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1646688676-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="289631" first="Grace" last="O’Gara"] - South - 5’6’’ - PG - ’22 O’Gara was unstoppable all game long, but her 4th quarter performance ultimately put South over the top against Holyoke. She had 31 points and several steals where O’Gara read and jumped the passing lanes quickly. All her points came inside the 3 point line, and she showed disciplined shot selection, taking what the defense gave her every possession. With the game tied at 47, O’Gara took the game over and scored 9 points in the 4th quarter along with a big momentum-changing charge to help the South Colonials advance.   South Standouts: [player_tooltip player_id="289632" first="Tamia" last="Nunes"] - 5’9’’ - SG/SF - ’22 A typical scoring night for Nunes, who poured in 19 points for South, and she also dominated the glass. Thursday night was probably the most aggressive I have seen Nunes on the glass, and Holyoke did not have the size or strength around the basket to keep her from getting position. She secured extra possessions for South, and Nunes’ relentlessness was one of their keys to victory. [player_tooltip player_id="282617" first="Jaiyla" last="Colon"] - 5’6’’ - CG - ’24 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-397460" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/05/26741088_Unknown-crop-1112x730-1646688742-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Colon was aggressive on defense early in the game and gave South a lot of life in their full-court trap. Her speed and athleticism made it hard for Holyoke to advance the ball, and Colon racked up many deflections. She also chipped in 9 points, including a couple of timely jump shots from the outside to expand South’s lead in the 4th.   Holyoke Standouts: [player_tooltip player_id="184023" first="Bianca" last="Ortiz"] - 5’7’’ - CG - ’23 Oritz netted 27 points, including 4 three-pointers. One of those threes got her over the 1000 career point plateau in the third quarter, which was the beginning of an offensive tear that got Holyoke back in the ball game. Down 10 at the half, Ortiz came out firing, putting Holyoke in a position to win by the 4th. Ortiz’s defense was also impactful. The number of blocks in the halfcourt and transition also gave Holyoke a big spark.   [player_tooltip player_id="397274" first="Kleriz" last="Matos"] - 5’1’’ - PG - ’22 Despite Matos’ size, she can still get her shot off and pull from way behind the line. She played a big role in Holyoke’s third-quarter run by burying 2 deep threes that trimmed the South lead. Matos is a tough guard who can handle the ball in pressure situations and be trusted to make plays in high leverage situations.   [player_tooltip player_id="183933" first="Yamaya" last="Perez"] - 5’1’’ - PG - ’22 Perez is very similar to Matos in shooting acumen and range but is also effective in getting into the paint. Perez also had 2 huge threes from the wing in Holyoke’s 25 point third quarter, and her ball security, along with decision making, were significant to Holyoke getting back in the game.   [player_tooltip player_id="397294" first="Amilyan" last="Treadwell"] - 5’10’’ - PF - ’24 Treadwell was the lone big for Holyoke, who battled inside for rebounds and gave her team a much-needed paint presence. She showed good hands and soft touch around the basket leading to 9 points on the night. Treadwell showed toughness, forcing jump balls and drawing fouls on second-chance opportunities.