By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
First came the increasing glare of the spotlight from its meteoric rise to the top of the Boston Globe Top 20 rankings. Now the Bishop Feehan girls' basketball team must prove itself again in the MIAA playoffs that begin this week and extend all the way to March 15 for the state championships in Worcester.
But this year's MIAA Eastern girls' tournament play will also be about redemption and pride as Cardinal Spellman, Brockton, Lowell, Lincoln-Sudbury and others were at or near the top of the rankings before losing a game or two down the stretch. That left them with a lower playoff seeding, lower rankings and now a renewed determination to prove they are championship-caliber teams.
Division 1
The Merrimack Valley Conference Large Division qualified four of its five teams: No. 2 seed Lowell, No. 3 Andover, No. 8 Central Catholic and No. 12 Billerica in the 14-team Division 1 North pairings. Making this such a compelling sectional is not just the star cavalcade, including Ashley Rivera (Lowell), Meghan Thomann (Andover) and Katie Zenevitch (Central Catholic). There are several plots and subplots playing out among teams, players and coaches who know each other so well.
Acton-Boxboro's Katie Rossino and Katie Awiszus helped the Colonials (18-2) earn a No. 1 seed but they face an imposing task and will have to get past either Andover or to reach the North finals. The biggest obstacle for Lowell could be fourth-seeded Lexington (17-3), led by the tandem of Katy Hasek and Nena Ugwuomo.
Franklin (17-3) and Falmouth (15-3), first and second seeds in the South, have daunting challenges in attempting to advance. Looming ahead are Barnstable (16-4), keyed by Morgan Kendrew and Jill Lyon; Brockton (16-4), with dominating inside force Taryn Johnson; and New Bedford (15-5), which behind Shelly Depina upset Brockton to win the Big Three title.
If Franklin star Kelly Meredith and her Panther teammates advance, after Brockton and New Bedford (likely) slug it out, one of those Big Three rivals would meet Franklin in the semifinals (though the Panthers closed its season with an impressive win over the Boxers). A third Cape Cod showdown is possible in the other bracket between Falmouth and Barnstable, which has twice beaten Falmouth decisively.
Division 2
In the South, can anyone stop Bishop Feehan and 6-foot-1 guard Amy Lepley (23 points per game), one of the state's premier players? The Shamrocks have only an opening-game loss to Division I La Salle Academy of Rhode Island to mar their record before rolling off 19 straight double-digit wins. Perhaps fourth-seeded Wellesley (17-3) can spring an upset.
In the other South bracket, a few obstacles might trip up second-seed Walpole and its top players, Sydni Salvatore and Caroline Stedman. One is Dighton-Rehoboth and the state's leading scorer, 6-2 Mary Nwachukwu. The other is Silver Lake (18-2).
In the North, there is the specter of defending state champion Lincoln-Sudbury (17-3), with its excellent guard Sarah Wetmore, and a defense that has allowed only 34 points per game in losing only to Division 1 Acton-Boxboro and Lowell. Top-seeded Masconomet, which is in the same bracket with L-S, won't yield easily, not with multi-talented Caroline Stewart, bound for Boston University.
In the other North bracket, second-seeded Westford (17-3) is dangerous and talented as two of its three losses were by five points each to Lincoln-Sudbury. Three seed Melrose has Meghan Kirwan and can't be overlooked.
Division 3
In the North, watch out for Pope John (19-1), which hasn't lost since early December to Winthrop and its best player, Courtney Finn. Pope John spreads its attack among Amanda McCarthy, Alyssa Corolla, Lauren Greski and Cassie Americain. Pope John has to be wary, though, as Winthrop is in its bracket along with fifth-seeded Ipswich (17-3), featuring Amber Smith; not an easy matchup either.
Second-seeded Pentucket (18-2) depends on a suffocating defense (33 ppg allowed); one of its two losses came against Division 2 power Masconomet, 55-53. Swampscott (17-3) has a deep base of talent, including Tara Nimkar, Allie Beaulieu and Marissa Gambale.
Attention in the South is riveted on two teams. Alyssa Schlehuber, Jade Santos and Reilly Poirier are part of a Cardinal Spellman program that was No. 1 in the rankings before being jolted by defending state champion and Catholic Conference rival Archbishop Williams and its star contingent of Val Driscoll, Christine Duffy and Casey Capello.
Third-seeded Fairhaven, with its all-time scorer Erin Baldwin, as well as four seed Rockland, paced by Jackie Bohenek and Courtney Burns, are in the same bracket with the Bishops. And it would be fun to see top seed Westwood, 19-1, and its Globe All-Scholastic guard Jill Greenberg, and the 19-1 Cardinals fight it out in the other bracket.
Division 4
New Mission (18-3) is on a mission to capture its second state title in a row. Opponents will have to keep Bianca Flores and Khadidja Ellison, among other underclassmen, in check in the North sectionals. New Mission's three losses have been to Division 2 Brighton, including in the Boston City championship game, all close contests.
Second-seeded Matignon (18-2), with an imposing front line anchored by 6-2 Ariana Burns and 6-1 Eugenia Preza, seems to be the biggest roadblock for New Mission. The Warriors lost by just two, 53-51, to Pope John, Division 2 North's top seed.
But Mount Alvernia is also in the Warriors' bracket as Michelle DeRoma and Mary O'Donnell were major contributors on the 14-2 squad.
Ari Eisenstein, Molly Cahill and Ali Lyons would love to give their top-seeded South team, Sacred Heart (19-1), a chance to avenge its defeat last year against New Mission in the finals. But No. 2 Cohasset (18-2) and No. 3 Nantucket (both in the same bracket) pose the biggest danger for Sacred Heart. Cohasset allows a paltry 32 ppg and has a robust 16-game win streak.
Russ Waterman covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island the New England Preps for MaxPreps.com. He may be reached at rwathoop3@aol.com.
