FALMOUTH — The Falmouth girls’ basketball team spent a lot of time over the holiday break working on its transition game and implementing a new high-press defense.
It’s safe to say the work is paying off.
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Jess Burton and Abby Ryan scored 13 points, Ally Hickey added 12 and sparked the defense, and Falmouth rolled to a 63-31 win over short-handed Cape Elizabeth in a Western Maine Conference game Saturday.
Falmouth (4-2) bounced back from a crushing 54-28 loss to rival Greely in Cumberland on Dec. 20.
“After the Greely game we really wanted to focus on our transition offense, our transition defense and add this new press,” Hickey said. “This game was a perfect test to see how our fast breaks were working. I think it turned out well.”
Burton, the Yachtsmen’s 6-foot-1 forward, agreed. And she said Falmouth’s success started with Hickey.
“Ally was a really key player in the defense,” Burton said. “She plays up top and has responsibility for guiding the player to one side or the other to get the trap. The trap leads to steals from all the other players.”
Falmouth forced 27 Cape turnovers, compared to giving up 15. Those Cape turnovers often led to high-speed transitions and Falmouth points. Despite pressing all game, Falmouth was able to keep its energy level high.
“When everyone is doing their part in the press, you don’t get as tired,” Hickey said. “They can trust me to do my job up high; I can trust they’re going to do their job back there.”
Burton and Jessica Collins each had six rebounds for Falmouth; Hickey pulled down five.
Cape Elizabeth (4-2), which saw its win streak snapped after three games, was without its top two ball- handlers. Montana Braxton and Kate Breed were at a club soccer tournament in Florida.
“In the first half we shot ourselves in the foot,” Cape Elizabeth Coach Chris Casterella said. “We’d get the rebound and turn the ball over on the outlet passes, and they’re getting easy shots. (At halftime) the score could have been a lot different it we just took care of the ball.”
As it was, Cape was in trouble from the start. Falmouth led 17-8 after one period and 34-14 at the half. Casterella was pleased to see freshman Erin O’Rourke (six points) play well in her first start. She also enjoyed the play of 5-3 Mo Lavallee, who helped hold the 6-foot Hickey to six points in each half.
Hannah Sawyer led the Capers with 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Ashley Tinsman led Cape with six rebounds. Maddie Bowe had four.
“The effort was there, we just didn’t execute,” Casterella said. “We made some unfortunate passes. It will be good to see this one on film and make some adjustments for next time.”
Burton accounted for nine of the Yachtsmen’s 22 third-quarter points that put them ahead, 56-22.
Falmouth Coach Mari Warner kept the tempo high to the end, perhaps with an eye on a tough three-game stretch against York on Tuesday, at Fryeburg Academy on Thursday and against Greely on Saturday.
“Despite their (short-handed) situation, we had to get our game where we wanted it to be,” Warner said. “I was pleased with the intensity we had.”
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