On paper. A common-used phrase when analyzing a game that has yet to occur is “on paper,” as in the Oakmont High School Girls Varsity Basketball team, on paper, should be feared. They won 20 in a row, and only a loss in their last game kept them from being undefeated. And so, despite coming into tonight’s Round of 32 MIAA Div. 3 State Tournament game against Watertown as the 18-seed, perhaps “on paper” Watertown, the 15-seed, should be worried- and the underdog?
The MIAA determines seeding based on strength of schedule, a.k.a. quality of opponent, margins of wins and losses, and record. As far as Watertown was concerned, they knew they earned their 13-8 record, 11-5 in a very competitive Middlesex League. Oakmont, located west of 495, plays in the Mid-Wachusett League, and clearly the MIAA didn’t believe their record alone, while impressive, was enough to warrant a higher seed.
Well, boys and girls, the MIAA got it right. Watertown came out of the gate strong, played an almost-flawless first quarter on the way to a 19-5 lead after one, and never looked back. Watertown came away with a 63-43 win in a game that got unnecessarily chippy at the end, but fortunately no one got hurt.
The most flawless player on the floor in the first quarter was senior Caroline Andrade. Oakmont had no answers, as she slashed to the basket and caused havoc. She had two field goals and went to the line four other times as a result of getting fouled in the act of shooting. She went 5-for-8 from the line in the quarter, and accounted for nine of the Raiders 19 points.
Watertown’s offense went a little stagnant in the second quarter, but other than three three-balls by Oakmont, it was a pretty even quarter. At the half Watertown held a 10-point lead, 27-17.
The other storyline in the first half was the officiating. More to the point, Oakmont was called for fouling early and often. Watertown attempted 15 foul shots in the first half, making 11, while Oakmont went to the line just three times, making two. This discrepancy continued in the second half, as Oakmont committed 31 fouls on the night, and eventually four of their players fouled out. Watertown ended up with 17 fouls on the night.
But let’s not for a second draw the conclusion that Watertown got handed a gift. Watertown forced the play, and defensively Oakmont wasn’t up to the task. In Watertown’s 23-6 third quarter that saw the Raider’s lead balloon to 27 points, Andrade scored 13 points, including 5-of-6 from the line. Senior Adriana Williams added four from the line as well.
And now we must discuss the ugly fourth quarter. In desperation, and facing the end of their season, Oakmont turned up the defensive pressure, and it affected Watertown for a bit. If the lead were only 10, say, we might be having a different conversation, but the lead was big enough that Oakmont’s 20-point fourth quarter barely made a dent. And, Oakmont kept fouling, and eventually, so upset at the officials, started acting out. Williams got two technical shots when Amaiya LeBlanc pushed Williams as she was simply trying to pull her own teammate up off the floor after a loose-ball scrum. Minutes later, Molly Horgan slammed the ball in disgust at a call and received a tech.
Williams went to the line a staggering 14 times in the fourth quarter, and she made nine. The fourth quarter felt like it took an hour to play, as Oakmont refused to quit, which is fine, but their play got a little dirty as well, and that’s not OK. When the final buzzer sounded though, Andrade had 27 and Williams 20 and Watertown had completed an impressive win on its home court. Martin was Oakmont’s high scorer with 27.
The win advances the Raiders to the round of 16. The risk/reward of getting a lower top-tier seed is that if things go as they are supposed to, the round of 16 has you facing a high seed, and on the road. And that’s just what awaits Watertown. Watertown must now travel to face the No. 2 seed in Foxborough. Foxborough’s line for the season? 15-1 league, 20-1 overall, 12-0 at home, 8-1 on road, averaging 65.0 points and only allowing 37.7.
I guess you could say then, that on paper, the No. 15 seed Watertown will be the underdog and up against it facing a mighty Foxborough team. And maybe Foxborough is just that good, but Friday night’s lesson should teach us all that it doesn’t matter what’s on paper — it’s what each team believes in about themselves and what they do on the floor when given the opportunity. Seniors Andrade, Williams and Garey (and Dicker, sidelined with injury) are excited by the opportunity, and we all look forward to this Round of 16 matchup at Foxborough on Tuesday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m.