Major Milestone for Seekonk Senior Mia DiBiase

SEEKONK - Mia DiBiase’s Christmas present came a few days early.

The senior point guard stepped to the free throw line midway through the second quarter and hit the second shot to score her 1,000th career point. The referees stopped the game as the crowd went crazy and teammates rushed to congratulate her on the milestone.

“It feels really good. I’m happy that all my family came out and my friends were here,” said DiBiase, who missed the first free throw before hitting the second for the milestone. “I was nervous, but once I hit the second one for 1,000, everything was fine after that.”

Hr teammates rushed to shower her with hugs. Coach Bill Paulo presented her with a basketball signed by all the players on this year’s and last year’s teams. She then headed toward the crowd, where she shared hugs with her mom and dad while the crowd cheered loudly.

“She’s meant everything to this program,” Paulo said after the game. “She’s a great kid. Everyone’s so happy for her. She’s done a great job leading this program.”

She did all she could on the court to try to lead the Warriors to victory, scoring nine of their 17 fourth-quarter points as they clawed back from a 10-point deficit to trail by two midway through the fourth, but the Lancers pulled away in the final two minutes for a 57-51 victory.

Seekonk (1-1) will look to bounce back after the holiday when Old Rochester comes to SHS on Friday for a 6:30 p.m, game.

REPORTERTODAY.COM MVP: DiBiase led the Warriors with 20 points, including two three-pointers while going 8-for-10 at the free throw line. When she wasn’t scoring, she was battling for rebounds and making crisp passes to set up scoring opportunities for teammates. She hit a three-pointer after a Norton timeout with 4:10 left to cut the deficit to five, then led freshman Ally Dantas to a layup with a nice assist on a 2-on-1 to cut it to three before Norton pulled away. “Overall, I thought our offense is better than I’d thought we’d be,” DiBiase said after the game. “We need to improve on our defense, but I don’t think we played a bad game. There’s some room for improvement, but it was a good game.”

PRAISE FROM THE OTHER BENCH: “She’s the most polite, positive, awesome person. I’m so happy for her,” Norton coach Daniel Langmead said of DiBiase, who he’s known for years. “She’s probably taken more shots throughout her career in the offseason than most kids in the area. She works really hard and is very deserving of everything.”

FAMILY FIRST: When asked who she wanted to thank for reaching the 1,000-point milestone, she didn’t hesitate for a second with her answer. “Definitely my family, especially my dad, he’s been there since day one,” she said. She got emotional during the celebration while embracing her mom and dad, and posed for pictures after the game with her parents and sisters.

COACHES LEAD THE WAY: DiBiase also thanked her current and former coaches, and made sure to thank former Seekonk girls basketball coach Darren DaLuz, who was in attendance Monday night and coached DiBiase in her freshman and sophomore years. “When I saw Mia in seventh grade, I knew she’d be an all-star,” DaLuz said. “She was a starter from the first day of freshman year, from the day she walked in. She’s very humble and works so hard. I’m so happy for her.”

THIRD QUARTER WAS THE DIFFERENCE: The Warriors trailed by one, 30-29, at halftime and took a two-point lead early in the third on three straight points from junior Lauren Tortolani. The Lancers responded with 14-0 run while outscoring the Warriors 14-5 in the third to take a 10-point lead into the final frame. “We didn’t play well enough defensively. That’s how we got down 10-12 points,” Paulo said. “The effort was there, the kids played hard, we just didn’t do what we needed to do on the defensive end to win the game.”

SPARK OFF THE BENCH: Dantas came off the bench and made an immediate impact, scoring eight points in the first half and finishing in double figures with 11. After Norton took a timeout up by two, 28-26, with 1:07 left in the first half, the freshman guard dove to the floor for a loose ball and saved a possession, then hit a three-pointer to give the Warriors a 29-28 lead. “She’s coming along really well,” Paulo said. “Ally did a nice job today, very happy with her effort.” Dantas was on the floor in crunch time when the Warriors were clawing back in the fourth quarter. She has totaled 18 points in her first two games this season.

QUICK HITS: Fellow Seekonk freshman Maggie McKitchen came off the bench and made an impact on the glass, finishing with a handful or rebounds and six points. “Maggie did a great job on the boards,” Paulo said. … DiBiase has committed to play at Salve Regina in Newport next season and said she plans to study biology. “It’s a great school education-wise. The campus is so nice,” she said. “I did an overnight visit and really bonded with the team. They’re looking for a point guard next season.” Safe to say Salve has found its point guard. … Sophomore forward Mikayler Patch was a force for the Lancers, finishing with a game-high 21 points. She scored from inside and outside, was 7-for-7 from the free throw line and led the team in rebounding. “It was a pretty good competitive game for both teams,” said Langmead, whose team went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minutes. “(Hitting those free throws) was really big. It seperated us a little bit.” … DiBiase has been a South Coast Conference all-star since her freshman year. … Sophomore Kate Leinson added six points for the Warriors, including a three-pointer off the glass early in the game. … The scorer’s table was a festive place to be during Monday’s game as everyone was wearing their red Santa hats. 

NORTON 57, SEEKONK 51
Norton 17 13 14 13-57
Seekonk 16 13  5 17-51
Scoring
Norton: Jenna Sweeney 5, Taryn Fierri 9, Hannah Sheldon 5, Kate Andy 6, Sarah Tatarczuk 2, Olivia Atherton 7, Janet Jolly 2, Mikayler Patch 21.
Seekonk: Kate Leinson 6, Mia DiBiase 20, Lauren Tortolani 3, Bria Dunphy 2, Ally Dantas 11, Lauren Paulo 3, Maggie McKitchen 6.
3-point goals: Norton-Jenna Sweeney, Taryn Fierri, Olivia Atheron, Mikayler Patch 2; Seekonk-Kate Leinson 2, Mia DiBiase 2, Ally Dantas 2, Lauren Paulo.