Boston Globe: "(Fitchburg State) Wilmington Grad On Hot Streak"
Amy Fahey is averaging a sizzling 28.4 points per game for the women’s basketball team at Fitchburg State University, a breakout start for the sophomore forward from Wilmington. And she is doing so without the 3-point shot as part of her arsenal
Wilmington grad on a hot streak
Amy Fahey is averaging a sizzling 28.4 points per game for the women’s basketball team at Fitchburg State University, a breakout start for the sophomore forward from Wilmington.
And she is doing so without the 3-point shot as part of her arsenal.
The 5-foot-9 Fahey is scoring the old-fashioned way - two at a time.
The trey just isn’t in her comfort zone. Not only does she not score from beyond the arc, she very rarely shoots from there - not one attempt through the first five games this season, and just three shots in 24 games last season.
“Sooner or later, that will come. But for now, what’s she’s doing is fine by me,’’ said Fitchburg State coach Walter Paschal, in his 13th season at the helm.
Fahey scored 21 in the opener against Clark, then 20 at Curry, another 28 against Maine Maritime, followed by a school-record 39 in a 76-72 win over University of Massachusetts Boston, in which she was 15 of 22 from the floor and 9 of 11 at the free-throw line. Last Monday night, she hit for 34 in a 69-49 win at Nichols.
She is making 64.6 percent of her shots (51 of 79) from the field, and 85 percent (40 of 47) from the stripe.
“We keep telling the kids we don’t want to rely on just one player, but in the flow of our fast break, we’ve been getting her the ball and she’s been finishing,’’ said Paschal.
“She’s just been uncanny. I’ve never had a player with back-to-back 30-point-plus games. And, she’s done it all without a shot outside the key. Not one. How many could she score if she started working on her three?’’
Fahey does work on her three-point range - during practice - but for now she is very content with her game plan.
“Sure, I’d take a three if we needed one, but right now, we have other players that do that much better than I do,’’ said Fahey, who earned All-Cape Ann League honors her junior and senior seasons at Wilmington High.
“The team is moving the ball real well and getting the ball to me. They do all the work. I just finish. They give me a lot of scoring opportunities and the ball’s been dropping.’’
Fahey hasn’t just been contributing on offense. She’s been a force off the backboard as well, averaging 9.8 rebounds per game, with a high of 13 against Maine Maritime.
As a freshman, Fahey averaged 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. The difference, she said, has been her allegiance to a weight-lifting program, which she was coaxed into by teammates and roommates Brittany Chase of Foster, R.I., and Rebecca Goreham of Quincy.
“It’s definitely made me stronger and has given me greater endurance,’’ she said.
Paschal said, and Fahey agreed, that to be an all-around player, Fahey has to brush up on her defense.
“Once she does,’’ said Paschal, “she’ll be a complete player and be able to compete with anyone on this level.’’