HYANNIS – With the postseason looming on the immediate horizon, St. John Paul II’s Haylee and Kaia Whiteley decided yesterday would be a great time to synergize their sibling-related talents.
St. John Paul II sisters Haylee (2) and Kaia Whiteley (11) teamed up yesterday for 11 points apiece in the Lions’ 39-25 victory over Sturgis West.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports File Photo
The pair each dumped in 11 points on the day in the Lady Lions’ 39-25 girls’ basketball victory over visiting Sturgis West, with senior co-captain Haylee notching a huge double-double by adding 12 rebounds. Kaia added six rebounds to her 11 points but most importantly she buried a baseline three-pointer in the fourth quarter that solidified St. John Paul II’s important win at home.
Having already clinched a share of the Cape & Islands League title (with Falmouth Academy), and having secured over a week ago a slot in the MIAA postseason tourney, winning the final handful of regular season games will give the Lions a higher postseason seed and keep the team’s momentum flowing.
The Lions now stand at 14-4 on the season. Sturgis West fell to 5-8 on the season but still has a chance to make the postseason if it wins the remainder of its games this week.
St. John Paul II got rolling quickly in this match-up, held yesterday at the St. Francis Xavier Prep gymnasium, building up a 10-2 lead in the first quarter.
Led by Maggie Farley and Shannon Crowley, Sturgis West staged a respectable comeback in the second quarter, outscoring the hosts, 12-11, but at halftime the Lady Lions still held on to a 21-14 lead.
The second half proved to be more of a defensive battle between the two opponents, as the Lions netted just 18 points over the latter two frames, in contrast with West’s 11. Farley finished with eight points and Crowley with five points, including a fourth quarter three-pointer, but it was not enough to hold off the height and speed of the Whiteley’s and their Lion teammates.
Sturgis West could have used the free-throw line to their advantage and been right in the thick of this match-up, but its cumulative 9-20 performance at the stripe cost them dearly.
St. John Paul II’s point guard Jess Tierney had just six points but those points were comprised of a pair of second quarter three-pointers that helped keep her Lions ahead and in charge. She added eight assists and five rebounds in an exceptional effort. Olivia Bengston tacked on seven points and had six steals to go along with three rebounds.
St. John Paul II welcomes Martha’s Vineyard on Monday at 3:30 pm at St. Francis Xavier Prep in Hyannis, then wraps up its regular season on Tuesday at Cape Tech at 2:00 pm.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm
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