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Div. 1-2 girls basketball preview: Fresh faces ready to make mark
Coming off a Div. 1 state title run as well as a perfect season, Andover is looking to get back to the D1 state championship for the third straight season.
It will be a tough task as five seniors, including four starters, graduated with stars Anna Foley (Quinnipiac) and Amelia Hanscom (Colby) being much of the scoring for the Golden Warriors. Senior captains Michaela Buckley and Ella Vidoni return as the most experienced of the group as the latter played well defensively in the state title along with a clutch 11 points.
Also, in the MVC, North Andover returns starters in senior captain Janie Papell (UMass Amherst commit for lacrosse) and junior Sydney Rogers. They also return seniors Maria Benvenuto, Avery Brown and Alex Clifford as well as junior Mehan Daley to go along with two sophomores and four freshmen.
Central Catholic may be without top scorer Shea Montague with a torn ACL, but juniors Kerri Finneran and Aniela Kwo along with seniors Sam Guertin and Abby Yfantopulos are ready to fill Montague’s production.
The Div. 1 runner-up, Bishop Feehan, returns senior captain Julia Webster, junior Charlotte Adams-Lopez and junior Maddy Steel. Junior Lily Singer and sophomore Mollie Mullen join the returners in the starting lineup while senior Brooke Canty, junior Sam Carlson and freshman Emmette Barry look to contribute off the bench.
Malden Catholic moves up several divisions, but is looking to be competitive right away with seniors Mary Turco, Marcella Bonfardeci and Luna Murray as well as sophomores Chloe O’Brien and Liliana Martinez.
In the Bay State Conference, Framingham returns nine players with tri-captains in junior Allie Regan, senior Caroline Galvani and senior Nina Edwards leading the way for the Flyers.
Newton North has junior Devon Burke (a terrific athlete with a very unique skill set for a 5-foot-11 player), sophomore Allie Danis and senior Nadia Briggs to help compete.
In the Northeastern Conference, Peabody has won back-to-back NEC title thanks in a big part to two-time NEC MVP and senior captain Logan Lomasney. Senior captain Abby Bettencourt, juniors Ally Bettencourt and Maia Davis and sophomores Sophia Coburn and Lizzie Bettencourt make the Tanners a tough out this season.
In the Middlesex League, Middlesex League All Stars and juniors McKenna Morrison and Shannon McCarthy will be the focal point of the Woburn offense that graduated four very key contributors from last year’s team. Senior Captain Riley Morgan has led a host of other seniors, juniors, and sophomores who are talented but have not played a lot of varsity minutes.
Winchester will also be strong in the ML with a core group of seniors in Emily Collins (looking to be first in program history to score 1,000 points), Brooke Schrule, Tatum Kenrich, Maggie Shevland and Katie Kavanaugh as well as a team of young players who are hungry to help the team in any way they can.
With defending Div. 2 champion Foxboro realigned to Div. 3, a new team will be crowned this season with a plethora of teams vying for the state crown.
State runner-up Dracut will need to rely on seniors Lamees Alasaad, Riley Fahey and sophomore Elizabeth Shank among others to make up for the scoring of graduated star Ashlee Talbot.
In the Tri-Valley League, Medfield is returning four starters that include senior Annie Stanton and sophomores Izzy Kittridge and Tess Baacke. Freshman Naya Annigeri is a big addition who will have a huge impact on the Warriors’ success this year.
Norwood will also put up a fight with junior Ava Mourad, senior captain Trish Wladkowski (Endicott commit), senior captain Alexa Coras and senior captain Lauren Reen being key contributors. Westwood, Dover-Sherborn and Norton will also be in the mix.
The Catholic Central League also has a couple teams that will compete in D2 with Bishop Fenwick leading the way as senior and three-time All-Scholastic Cecilia Kay will be American University bound next season. The Crusaders also have sophomores Caitlin Boyle and Celia Neilson along with seniors Isabella Lopez-Marin (CCL Small MVP/Nichols College commit) and Samantha Dormer (Marblehead transfer).
