Defense pushes D-R Closer to Playoffs

DIGHTON - If the old saying “offense wins games, defense wins championships” translates from football to basketball, the Dighton-Rehoboth girls basketball team is in the driver’s seat.

The Falcons used their defense to generate offense Tuesday night against Case, using a half- and three-quarter court press to force numerous turnovers that led to transition buckets in a 64-48 home victory.

“The game sort of turned our way when we got some pressure and were able to get some layups and good looks off it,” D-R coach Chris Perron said after the game. “Tonight, our defense was working overall. We were able to collapse passing lanes and get steals in key spots so we could get down the floor and get two-on-one or three-on-two matchups.”

D-R closed the first quarter on a 9-0 run, seven of which came from junior guard Emily D’Ambrosio. She started the run with a steal and a layup with a foul for a three-point play and capped the quarter with another steal and transition bucket.

The Falcons pulled away in the second quarter by outscoring the Cardinals 20-6, mostly on the back of forcing turnovers. D’Ambrosio hit a couple of three-pointers and got some easy layups off steals while Ella Damon, Meg Reed and Jenna Kelley also came up with turnovers that led to Falcon baskets. D-R held a 19-point lead, 37-18, at halftime.

“The second quarter is where the game kind of changed with their trap,” Case coach David Silva said after the game. “I give a lot of credit to Dighton-Rehoboth. They came out and played a very strong game.”

The Cardinals scored the first five points of the second half to cut the lead to 37-23 but the Falcons outscored Case 22-7 the rest of the quarter to take a 29-point lead, 59-30, into the fourth quarter.

Dighton-Rehoboth improved to 7-6 with the win and will be back in action Sunday at Somerset Berkley.

REPORTERTODAY.COM MVP: D’Ambrosio finished with 27 points, including 20 at halftime, before exiting the game with 5:45 left and the Falcons up by 27. She did everything you can do on the basketball court, from grabbing rebounds and making crisp passes to set up teammates to scoring inside, outside and in transition. “She thinks the game while she’s playing it, which is a rare act,” Perron said of the junior captain. “There’s something in her DNA. She’s in control of the game. She knows what all five players are doing on the court at all times. She’s phenomenal to coach. Whoever is sitting in my seat is feeling very good about having Emily D’Ambrosio in your corner because she makes everything good for us, on both sides of the ball.” D’Ambrosio’s impact on the game wasn’t lost on Silva either. “She’s the leading scorer in the conference and she’s the first person’s name you write on the board when going over a defensive gameplan. When she gets hot, she’s tough to defend. We held her to seven points in the second half, so that’s a positive.”

THIRD OPTION COMING INTO FOCUS: The strength of the Falcons starts with captains D’Ambrosio and Reed, which give the team scoring and defense in the paint and on the perimeter, but freshman Ella Damon has emerged as a viable third scoring option as the season’s gone along. She had 19 points Tuesday night against Case after posting 15 in last week’s victory over GNB Voc-Tech. “Ella’s a freshman, but what stands out is she plays above her years defensively,” Perron said. “She plays good defense and gets good shots off. She hasn’t peaked yet, she’s just getting started. She’s producing because she gives 100% effort all the time.”

PUSHING TOWARD THE PLAYOFFS: The win is the second in a row for the Falcons after a four-game losing streak in the middle of the season. At 7-6 overall, D-R needs to win three of its seven remaining games to qualify for the MIAA tournament. “I think it’s every team’s goal to make the playoffs but I look at it from a smaller picture: I want the first quarter of the next game to be the best,” Perron said. “We can’t look too far ahead. It’s a long-term goal but it’d certainly be a great thing for the girls to go through. We have to work for it.” The good news for the Falcons is they have a 4-3 record against the seven remaining opponents this year with wins over Somerset Berkley, Apponequet, Fairhaven and Wareham earlier this season.

QUICK HITS: Dighton-Rehoboth notched a lopsided victory over Case in the junior varsity game. … Reed had 12 points for the Falcons, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the second half. She has 33 points in the last two games, but what stood out to Perron Tuesday night was her defense. “She really helps play the passing lanes,” he said. “She’s long and has great feet on defense.” … The flu is making its way around Joseph Case High School as the Cardinals Tuesday night were without a few of their key players. “We faced a little adversity having some kids sick, but it’s not an excuse,” Silva said. “We came with the team we had and we played hard.” Junior captain Riley Fitzgerald led Case with 17 points. “They didn’t quit,” Silva said of his team. “They played hard every possession, so that’s something we can build off of.” … Perron said one of the things that impresses him in his first year as D-R coach is how tight the players are. “They like each other. They hang out and talk to each other,” he said. “Emily says something, Meg says something and the other girls listen and trust them. These are really quality kids I’ve got here.” … Without looking at the stat sheet, Perron pointed to the passing as a positive from Tuesday night’s win. “I think our assists went up,” he said. “When we make an extra pass, we get a better shot.” … Could the Falcons clinch a playoff berth as soon as next week? They are 3-0 against their next three opponents (Somerset Berkley, Apponequet and Wareham) with a combined score of 175-121.

DIGHTON-REHOBOTH 64, CASE 48
Case                           12   6 12 18-48
Dighton-Rehoboth 17 20 22   5-64
Scoring
Case: Victoria Bettencourt 9, Amber Arruda 6, Abigail Sirois 5, Olivia Silva 6, Brooke Orton 5, Riley Fitzgerald 17.
Dighton-Rehoboth: Jenna Kelley 2, Ella Damon 19, Emily D’Ambrosio 27, Megan Reilly 4, Meghan Reed 12.
Three-Point Goals
Case: Victoria Bettencourt, Brooke Orton, Riley Fitzgerald 5
Dighton-Rehoboth: Ella Damon, Emily D’Ambrosio 4