Led by its three senior guards in Ronan Coffey, Nick Adams, and Wil Bostrom, and depth across the board, Norwell finds itself as the team to beat in Division 3 and one of the premier teams in all of Eastern Massachusetts. The Clippers are off to a 7-0 start with wins over all seven opponents by double figures.

A season ago, Norwell went 20-3 before falling in the Div. 3 State Quarterfinals. Coffey, Adams, Bostrom, and Jack Luccarelli were key members of that group as South Shore League All-Stars.

“Lucarelli, Adams, Coffey, and Bostrom were all in our rotation last year so I expected them to be key pieces for us,” coach John Willis said. “It’s allowed us to keep that balance and fine line between player development with our younger guys and relying on them to help us be more prepared for our opponents.”

Coffey is one of the premier facilitators in the area. One year after averaging 12 points and 12 assists a game, Coffey is the team’s leading scorer pouring in 17 points a night. Adams is averaging 12 points on the heels of a smooth pull up jumper and the ability to connect from long range. Luccarelli starred this fall as Norwell’s starting quarterback as a sophomore and has turned that into further success on the court. The six-foot-two forward gives Willis a physical option to score on the interior as reflected by his 10.5 scoring average.

“Jack has really elevated his game offensively,” Willis said. “Along with him, we have some other bigs starting to emerge. The program is filled with veteran guards and younger bigs.”

Willis has no shortage of options to turn to off the bench. Keegan O’Hare and Nick Fein both are averaging double figures as key role players. Sophomore center Charlie Williams helps protect the basket and has shown a knack for rebounding at both ends.

Willis, who was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in November, is plenty familiar with his roster. He coaches Lucarelli and O’Hare on the football field and also holds standout lacrosse and soccer players throughout his team. That success in other sports is helping his kids handle the expectations now filtering through the basketball program.

“Norwell is going through a good cycle where we have success in multiple sports, not just basketball,” Willis said. “All of our players are multiple sport athletes and they have made tournament runs in their sports. So these guys understand the process and that you cannot look too far ahead.”

Norwell hosts Randolph and Holbrook this week.

Fast breaks

Chelmsford is making waves on the Div. 1 girls scene.

Behind senior captains M.A. Neykova and Charlotte Buckley, the Lions are 7-0 as the season nears the midway point, with a statement win over Andover. Defensively, Chelmsford has allowed over 50 points just one time on the season.

Along with Neykova and Buckley, junior center Julia Haverty and freshman point guard Avery Sultenfuss help round out a potent Lions starting lineup.

The Lions will host Dracut on Tuesday and Lawrence on Friday.

The first MIAA power rankings were released Friday. On the boys side, the Patriot League stands out. Marshfield holds the No. 3 seed in Division 1, while Whitman-Hanson (4), Plymouth South (6), and North Quincy (7) hold top 10 spots in Division 2. The same can be said about the Tri-Valley League on the girls side. Medfield, Norwood, and Westwood hold each of the top three seeds in Division 2 while Hopkinton is the No. 3 seed in Division 1.