Very often if a basketball team gets outscored by its opponent in three of a game’s fourth quarters, the final outcome is a loss for the squad in question.
But an dominant second quarter performance helped the Londonderry High School girls’ hoop squad push its season record up to 2-0 with a 56-53 defeat of the host Nashua North Lady Titans in the Gate City last Tuesday evening, Dec. 13.
Lady Lancers’ coach Nick Theos was pretty unhappy with his team’s effort in the first quarter, which ended with the locals facing an eight-point deficit of 19-11.
But Londonderry turned on the proverbial jets in the second period and netted 26 points to North’s paltry four, so the locals carried a 37-23 lead to halftime and they were rolling on a head of steam.
The home-standing Lady Titans outscored their guests by a 17-9 tally in quarter number three to leave the score at 46-40 in Londonderry’s favor after three stanzas had been completed. And coach Theos’ troop had versatile sophomore Amanda DeAngelis cap off an excellent personal night by helping her side to the slim success in the fourth.
The talented guard/ forward finished the evening with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals, and senior standout Kelsey Coffey contributed a dozen points – including a pair of three-point buckets – seven boards, and two swipes. Sophomore guard Emmy Dumaresq also threw down nine important points and dished out four assists for the winning side. All in all, the Lady Lancers had eight players tally points, and the locals sank a total of seven three-pointers.
“We were awful in the first, giving up almost 20 points,” lamented coach Theos. “It looked like we hadn’t practiced since last Thursday, which we hadn’t. But once we straightened out the defense, our offense took off and we outscored them 26-4 in the second quarter to grab the lead, and we never let it go.”
Speaking of the big night enjoyed by DeAngelis, the LHS leader said, “Amanda was good, but scary as it may sound she can be better. She works so hard on the offensive end, I’m glad she got results tonight. Most of her points came in the paint or on fast-breaks.
And on the night on which his team kept its Division I record perfect in the early going, Theos looked forward to the bigger picture.
“Two and zero is a good start for us, but we need to keep improving. I think we will,” he said.
This week’s busy schedule had the Londonderry bunch hosting the Spaulding High Lady Red Raiders from Rochester on the evening of Tuesday the 20th, after Londondery Times press time, and then playing at Bedford High against the always-tough Lady Bulldogs two nights later. And then the evening after that, Friday, Dec. 23, the Lady Lancers begin their involvement in the North Andover (Mass.) Holiday Tournament with a contest at Andover High School.
Talented Lady Lancer sophomore Amanda DeAngelis scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in her team’s slim victory over Nashua North.