Girls Basketball Falls Short In Defensive Showdown Against Martha’s Vineyard

The girls basketball team lost to Martha’s Vineyard at home 37-28. The offense continues to be an issue and something head coach Raf Osona is actively searching for answers to as his team approaches the midway point of the season.

“I think it is a couple of things,” Osona said of his struggling offense. “I think it is understanding when to run the floor and when to run an offense. That is the main thing. We are trying to approach of less coaching, more playing. They got the tools and now we want to put it into their hands.”

Offense was hard to come by for both teams in the game, with the score being 3-1 after one quarter of play.

“The first quarter was stagnant and eventually we got things going a little bit better,” Osona said. “It was a tough shooting day but that is basketball.”

Sophomore guard/forward Maddie Lombardi led Nantucket with nine points. The Whalers had a chance to take the lead on a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter but were unable to make them. The Vineyard would end up pulling away on a three-point shot in the following possession to make it 33-28 late in the game.

“Momentum was in our favor there,” Osona said. “But we didn’t hit those free throws and on the in-bounds pass we didn’t close out on a corner three and that changes the chemistry of the game. When there are two minutes left and you are down five, we have to play different. If you are down to, you can continue to play the same way and chip away at it.”

The Whalers are now 2-8 this season and will need to put a winning streak together soon if they want to make a run at earning a tournament seed. They will travel to Cape Cod Academy on Tuesday, January 24 for a 3:30 p.m. game