Adjustments understood, Hollis Brookline girls basketball fitting pieces into place

When Christina Balsamo hit a 3-pointer to end the third quarter of Friday night's girls basketball game, it was big for two reasons.

The basket gave Hollis Brookline a six-point lead over Lebanon going into the final quarter in a rematch of last year's Division II championship game.

The Cavaliers seemed to carry that momentum over into the fourth, pushing the lead to 10 points before pulling away and ending the game on an 18-3 run to beat the Raiders 58-40.

But it was also significant because it was HB's first made 3-point basket of the game, a feat that, had it happened a year ago, might have spelled doom for the Cavs. The basket ended up being one of two 3s - both by Balsamo - made by HB (9-1) on the night.

Like any high school team, players come and go at the end of every season, and different skill sets go with them. While the Cavs can certainly hit outside shots this year, they lost their best perimeter shooter in Cassandra Staplefeld, who was also the team's leading scorer.

For HB, that means the offense had to change quite a bit.

"One thing we’re trying to work on is a dribble-drive offense," HB coach Bob Murphy said. "We have people who have the capabilities to not only shoot from the outside, but to drive to the basket. We’re getting fewer outside shots and more inside stuff. That gets you to the foul line, too."

With Balsamo, Brodie Kelley and Joanna Balsamo working their way to the basket, the options on offense open up for the Cavs, and they've relied on different players to the lead the way when it comes to scoring.

"When you drive to the basket, you put pressure on the defense," Murphy said. "If Elizabeth Atkinson’s girl comes over to help, she’s wide open. We’ve had a hard time all season to get these kids, who have the skills, to put their head down and drive to the hoop. Now they’re starting to do it."

It admittedly took time to adjust to, but with HB already on the back stretch of its schedule, the Cavs have figured it out. They've won five in a row heading into Tuesday's game against Bow, and have averaged 56.5 points in their last four.

The defense has also been key, as HB is allowing an average of 42.7 points per game, and opponents have scored more than that just four times.

"In practice, we’ve been focusing on pressuring the ball on defense and working to get good shots," Joanna Balsamo said. "If you have an open 3, take it, but we have a lot of strengths, we’re very versatile. We’re looking to drive a lot because we have good drivers. When we do, we create opportunities for the bigs."

While HB has one true center in Atkinson, there is plenty of size at other positions, with Joanna Balsamo listed at 5-10 and Kelley and Elizabeth Bonnette both over 5-8.

"It helps a ton to use your body to create contact and finish," Balsamo said. "Being bigger and taller, you can finish higher and it’s hard to block the shot. Having Elizabeth in the center helps, it kind of intimidates girls. It keeps them outside and afraid to drive."