Offensive masterpiece propels Oliver Ames High girls basketball into Div. 2 final four

EASTON – Oliver Ames High girls basketball coach Laney Clement-Holbrook believed her team could have made a deep postseason run last year.

But her and the Tigers had to wait until this year to see it actually come to fruition.

Now No. 3 OA is on to the Division 2 state semifinals after a brilliant team-orientated offensive performance propelled the Tigers past sixth-seeded Dracut, 84-64, Friday night at a raucous Nixon Gymnasium.

More: ELITE 8: Find all the South Shore MIAA hockey and basketball quarterfinal results here

Senior Caroline Peper and sophomore Jasmyn Cooper spearheaded OA’s offense with Peper tallying 24 points and Cooper coming through with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Sarah Hilliard also contributed in numerous facets by totaling 16 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists.

“Last year we didn’t get a chance (due to the pandemic) and it was heartbreaking because I knew we had the potential to present like this,” said Clement-Holbrook as the Tigers advance to face No. 2 Medfield for a third time this season. “I’m just so grateful that we’ve had a chance for these kids to actually play through this and they so deserve it.”

For OA (20-3), it was its second-best offensive output of the season, only trailing an 86-point showing versus Taunton in mid-January, but undoubtedly this effort came on a grander stage with much more at stake.

More: Unselfish play at the center of Oliver Ames High girls basketball team’s dominance

OA’s terrific offensive production was predicated on unselfish ball movement as the Tigers churned out 26 assists on 32 made baskets. Hilliard led the passing clinic while Peper recorded six assists and OA had three others with at least three assists.

“We love making the extra pass,” Peper said. “Most of us pick off of each other’s momentum so when someone else makes a great shot and we feed that great shot, it feels great and everyone else kind of gives in to that.”

Peper sank a 3-pointer just six seconds into the contest to set the tone and helped the Tigers withstand an outstanding performance from Dracut’s junior guard Ashlee Talbot, who netted 24 of the Middies’ first 26 points and finished the contest with a game-high 40.

More: Anatomy of an upset (and comeback): How Cohasset girls hoops knocked off No. 1 Cathedral

Talbot gave Dracut (20-4) its only lead of the game at 14-12 when she banked-in her first of seven 3-pointers with 2:54 left in the first quarter.

But behind Peper, the Tigers closed the frame on a 12-0 run. Sophomore Kaydance Derba (nine points) started the spurt with a trifecta before Peper scored nine points in the span of a minute.

She first tallied three points the old-fashion way before draining back-to-back 3-pointers – one from each corner – to give the Tigers a 24-14 advantage. Peper, who scored her 1,000th career-point in a first-round win over North Middlesex, is now averaging 23.3 points per game in this postseason.

“It’s not just about offense,” said Clement-Holbrook of Peper taking her game to another level in the state tournament. “She’s the leader on the floor. She controls the pace.”

Leading 42-32 at halftime, OA’s focal point coming out of the break was trying to find a way to slow down Talbot. The 6-foot-1 Cooper made it possible to neutralize Talbot, especially in the third quarter when she was held to just three points in the stanza.

Cooper’s length allowed her to contest Talbot’s outside shots while the athleticism Cooper possesses helped her cut off drives by Talbot to the basket. Derba also aided in the defensive effort with five blocks.

“The key was length,” said Peper of defending Talbot. “We tried to adjust and we changed Hailey Bourne off of her and put Jasmyn Cooper on her, which disrupted a lot of what she was doing. We were just trying to adjust on her great ball-handling skills.”

Hilliard also made sure OA’s offense stayed humming at an exceptional rate in the second half.

Hilliard notched 12 points over the final 16 minutes as when she wasn’t finishing off great looks down low, she was dishing out passes for her teammates to score on.

After assisting on two of OA's final three buckets of the third quarter, Hilliard scored two consecutive buckets in transition to begin the final frame and Derba punctuated an 11-3 run with a deep triple to give OA its largest lead at 74-49 with 4:22 left.

Hilliard’s own length and athleticism made a vital difference in the rebounding department and she gave OA plenty of second-chance opportunities by snaring six of the team’s 16 offensive rebounds. In total, OA held a dominant 48-23 advantage on the glass.

“She was a beast off the boards,” Clement-Holbrook said. “She really came into her own in the latter stages of the season because we were missing (Anna) Murph(y). We missed Murph for like five or six games because of a concussion and Sarah just rose to the occasion.”

OA will now play in its first state semifinal since 2016 and see an opponent its plenty familiar with in Medfield. The Warriors handed the Tigers two losses to end the regular season.

But getting this opportunity following an impressive win and having it come this far into the postseason with a trip to the state final on the line is what was envisioned for the Tigers all along.

“This was just something that you just dream about,” Clement-Holbrook said, “and these kids have actually made it happen. I couldn’t be more proud.”

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Powerful offensive display lifts OA High girls basketball over Dracut