Tuesday’s game versus Arlington was likely one Watertown Coach Mike Tempesta had circled on his schedule, especially after Watertown made it to this game 6-2 in league play and Arlington 7-1. It would surely be a chance to measure one’s success to date, and figure out what kind of team he had when facing the strength of the league.
On a frigid winter’s night in mid-January, both team’s started out intense and focused. The lead changed hands numerous times, with Watertown pulling away first to an 11-5 lead. But Arlington quickly responded and went ahead 16-13 after one. It was still close at the half with Arlington holding a six-point lead. All that changed though in the third quarter as the Spy Ponders put the game away with a dominant stretch, outscoring the Raiders 19-4 on the way to an 18-point margin of victory, 58-40.
Both teams seemed intent on executing their half-court offense in the first half, and in the case of Arlington, they hardly even looked or settled for an outside shot until Senior Melina O’Hagan made the first three pointer of the game for either team late in the second quarter. Watertown, on the other hand had many good looks from the outside in the first half, and believe me when I say I’d be writing a different recap had they been able to find their range. But they weren’t able to, and an 8-point second quarter for the Raiders was a bad omen of worse things to come.
Coach Michael Tempesta prides himself on coaching teams that play solid, fundamental man-to-man defense. Move one’s feet. Don’t reach. Play big, but don’t create contact. On this night these principals would be really important, but his squad just seemed a step slow and they stood around too much against a team that was clearly all about running their sets and taking it to the basket. The Raiders played into their hands by not anticipating screens or calling them out or switching up. They allowed too many drives to the hoop, and then stood still too much or were a step slow marking a Spyponder, which led to offensive rebounds galore and second and third opportunities to score.
Worst of all, the Raiders just came out flat in the third quarter, while Arlington came out the locker room intent on stronger defense that would create offensive opportunities. Arlington caused turnovers and poor shot selection, and fast break opportunities resulted. And for sophomore Arianna Lindgren, the third quarter was one she’ll always remember. Five field goals, including two 3s, and 3 of 5 from the foul line had her scoring 15 of the teams 19 points in the quarter. She followed it up with three int he 4th, and on top of 7 in the first, Lindgren finished the night with a game-high 25 points.
For the Raiders, it was ultimately a night to forget. Freshmen Natalie Haley was the Raider’s high scorer with 19, which included a nifty drive and kiss high off the glass for one of her field goals in the first half, but her outside shooting was off most of the night, as it was for the rest of the team. Haley found her range with two 3s in the 4th, but the game was far out of reach by then. What to learn from last night’s affair? Poor outings happen.
This team still stands alone in first place in the Freedom Division at 6-3, and has a respectable 6-4 record overall. But, it’s probably important that Coach Tempesta’s squad take a moment to recognize the ways in which Arlington won last night’s game. They outhustled Watertown most of the night when it came to 50/50 balls, for example. They worked hard for their offensive rebounds, which is almost entirely about hustle and mental toughness. And, again, when Watertown takes care of the ball and doesn’t over-dribble, they execute and create good offensive opportunities for themselves. They didn’t do that enough last night.
A new opportunity dawns on Friday as Watertown takes on Burlington at the Watertown Middle School at 5:30 p.m.
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1 2 3 4 – F
Arlington 16 11 19 12 – 58
Watertown 13 8 4 15 – 40
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Scoring
Arlington:
Lindgren… 25
O’Hagan… 12
Watertown:
Haley… 19
Lambo… 8
Keuchkarian… 6
Setouhi… 6
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Upcoming Games
Friday January 23… Home vs.Burlington, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday January 27… at Lexington, 6 p.m.
Thursday January 29… Home vs Milford, 7 p.m.
Friday January 30… at Wilmington, 5:30 p.m.