Lady Rockets Roll Past Salem in Playoff Opener

The undefeated lady Rockets had no problem with the Salem Witches on Friday night defeating them by a score of 55-34. The Rockets were led by their three-headed monster of Olivia Healy (18 points), Melissa DalPozzo (17 points) and Morgan O’Brien (15 points).

The Lady Rockets (21-0) got off to a rather slow start in the first quarter but were able to start executing their play calls that lead to a 15-7 lead.

Head coach Kim Penney acknowledged that her team was pressing at first, but after a few set plays, the team went on a run.

“We had a slow start and were missing layups,” Penney said. “We played a hard and physical game and just played through it.”

Kim Penney made it clear that this week was no different than any other week of preparation leading up to their tilt with the Salem Witches.

“Just regular practice and a normal week,” Penney said. “We were able to execute great tonight.”

The Rockets went into halftime with a 29-19 lead and never looked back, outscoring the Witches 26-15 the rest of the way.

Head coach of the Salem Witches John Fortunato had nothing but praise for his kids who fought until the final whistle.

“I would feel better if we were able to go and practice tomorrow,” Fortunato said. “It is a pleasure to coach these kids.”

Fortunato knew his team had a heavy task at hand heading into Reading to face the 20-0 Rockets, but he preached to his team anything can happen.

“That is why you play the game,” Fortunato said. “Reading is a great team. They play great and have not just great athletes on their team, but great basketball players.”

The Witches (11-10) had trouble all night containing the transition offense of the Rockets and Fortunato admitted it was tough to defend.

“Their transition offense is excellent,” Fortunato said. “They started to open things up in the first half and we did our best to stop it.”

Fortunato knew that one mistake can result in points for the Rockets because they are that lethal on the offensive end.

“One mistake and they will beat you whether it is a deep three pointer or for a lay-up,” Fortunato said. “They will make you pay.”

The Witches had some flashes of greatness tonight and were led by freshman Jaclyn Panneton with a team-high 16 points. Alix Bryant also chipped in with 12 points.

Fortunato was very pleased with his team tonight and it was evident that it took a lot out of them by the final whistle.

“I am thrilled for this team this year,” Fortunato said. “We played to their level for parts of the game and I am happy about that.”