Murphy’s two doubles-doubles help Bulldogs start 2-0

The Canton women’s basketball team is off to a hot start, winning its first two games of the season.

With the dominant defense of junior power forward Olivia Murphy and her double-double in each of the first two games, the Bulldogs earned a 62-53 victory over Bedford last Tuesday and a 56-49 win at Sharon last Friday night.

In the season opener against Bedford, Murphy was the leading scorer with 21 points and 12 rebounds while junior point guard Alana Pitts-Anaya added 14 points with six assists.

The Bulldogs were leading by as many as 25 points, but could not maintain their large lead. When the physical Bedford players threatened to make a comeback, however, the Bulldogs held them off in the final minutes to secure their first victory of the season.

“It was a good game — a good confidence booster,” Canton head coach Kaitlin Mills said.

Mills is looking to improve from last season when the team posted a 6-15 record. Her goal is to strengthen the defense and have a balanced scoring offense.

“That is our motto this season: defense,” she said. “We can score all we want, but if we can’t defend the hoop, we won’t win any games. We are also looking for more balance with scoring, especially from Alana Pitts-Anaya, Nicki Fralick and Olivia Murphy.”

In Friday’s win over Sharon, defense was the deciding factor for the Bulldogs’ new-look team.

Defensively, Canton shut down Sharon’s 6’2’’ center Liz Wluka and made second half adjustments to prevent the opposing guards from getting open looks. Senior guards Fralick  and sophomore forwards Kristen Burns and Sarah Winkler provided excellent defense for the Bulldogs.

“In the second half we adjusted our defense and shut down their guard that was shooting lights out in the first half,” Mills said. “Our defense is what won us the game. The kids came up big and stayed composed at the press.”

To secure the win, Pitts-Anaya hit clutch free throws at the end of the game, shooting eight of 10 from the line in the fourth quarter and finishing the game with 15 points.

“She’s really running the show,” Mills said of her junior point guard. “She’s handling the press well, she’s a great dribbler, a great passer and a good shooter.”

Also in the win, Murphy tallied another double-double, leading the team with 17 points and recording 18 rebounds.

Seniors Fralick, Aoife Kennedy and Julianna Strahan are this year’s team captains.

The Bulldogs were scheduled to play Foxboro on December 21.

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Posted by Tony Catinella on Dec 23 2010. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.