For Archbishop Williams, senior captain Eliana Jackson, senior Mia Porter, junior Aivry Devoy and sophomore sharpshooter Addie Woodgate will lead an inexperienced squad. Notre Dame has a solid nucleus back keyed by guards Ava Orlando, Elle Orlandp and Jane Hilsabeck as well as forward Lola Griffin and Sofia Danick.
Back in the Bay State Conference, Walpole will rely on BSC MVP and All-Scholastic Izzy Adams in her junior campaign along with sophomore Bella Bingham to have a strong season.
Wakefield has senior Emma Quinn and junior Brooklyn Calder to watch out for this year.
PLAYERS TO WATCH IN DIV. 1-2
C/F: Tessa Andriano (Marblehead), Reese Bartlett (Bridgewater-Raynham), Ava Bryan (North Quincy), Devon Burke (Newton North), Brooke Calder (Wakefield), Lauren Caley (Beverly), Sunil Carter (Brockton), Emily Collins (Winchester), Yeira Davila (Lawrence), Samantha Dormer (Bishop Fenwick), Megan Doyle (Weymouth), Vanessa Ellis (Attleboro), Kerri Finneran (Central Catholic), Mya Hayes-Paulette (Durfee), Alyssa Hoops (Quincy), Hailey Iwanski (Middleboro), Cecilia Kay (Bishop Fenwick), Izzy Kittredge (Medfield), Taylor Leonard (Whitman-Hanson), Logan Lomasney (Peabody), Bella O’Brien (Medford), Taylor Pavao (Burlington), Samantha Pfeil (Methuen), Brooke Pulpi (Reading), Kara Santos (Mansfield), Bridget Sheahen (Bedford), Addison Shen (Concord-Carlisle), Annie Stanton (Medfield), Alexis Thompson (New Bedford), Julia Webster (Bishop Feehan), Tricia Wladkowski (Norwood)
G: Charlotte Adams-Lopez (Bishop Feehan), Izzy Adams (Walpole), Lamees Alasaad (Dracut), Zaria Anderson (New Bedford), Tess Baacke (Medfield), Kaci Belmont (Cardinal Spellman), Taylor Bettencourt (Peabody), Marcella Bonfardeci (Malden Catholic), Brooke Boyle (Concord-Carlisle), Michaela Buckley (Andover), Katherine Cheesebro (Dartmouth), Cassidy Conroy (Silver Lake), Alex Coras (Norwood), Karle Cosme (Somerset Berkley), Stella Criniti (Lexington), Kaydance Derba (Oliver Ames), Chloe Egan (Barnstable), Jill Ernstrom (Nauset), Chloe Fales (Franklin), Avery Gamble (Oliver Ames), Mia Gentile (Somerset Berkley), Kayla Goldrick (Attleboro), Eliana Jackson (Archbishop Williams), Bleu Kerr (Boston Latin), Rachael Hager (Sharon), Isabella Lopez-Marin (Bishop Fenwick), Tajeiha Madison (Brockton), Alissa Marcella (Pembroke), Cali Melo (Taunton), Shea Montague (Central Catholic), Cassie Morrison (Bedford), McKenna Morrison (Woburn), Luna Murray (Malden Catholic), Ava Orlando (Notre Dame), Elle Orlando (Notre Dame), Shannon Patrick (Acton-Boxboro), Lyla Peters (Duxbury), Emma Quinn (Wakefield), Allie Regan (Framingham), Sydney Rogers (North Andover), Thyanais Santiago (Methuen), Savanna Scali (Burlington), Linda Sheng (Belmont), Megan Simpson (Holliston), Audrey Sperling (Somerset Berkley), Elli Tam (Pembroke), Molly Trahan (Reading), Brenna Woodbury (Bridgewater-Raynham)