The intensity within lacrosse brings fascinated Bella Duffy at a very young age, and she found herself playing competitively by third grade.

“I definitely didn’t pick it up very easily,” Duffy said. “My first time in the yard, it took me two hours to catch one ball. It was difficult. It’s a hard sport, but I stuck with it. I just love the competitive nature. It was so different from any sport that I had ever played before. I kind of just fell in love with it from there, started playing club the next year. I’ve just been going with it ever since.”

Years later, she has left an indelible mark in the Bay State Conference as one of its top scorers. Now she is looking to finish what she started at Braintree, and is off to a roaring start this spring.

Jillian Coene initially took over as coach of the Wamps in 2022, Duffy’s first year at Braintree High School.

“She brought a lot to the table as a freshman,” Coene said. “It clearly showed that she had a lot of talent. I don’t know what I would have done without her these last four years.”

The Wamps improved during each of Duffy’s first three seasons, with their best performance coming last year. As the No. 12 seed, Braintree went 13-9, reaching the Round of 16.

Duffy was a key cog among the Wamps’ attack team.

“We just got along so well together on the field,” said Duffy. “At that point, we had been playing together for three years, so we had really great chemistry. Kind of always knew where my friends were going to be, and where my teammates were going to be. Callie Burchhill, Ava McDonald, Claire Joyce on the attack, we all just worked so well together. Everything slowed, and it was just seamless.”

In one of the first games of the season against Oliver Ames (a 14-5 victory), the senior eclipsed 250 career points with a seven-goal outburst, tacking on an assist. Just a little over a week ago against Newton North, she surpassed 300 career points with two goals and an assist.

“She’s definitely a part of what me and my coaching staff were building upon,” said Coene. “She definitely has a large role that she’s fulfilling, and she contributes in all different ways, whatever we ask of her.”

Braintree’s scoring record was set in 2018 by Grace Reinold (343 points). As of this week, Duffy has registered 301 overall (236 goals). So far this year she has 45 goals and 12 assists.

A former Sacred Heart University star, Reinold coaches Duffy now during club season with Laxachusetts. An ironic twist, but Duffy believes it adds a fun layer to the whole story.

That said, the senior is keeping a humble mind.

“I don’t even know if she knows (about the record chase),” Duffy said about Reinold. “I didn’t really even know that I was close until this year. But I’m not trying to focus on the numbers too much, because then you start getting it stuck in your head, thinking about scoring all the time. You just want to do what’s best for the team. If that means scoring, that means scoring. But keeping track of the numbers the entire time takes away from the game. Obviously, I would love to break the record, but I’m just trying to do what is best for the team.”

The recruiting process in 2023 turned out to be stressful, and was a roller coaster ride for Duffy. She had a wave of schools reach out as soon as her window opened, with many possibilities. Every day, it felt like a new one was adding her to the radar, another dropping her off. However, she later received a call from Iona, and paid a visit to the campus in New York. In short order, the lacrosse standout chose to continue her career at the collegiate level with the Gaels.

“Once I went to Iona, I really just fell in love with it,” said Duffy. “The coaching staff is absolutely incredible there. I’ve never met such amazing coaches, for college at least, in my entire life. Those were easily my favorite college coaches. The team culture is just absolutely incredible, and they’re on an upward trajectory with their lacrosse team. They’re playing in the second round of the MAAC Tournament on Sunday, so it’s super exciting. I’m excited to be a part of the team.”

Braintree is 5-4, with its next game slated for April 29 following a long 12-day layoff. You can bet that the Wamps will be relying heavily on Duffy as they make their final playoff push.

After that, the sky’s the limit for this Braintree star.

“She’ll have her four years in college,” said Coene. “Whether she decides to maybe try to go to the professional league is really up to her. I think she’s totally capable of doing it. It’s just whether or not she wants to go that far or not.”