PEABODY — Defense has been the name of the game for the Bishop Fenwick girls basketball team through its Division 3 North tournament run.
The Crusaders, the No. 8 seed in the bracket, held No. 9 East Boston to six points in the first round and No. 13 Stoneham to 19 points in the semifinal. In between, the Crusaders edged No. 1 St. Mary’s, 55-52, in a nail-biter between familiar Catholic Central League foes.
Now the Crusaders shift their focus to Saturday morning’s Division 3 North final against No. 7 Bedford at UMass Lowell’s Tsongas Center. The Buccaneers, 14-9 this season, hail from a competitive Dual County League.
“Bedford’s very athletic and aggressive,” Crusaders coach Adam DeBaggis said. “They have a few really good players. They have a lot of height. I compare them to Austin Prep in our league, which is another athletic and aggressive team. They have a few good players so it’ll be a challenge.”
Fenwick shot the ball well in Thursday night’s semifinal victory over Shawsheen. Olivia DiPietro scored a game-high 10 points, while Jennie Meagher added eight and Fredi DeGuglielmo tallied seven. Despite the above-average shooting performance, DeBaggis believes defense will have the greater impact in today’s game.
“We’ve been shooting well lately but that can disappear Saturday,” DeBaggis said. “You can always rely on defense. There’s always going to be those games when you’re not shooting well. What are you going to do if you’re not playing good defense? We try to focus on things we can control and that’s number one.”
DeBaggis expects Bedford will bring an aggressive style of play on the defensive end, meaning the offensive key for Fenwick will be finishing its opportunities.
“They have some good defenders,” DeBaggis said. “Setting some good screens and being strong with the ball will be key. Some of the things we need to do are things we’ve needed to do all year because our league’s so competitive. It really comes down to being able to finish strong. We have a very athletic team. It’s easy to make shots and layups when you’re by yourself but it’s tougher against a strong defense. Being mentally and physically tough is key.”
On the defensive side of the ball, communication will be the key for the Crusaders. The Buccaneers will look to force Fenwick’s defenders into switches throughout the game by running screen-heavy sets on offense.
“We have to be able to stop a couple of really good players they have,” DeBaggis said. “Communication’s key. Bedford runs a lot of stuff that requires switching and fighting through screens. We have the athletes and the smarts to play good defense but when we go quiet it goes wrong. We have to communicate to stop a couple of primetime players they have.”
If experience will bring any advantage to today’s game, it’ll play in Fenwick’s favor. The Crusaders are making their fourth sectional final in as many years, meaning they’ll know what to expect on the big stage. Fenwick lost to Amesbury in last year’s Division 3 North final. The Crusaders won the state championship two seasons ago.
Despite the experience factor, DeBaggis believes it’ll come down to which team puts together a better performance.
“It probably gives us a very tiny advantage, if anything,” DeBaggis said. “It comes down to who plays better. I think it helps minimally, but minimally isn’t enough to win the game for you. Fredi and Jennie have both played in this game but it’s still a big stage. It’s big. Going from our court to an arena is a big deal.
“We’re pumped, it’s a lot of fun playing in this game.”
The winner of today’s game will advance to Tuesday’s (2:15) Division 3 state semifinal at TD Garden against the south sectional champion.