Division 3-5 girls basketball preview and players to watch
Two years. Two championships. Two different divisions.
In both seasons, Lisa Downs’ Foxboro girls basketball team team conquered all that Division 2 and 3 had to offer. Now the Warriors begin life without star point guard Cam Collins in a quest for the rarified air of three straight state titles, something done by only four other programs in history.
Kailey Sullivan is set to step into the spotlight along with ultra talented senior Addie Ruter and Ava Hill.
The team the Warriors beat in the finals a year ago, Norwell, is primed to make another run at the crown. Led by the dynamic duo of Maddie Oliver and Reagan Dowd, they return the core of a team that won 23 straight before the finals.
St. Mary’s fell to the Warriors in the quarterfinals last year but led by sophomore Bella Owumi, who boasts a bushel full of high Division 1 offers already, along with Lily Norton and Reese Matela, the Spartans will contend again.
Sandwich, led by senior forward Maddi Lawrence, looks to improve on a quarterfinal appearance, while Pentucket under coach John McNamara will ride the back of junior Amelia Crowe to try and make another deep March run.
Olivia Melanson and Medway got to the Final Four last year and are ready for another run while senior Eliana Scalabrine and Dover-Sherborn have a new coach in Emily Sullivan.
Newburyport made a spectacular run to the quarters as a 27 seed and with Ava Bailey, Laney Schwab and Olivia Foley back, the Clippers are a dangerous squad. Stoneham is also ready to contend out of the Middlesex League.
Division 4-5
Six championships in nine seasons and nearly your entire roster back for another crack at the crown. Life is good for Clinton Lassiter and Cathedral.
The Panthers return ace guard Hijjah Allen-Paisley and fellow senior Malani Smith along with junior Keyona Raines as 13 of 14 players from last year’s title team are back in the fold.
Millis lost in the semis to the Panthers last season but return seniors Grace Higgins and Lindsey Gratton, while Bourne and a trio of talented seniors in Paige Meda, McKinley Wenzel and Raeghan Blake are ready to make noise.
Cohasset lost to South Hadley in the semis but returned a talented core led by Addy Andrews. Carver also has a ton of experienced players back, including Jadyn Sotomayor, Julia Grimes and Sarah Stairs.
Hamilton-Wenham made a run to the quarterfinals before losing to South Hadley but returned seniors Sadie Gambale and Angie Moynahan. Manchester-Essex also should contend in the Cape Ann League.
Westport made a run to the Division 5 quarterfinals last season and coach Jen Gargulio has star Skylar Rezendes back to lead the way. St. John Paul II also was a quarterfinalist last year and the Lions are back again led by Devin Crofford and Marlo Jumper.
Div. 3 Players to Watch
C: Thais Dos Santos (Essex Tech), Fiona Rexford (Shawsheen), Addie Ruter (Foxboro)
F: Eva Boudreau (Wilmington), Alex Cassidy (Norwell), Amelia Crowe (Pentucket), Divine Egbuta (Lynn Classical), Christina Femino (Dennis-Yarmouth), Izzy Ferguson (Shawsheen), Olivia Foley (Newburyport), Anna Freeman (Medway), Maddie Lawrence (Sandwich), Reese Matela (St. Mary’s), Carly McDonald (Norton), Olivia Melanson (Medway), Rowan Murphy (Greater Lowell), Maddie Oliver (Norwell), Jenna Oman (East Bridgewater), Bella Owumi (St. Mary’s), Jordan Purdue-DelTorchio (Gloucester),Vanessa Lawrence Taylor (Whittier), Hannah Thorell (Old Rochester), Hayden Valiton (Lynnfield), Taylor Valiton (Lynnfield)
G: Caroline Brogioli (Old Rochester), Alessandra Carpentieri (Stoneham), Elle Castle (Saugus), Avery Cobban (Sandwich), Janelle Dalton (Essex Tech), Peyton DiBiaso (Saugus), Reagan Dowd (Norwell), Savvy Eriksen (Abington), Emerson Gonet (Old Rochester), Hannah Kuriscak (Apponequet), Cecelia Levrault (Apponequet), Hailey Lynch (Falmouth), Liv McManus (East Bridgewater), Ava Mennella (Greater Lowell), Ava Morrison (Fairhaven), Delilah Oliver (Martha’s Vineyard), Caitlyn Oliveira (Seekonk), Mia Ortega (Southeastern), Holly Panttila (Norwell), Laila Pires (Greater New Bedford), Olivia Quagriello (Swampscott), Vivian Schofield (Stoneham), Aubrey Schwager (Sandwich), Jai-Ana Silva (Greater New Bedford), Nora Simpson (Arlington Catholic), Kailey Sullivan (Foxboro), Addison Taylor (Apponequet), Nevaeha Wilkins (Whittier)
Div. 4-5 Players to Watch
C: Niko Hamilton (Fenway), Willow Lajoie (Falmouth Academy), Emma Plante (Case)
F: Addy Andrews (Cohasset), Raeghan Blake (Bourne), Jaireona Brown-Carter (Brighton), Devin Crofford (St. John Paul), Katie Davies (Georgetown), Sadie Gamber (Hamilton-Wenham), Gianna Lubash (Cape Cod Tech), Maeve Malloy (Sturgis West), Achol Manyang (Minuteman), Jenna Marsh (Cape Cod Academy), Kiley Mawn (Monomoy), Faye Maguire (Falmouth Academy), Jayden Sotomayer (Carver), Johnny Tompkins (Wareham)
G: Hijjah Allen-Paisley (Cathedral), Aissatou Bangura (O’Bryant), Engelyz Bingham (Lynn Tech), Miliah Caban (Greater Lawrence), Tamia Darling (Cathedral), Sky Delacruz (KIPP), Bailey Deleire (Mystic Valley), Jocelyn DeMedeiros (Sturgis West), Ashya Dingle (Holbrook), Jordyn Elmwood (Wareham), Michaela Enright (St. John Paul), Aubrey France (Bourne), Julia George (Westport), Lindsey Grattan (Millis), Julia Grimes (Carver), Grace Harres (Hamilton-Wenham), Hailey Herrera (KIPP), Ally Johnson (Blue Hills), Marlo Jumper (St. John Paul), Maddie Lombardi (Nantucket), Alana Ludvigson (Nantucket), Ellie Marden (Amesbury), Talya Mariani (Georgetown), Giannylee Marquez (Madison Park), Jacqui Martineau (Notre Dame Tyngsboro), Paige Meda (Bourne), Amira Mohamed (O’Bryant), Allison Morales (Lynn Tech), Lily Oliver (Manchester-Essex), Ava O’Neil (West Bridgewater), Keyona Raines (Cathedral), Fallon Ryan (Hull), Julianna Santana (Cape Cod Tech), Lili Shanahan (Cape Cod Academy), Beautiful Smith (Madison Park), Jayla Smith (Randolph), Malani Smith (Cathedral), Sarah Stairs (Carver), Bella Sulfaro (Blue Hills), Mani Tavares (Nantucket), Emma Tran (Holbrook), Muji Vader (Minuteman), McKinley Wenzel (Bourne), Noriann Wray (Sturgis East)