The Dragons dominated on the offensive glass Tuesday night in a 56-38 home win.
DUXBURY – Playing for the first time in well over a week, there were bound to be hiccups for the Duxbury High girls basketball team, especially on offense.
So the Dragons became a clean-up crew.
Duxbury grabbed 17 offensive rebounds against Patriot League foe Whitman-Hanson Tuesday night and got big performances from seniors Alli Cavallo and Nicole Callander along with freshman Teagan Curran to pull away in the second half and defeat the Panthers, 56-38.
“We don’t always shoot the ball well and I think that’s at any level,” said Duxbury coach Bob Sullivan. “It’s OK to not shoot the ball well as long as we have a defensive effort, we can stay in basketball games and then that effort on the glass is huge.
“The thing we stressed at halftime was rebounding at both ends of the floor. Not just the defensive end of the floor, but to hit the offensive glass. We are long, we are athletic and we keep balls alive. It was a good night.”
With Duxbury (6-1, 5-0) controlling the boards, Whitman-Hanson coach Jenna Olem knew her team would be in for a long night.
“I said the key to the game is we give up second chances we’re not going to have a chance and that’s pretty much exactly what happened,” Olem said. “(Duxbury is) a tough, physical team. They play together. They play hard. Tough team to stop all-around.”
Cavallo, Callander and Curran combined to score 48 points with Cavallo leading the way with a game-high 20, plus six rebounds. Callander (10 points, 14 rebounds) and Curran (18 points, 12 rebounds) each notched a double-double to give Duxbury a terrific trio for which Whitman-Hanson (7-1, 3-1) didn’t have an answer.
“(Cavallo and Callander) are best buddies and to see them play like that their senior year (is great),” Sullivan said. “Teagan is a freshman and I don’t think she plays like one. She’s not afraid.”
After holding the Panthers to four points in the second quarter to take a 22-14 halftime lead, Duxbury came out strong with a 12-1 run to start the third quarter.
Callander, who was held scoreless in the first half, sparked the run with six points, and a put-back from Curran plus a bucket from Sam Borjeson gave the Dragons a 34-15 lead with 3:52 left in the third quarter.
But Whitman-Hanson battled back, answering with a 10-0 run. Two buckets by Sammy Smith sandwiched around a 3-pointer by Hannah Damon got the Panthers going. Then, three more points by Alyssa Nicholson cut the deficit to single digits, 34-25.
For Whitman-Hanson, it had contributions throughout its lineup as 10 different players scored, led by junior Erin Leahy (seven points). The Panthers also got a lift from its bench, which scored 19 points.
“We say all the time that the depth that we have is one of the reasons that we can be a special team this year because everybody can contribute something,” Olem said. “Everybody has a different skill set. We got a lot of young kids that are trying to get experience. Playing against a traditional powerhouse like Duxbury is definitely a good experience.”
While the Panthers hung around, Duxbury put the game out of reach midway through the fourth quarter with a 14-4 run.
Cavallo and Curran each finished traditional 3-point plays during the tear to secure a key early-season victory over a divisional opponent.
“We’re a hardworking team and we try to stay consistent all year round,” Cavallo said. “Whitman-Hanson’s a great team. Credit to them. They give us a hard game each time.”