Defense lifts undefeated Panthers over Chieftains

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 1/19/17

The Johnston girls' basketball team has allowed just one league opponent to eclipse 50 points this season, and that trend didn't change against Ponaganset on Thursday. The Panthers shut down leading scorer

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Defense lifts undefeated Panthers over Chieftains

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The Johnston girls’ basketball team has allowed just one league opponent to eclipse 50 points this season, and that trend didn’t change against Ponaganset on Thursday.

The Panthers shut down leading scorer Jillian DelPrete and didn’t allow any double-digit performances en route to a 51-34 blowout win. Johnston maintains the only perfect record in Division II-North, leading Juanita Sanchez (6-1) by a half-game for first place.

“Their offense kind of runs through DelPrete, and we knew that we would just put our defensive specialist on her,” Johnston head coach Chris Corsinetti said. “I thought we did an outstanding job limiting her. Bianca [Robbins] did an outstanding job, and when she needed to have a rest, Gabby [DiRaimo] filled in and Julianna [Zalewski] filled in. We did an outstanding job knowing where she was.”

Johnston’s swarming defense prevented Ponaganset from getting much of anything going early in the first half. Buckets from DiRaimo and Robbins had the Panthers ahead 5-0 as the Chieftains struggled to find the net.

They were held scoreless for the first five minutes and 24 seconds before Shelby Kosiver managed to get a layup to fall. Baskets were rare to come by for Ponaganset during the opening half as Johnston built a steady lead.

Caroline Howe took a pass from DiRaimo for an and-1 opportunity. She missed the free throw, but Jordan Moretti picked her up on the next two possessions. Moretti dialed in from long range twice to extend the Panthers’ advantage 14-4.

Moretti would finish the night with 23 points, nine rebounds and five steals, evenly distributing her output between the first and second halves.

“Larry Bird once said, ‘If you want to be a leader, you have to be the first one on the floor for a loose ball.’ You lead by that example, and if anyone sees the way [Moretti] plays and you don’t follow it, then you don’t belong on the team,” Corsinetti said of Moretti’s leadership. “Everybody sees that. On top of that, she’s talented. People know she walks the talk. She’s a tough kid.”

Johnston (6-0) held the Chieftains to just 13 points in the first half and no shooter had more than four. Moretti had 10 before the intermission and came out of the break looking to put the game away.

On the first possession, Moretti drilled another 3-pointer to build the lead to 11. Robbins worked inside to notch two field goals in a row to keep Ponaganset at arm’s length, 30-17.

Moretti recorded her fourth and final long-range make to put Johnston out in front, 37-20. The Chieftains launched an 8-0 run after that, but once again Moretti was there to stoke the flames. She assisted a DiRaimo basket before accounting for six straight points herself to make it a 15-point margin, 45-30.

Johnston’s nascent post forces, freshman Caroline Howe and sophomore Amelia Moore, helped put the game out of reach on Moretti-assisted lay-ins. They combined for nine points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, taking away numerous chances down low for the Chieftains.

“Once we stop [DelPrete], their interior game becomes our point of emphasis,” Corsinetti said. “We’ve been doing a great job in the interior on defense. We have that presence now that we’ve never had before. That’s what separates us from last year. That we have that interior presence.”

It was DelPrete’s shot that made it 37-28, the only time Ponaganset would get within double-digits during the second half. After that, though, she was neutralized. The Chieftains would get only one more shot to fall the rest of the game, as Johnston used its pesky defense and fast-paced offense to pull away.

The Panthers still have a gauntlet ahead. After a meeting Wednesday with Classical (1-6), they will host Westerly (8-0) on Friday and East Providence (6-1) on Tuesday in a couple of D-II South crossovers.

Despite the impressive start, Johnston remains humble as the midway point of the campaign approaches.

“Bottom line is, we still have work to do,” Corsinetti said. “We still need to hit our layups. We still need to hit our free throws. I told them today, ‘Our record might indicate that we’re good, but if you want to be a championship team, you need to hit your free throws and make your layups.’ I don’t call us a very good basketball team yet. I still call us a team that needs to work on those little things that equate to big things on the scoreboard.”

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