PHOTOS: Medfield Girls' Hoops Win 8th Straight

Tuesday's 69-39 win over Bellingham was a good example of the type of team the girls' basketball squad can be when they are at their best. "We are balanced," said Medfield head coach Mark Nickerson. "We had three players in double figures (Lauren Petit, Kate Thomas and Payton Ouimette). We are aggressive defensively in both the full and half-court; we had 17 steals and
converted many of them into lay-ups. And we are efficient on offense; 28
for 61 from the floor (shooting 46 percent for the game.) When we are playing
our best, we are tough to beat."

Medfield raced out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter before Bellingham hit three consecutive three-pointers to close the gap, 16-9 before the quarter closed with the Warriors ahead, 18-9.

"I was very pleased with the way we came out," Nickerson said. "Bellingham has some good offensive players but for the most part, we did a nice job shutting them down, especially in the first half."

Lauren Petit scored 14 points and had eight steals in 18 minutes of play. Kate Thomas led the team with 12 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes and freshman Payton Ouimette had 11 points off the bench –all in the second half.

Tuesday's win was Medfield's eighth straight and has the Warriors 7-0 in the Tri-Valley League.

Medfield gets back on the court Wednesday for an out-of-league game with Fontbonne Academy at MHS at 6:30 p.m. The Warriors defeated Fontbonn, 41-35 on Dec. 19. It's a challenge Nickerson is looking forward to having his team face.

"This is exactly the type of game that we need to prepare us for what we
will see in the state tournament," Nickerson said. "We look forward to the challenge and our excited about competing against one of the better teams in the state and one of the best players in the state in Jen Gemma, junior post-player for Fontbonne."