MaxPreps 2016-17 Massachusetts preseason high school girls basketball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

Video: Kayla Mokwuah's highlights vs. Watertown
See the Longmeadow star in action.


1. Braintree
Head coach: Kristen McDonnell
2015-16 record: 22-1

A 20-0 regular season and two victories to start the 2016 MIAA playoffs weren't good enough for the Wamps, whose 63-game winning streak over three seasons came to an end with a loss to Bishop Feehan in a loaded South Sectional draw last March. Newton North at 19-1 didn't survive the group, either. Six-foot senior forward Brianna Herlihy is gone, but Braintree returns standout guard Keelah Dixon.

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2. Longmeadow
Head coach: Andrea Enright
2015-16 record: 23-1

Olivia Shapiro (10.7 points per game) and Katie Fydenkevez have graduated, but the Lancers return leading scorer and rebounder Kayla Mokwuah (17.5 ppg, 16.2 rpg) and Taylor Shubrick (11.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg), as well as a host of other players from their MIAA Division 2 title team of a year ago. The 6-4 Mokwuah is still only a junior.

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3. Bishop Feehan (Attleboro)
Head coach: Michael Deady
2015-16 record: 24-1 Bishop Feehan went on an inexorable roll during the postseason in 2015-16, winning the MIAA South Division 1 sectional title by beating veritable five-time defending champ Braintree in the final, then knocking off Woburn and Natick in the state semifinals and finals, respectively. It was the first state basketball title of any kind - boys or girls - in school history. Replacing Holy Cross recruit Lauren Manis will be one of Deady's biggest challenges in attempting to repeat, but the Shamrocks still have standout guard Katie Nelson, whose 20 points helped fell Natick in the 2015-16 MIAA final.

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4. Woburn Memorial
Head coach: Steve Sullivan
2015-16 record: 22-3

Like many of Division 1 prominence in 2015-16, Woburn had an otherwise successful season derailed last March by Bishop Feehan, in this case the state semifinals. The Tanners at least enjoyed the satisfaction of winning the North Section title with a win against Revere before exiting. Returning senior guard Marissa Gattuso played a big role in getting the Tanners to both TD Garden (for the MIAA East finals) and to Springfield for the state final. So did junior forward Kelsey Qualey.

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5. Cathedral (Boston)
Head coach: Clinton Lassiter
2015-16 record: 22-4

Cathedral came out of the No. 4 seed to win the MIAA Division 4 South Sectional title a year ago before taking the state crown with semifinal and final wins over New Mission (Boston) and Millis. The latter had been the state's two-time defending champion in the division. Senior center Masseny Kaba, who finished with 20 points in Cathedral's state title victory last March, is 6-3 and guarantees the Panthers won't be dominated on the inside. Sophomore guard Amani Boston is an up-and-coming star and should give Cathedral a dynamic inside-outside combination.