RallyNorth.net

Dzenis, Lancers whip Astros

Friday, February, 24 By Dave Dyer
Staff writer

DERRY — When your star player and top scorer has an off night, you need someone else to step up to the plate.

Or, in the case of Londonderry junior Katherine Dzenis, up to the line — the 3-point line.

With sophomore standout Aliza Simpson suffering through a rare poor shooting night, and scoring just seven points, Dzenis sank 4 of 5 from the 3-point line for 12 points to spark the Lancers, thanks also to a swarming defense, to what became an easy 53-30 victory over arch-rival Pinkerton, providing some momentum heading into next week’s Division 1 playoffs.

The victory lifted Londonderry to 18-2 (16-2 in Division 1) and was its eighth straight and 13th out of the last 14 games.

“It’s a good way to go into the playoffs,” said Londonderry coach John Fagula. “We didn’t look too good offensively but we keep working on the defensive end and then things seem to go better for us.”

That was certainly the case last night after a stagnant first quarter that ended with Londonderry clinging to a 7-5 lead. The Astros were harassed into a whopping 12 turnovers in the period while Londonderry couldn’t buy a basket, hitting just 2 of 18 from the floor.

But Dzenis hit two of her trifectas in the second quarter, freshman Casey Evans scored all seven of her points in the frame and Londonderry went on a 17-5 run that provided a comfortable 24-10 halftime lead.

With Dzenis hitting two more 3-pointers in the third quarter, Jaime King adding a 3-pointer of her own and Simpson scoring all of her points in the period, Londonderry pulled away to a 42-15 lead that turned the fourth quarter into a battle of reserves.

“I love shooting 3-pointers — I shoot them as much as I can,” said Dzenis, who rarely drives to the basket. “It’s my home out there.

“If one person has a bad game, we have others who can step up. It was my turn tonight.”

For Pinkerton (15-6 overall, 13-5 in NH), which had won three straight, freshman Val Martin scored all seven of her points in the fourth quarter to lead the scoring. On the plus side, like the Lancers, Pinkerton will open the playoffs with a home game next Wednesday. Pairings will be announced Monday.

Also, in the preliminary game, the Astros handed the Londonderry JV team its first loss in two years, scoring the last five points in regulation before prevailing in overtime.