H.S. Basketball: Falcons Fall to One of State's Top Teams

FOXBOROUGH - Anyone who thinks losing in the opening round of the playoffs to onf ot he top teams in the entire state puts a grey cloud over the Dighton-Rehoboth girls basketball season couldn’t be more wrong.

“It was certainly a success,” D-R coach Chris Perron said following Wednesday night’s 54-27 playoff loss at Foxborough. “Not because of the scoreboard or the winning record. It was a success because they played to a standard and didn’t let themselves drop below that standard. It’s how hard can you play on Tuesday night, how hard can you play on Friday night, then come back and work hard at practice. They did all of that. Our team fought and battled all year long. They had a heck of a season.”

The 2019-20 Falcons finished the regular season 11-9, earning the No. 15 seed in the Div. 2 South playoffs. On Wednesday night, the No. 2 Warriors (19-2) proved to be too much for the Falcons to handle as a pressure defense and a big third quarter proved to be the difference.

Dighton-Rehoboth’s defense set the tone early as they held Foxborough to only seven first-quarter points. Using a 2-3 zone, the Falcons forced outside shots that weren’t falling for Foxborough. The Warriors scored only 14 points in the second quarter, but Dighton-Rehoboth struggled offensively with only two second-quarter points for a 20-6 halftime deficit.

The Warriors exploded in the third quarter as the shots started to fall. Foxborough scored 23 points in the third to D-R’s six, carrying a 31-point lead into the fourth (43-12) and cruising to a victory.

“I thought we gave them all they could handle in the first half in terms of our defensive scheme,” Perron said. “They’re certainly a team that can score with a high potent offense. I thought we had a scheme that at least made them slow down and think a little bit. They’re really hard to play against. They defend full court better than anybody we saw this season.”

“We don’t see a lot of zone in our conference,” Foxborough coach Lisa Downs said about the Hockomock League. “To beat the zone tonight, we really needed to work hard. As soon as someone got the ball, there were two D-R girls right on them.”

The Warriors advance to the Quarterfinals of the Div. 2 South tournament, where they will host No. 7 Pembroke Friday night. The Falcons finish the season 11-10 overall.

REPORTERTODAY.COM MVP: Senior captain Meg Reed led the team in scoring in her final game with eight points. The forward/center was active on the boards and was hustling all over the court on defense and and going to the floor for loose balls. “She is 100% the best leader you could ever ask for,” Perron said of D-R’s only senior. “You can lean on her. She’s 100% in practice, 100% in the pre-game meeting, 100% talking to the team after practice. She is always on. This team really needs to step up next year with the loss of her.”

DEFENSIVE FOCUS: D-R junior guard Emily D’Ambrosio, the leading scorer in the South Coast Conference this season, was held to just five points in Wednesday night’s contest. She hit three free throws and scored on a layup inside while Foxborough senior guard Lizzie Davis, who had the height advantage in the matchup, shadowed the SCC All-Star across the court. “We put our best defender on her. She can shoot from the outside but she also has a nice inside presence as well, especially for a guard with her size,” Downs said. “We really tried to eliminate her offensively. She did a great job out there, she was very scrappy.” Perron said the extra attention on D’Ambrosio was clearly a sign of respect for her ability. “Em had to play on the ball, off the ball and handle it most of the time,” he said. “Give Foxborough a lot of credit, they matched her speed for speed, bounce for bounce. Tonight’s going to make her a better player in the end.”

LOOKING AHEAD: The Falcons will return four of their five starters from Wednesday’s game next season: D’Ambrosio, junior Jenna Kelley, junior Megan Reilly and freshman Ella Damon. Sophomore Caroline Reed, Meg’s sister, also saw significant minutes this season and will be called upon to play a bigger role in 2020-21, as will sophomore guard Briana Malaguti. “It’s kind of early to evaluate for next year but we’re happy with the players we have coming back next season,” Perron said.

QUICK HITS: Meg Reed and D’Ambrosio came out of the game with 1:30 left to a standing ovation from the bench and the family, friends and fans who trekked to Foxborough for the game. They shared a hug with Perron on the bench and cheered on their teammates in the final minutes. … Junior captain Katelyn Mollica led the Warriors with 29 points, including seven three-pointers. She was the only player in double figures on both teams. … Perron said the Falcons played at the same level they have all season long. The difference was the competition. “The way we played tonight got us a lot of good W’s in our league. Foxborough is a little different.” The Warriors won the Div. 2 South tournament in 2017 and 2018 and lost in the South Semifinals to Pembroke last year (after beating D-R in the quarterfinals). Over the last four seasons, the Warriors are a combined 87-9 overall with a state championship in 2018. … Foxborough senior center Shakirah Ketant injured her ankle early in the first quarter but returned after halftime in what looked at first to be a serious injury. … This was Perron’s first season as D-R girls hoops coach. “I’m really proud of the team,” he said. “I don’t know what they’re expectations were coming into the season, but I think they beat their own personal expectations, all of them.” … D-R used a lineup with four guards for most of the night to match Foxborough’s speed but it cost them on the glass as the Warriors held a significant edge in the rebounding category. … Malaguti hit the only three of the game for D-R. … D-R boys basketball coach Bill Cuthbertson was in the stands to cheer on the Falcons. His team will host North Quincy in the First Round of the boys Div. 2 South tournament on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

FOXBOROUGH 54, DIGHTON-REHOBOTH 27
Dighton-Rehoboth   4   2  6 15-27
Foxborough              7  13 23 11-54
Scoring
Dighton-Rehoboth: Briana Malaguti 5, Ella Damon 5, Emily D’Ambrosio 5, Caroline Reed 4, Meg Reed 8.
Foxborough: Aislinn Servaes 1, Yara Fawaz 3, Nicole Theriault 2, Morgan Sylvestre 2, Katelyn Mollica 29, Lizzy Davis 9, Abby Hassman 2, Shakirah Ketant 2, Jordyn Collins 4.
Three-Point Goals
Dighton-Rehoboth: Briana Malaguti.
Foxborough: Katelyn Mollica 7, Lizzie Davis.