Lady Panthers Advance in D-II Playoffs With Win Over Narragansett

Seniors Gianna Mazzulla and Alaina DeNoncour provided a potent outside-inside attack, and the No. 7 seed Narragansett Mariners struggled from the field, leading to an easy 56-35 win for second-seeded Johnston.

Mazzulla finished with 23 points, including three shots from behind the arc. Her success from outside forced the Mariners to extend their defense, leading to easy put-back baskets for DeNoncour, who finished with 18.

“Our game is no secret,” Johnston head coach Dan Mazzulla said. “They’re going to collapse on Alaina, so we know we need to hit some outside shots.”

While the Panthers executed on offense, the Mariners struggled throughout the first half to hit open looks. Sophomore Maggie Salomone was guarded aggressively throughout the half, and other Narragansett players couldn’t convert when they had opportunities.

“We couldn’t hit a shot,” Narragansett head coach Kathryn Mahoney said. “It was just a clear and obvious problem.”

Mahoney attributed the offensive woes simply to her team having a bad night.

“They were doing everything they needed to do [to get open],” she said. “The shots weren’t falling.”

In the first half, the Mariners were limited to four field goals, and trailed Johnston 29-8. The margin could have been worse, as both teams started slow – Johnston only held a 7-4 lead after six minutes.

Mahoney said at halftime, it was a matter of encouraging the team to play hard in the final 16 minutes.

“They were defeated at the half,” she said, referring to their attitude and her own. “Any human being would be. I was as the coach. Unfortunately, it definitely wasn’t our night.”

The Panthers (17-6, 14-4 Division II-North) maintained their intensity in the second half, pushing the lead to as much as 35. The Mariners (10-12, 10-8 Division II-South) never got the game back within single digits, only getting as close as 16 with a short surge near the 12-minute mark.

Although Salomone finished with 18 points, all but two came in the second half, after the game was in hand for the Panthers.

Mazzulla said he knew what the sophomore guard was capable of doing on the hardwood.

“Our primary focus was keying on Salomone,” he said. “We didn’t want to give her any looks.”

Although Salomone got a few open shots in the first half, she had to work hard for them. The effort might have fatigued her, as the usually-sharp shooting sophomore went 1-for-5 from the free throw line.

Megan Macera finished up with seven points for the Lady Panters, and Victoria St. Angelo hit a pair of first-half 3-pointers for six points. Samantha Maner finished with two points, a steal and a block, and Danielle Gawlik had two points late.

For the Mariners, Jackie Iannucci was the second-leading scorer with six points. Also scoring were Eliza DeCubellis (4), Hannah Lindsley (3), Hannah Maymon (2) and Ali Castrovillari (2). Hannah Collier had a nice game on the boards for the Mariners. Salomone had a block and a steal, while DeCubellis and Maymon had three blocks each. Lindsley had three steals. Castrovillari also had a steal.

West Warwick Up Next for Johnston

Johnston will continue on in the Division II playoffs, facing off against the West Warwick Wizards (16-7, 12-6 Division II-South) 1 p.m. Sunday at Rhode Island College. The Wizards advanced to the quarterfinals with a 63-54 win against Tolman on Wednesday night.

Mazzulla said he had gotten a chance to see the Wizards play this year, although they haven’t played against the Panthers yet.

“I know they love to shoot the 3,” he said. “They’re small and quick, whereas we’re a bit bigger, so it’ll be a game of contrasts.”

The winner of Sunday's contest moves on to the semifinals, schedued for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Rhode Island College. Waiting will be either Cranston East or Prout, who won their preliminary games this week.