BOSTON, Mass. — Premier matchups at February break showcases like the Board 27 Comcast Tournament don't count any extra on paper towards the state postseason. So how much do they really matter?
Just ask Medfield coach Mark Nickerson or sophomore Abby Broderick. Both were fired up to win their bracket championship game: a 66-55 battle with Wachusett that many considered a heavyweight bout between the top two teams in the state. Medfield and Wachusett are in different state tournament divisions, so the game was a rare showdown you'd only find in this type of event.
"It was intense. I can only imagine they wanted to win real bad. We wanted to win really bad," Nickerson said. "For a game that, truthfully, doesn't really mean all that much in terms of anything going forward, it meant a lot to us. I think it was a chance for us to really prove ourselves — again. And you always want to win, but against an elite team like that, it means a lot more."
The Board 27 Comcast Tournament, perennially one of the must-see events for February high school hoops, brought eight of the top MIAA girls teams together. They did not disappoint. You can find the full results from the three-day event here. Below are 14 standouts from when I watched on Saturday and Monday.
Haleigh Adamowich, Woburn
Class of 2028, 5-7 guard
Adamowich is my personal breakout name from this tournament. She hit the game-winning floater with 6.8 seconds left that lifted Woburn to a revenge win Saturday against Braintree, who knocked the Tanners out in the Division 1 quarterfinals last March. But that was just one of many crafty layups and scoring moves Adamowich used throughout the long weekend.
Adamowich is great at changing pace on her drives and getting to step-throughs. She also clearly has natural shooting touch, shown through off-balance makes and couple of deep 3-pointers Monday against Cathedral. Adamowich scored 14 points Saturday and 12 points Monday.
Naya Annigeri, Medfield
This was a pretty typical Annigeri showing, which says more about how high our standards are for one of the best players in MIAA. She scored 16 points against North Quincy and added 20 to help Medfield defeat Wachusett. Like usual, Annigeri was flying around everywhere to pick up deflections and steals (six vs. North Quincy). She also hit some deep 3-pointers against Wachusett. My biggest takeaway: Annigeri seemed to dip more into one-dribble pull-ups, runners and floaters than I've seen in the past, which is good. She's going to have that space open up due to her threat as a shooter and speed driving the ball. She's also leaning more into physicality on defense and not just relying on length.
Bella Bingham, Walpole
NCAA: Fairfield (soccer)
Bingham scored 19 points in Saturday's loss to Cathedral, showing why she's such a versatile go-to forward. She's a dynamic driving playmaker who attacks with power and embraces contact. Bingham also has refined touch on runners and mid-range shots.
I was most impressed by her vision; Bingham made a couple of stellar skip passes to shooters and knows where to find teammates as defenses collapse on her drives. She's this year's figurehead for multi-sport training leading to success. Despite her primary sport being soccer (where Bingham can't even use her hands!), she's among the most impactful players in the Bay State Conference.
Abby Broderick, Medfield
Medfield prevailed over Wachusett in the marquee No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown on the back of Broderick and her flamethrower shooting effort. She scored a game-high 29 points and drilled seven 3-pointers. Though a couple were open against Wachusett defensive breakdowns, Broderick cashed in multiple quick-trigger, hard-closeout makes that highlighted her prowess behind the arc. She's also become a well-rounded scorer who can back down mismatches and attack driving lanes. Broderick, who holds a Div. 1 offer from Rhode Island, is among the elite sophomores in New England.
"I definitely worked on that a lot in the offseason, just to expand my game outside of shooting," Broderick said. "Once teams identify me as a good shooter, then the whole floor opens up and it creates driving lanes and stuff."
A’laya Colbert, North Quincy
Saturday was a daunting uphill battle for North Quincy in the eventual 59-20 loss to Medfield. But Colbert was a bright spot and did take advantage with her size against a smaller Warriors frontcourt. She won rebounding battles, ran the floor hard and found some transition layups. Colbert is also a strong shot-blocker and more mobile on defense than I realized. I think she's still pretty underrated as a center prospect in this class.
Tamia Darling, Cathedral
Class of 2026, 5-9 guard/forward
Darling's best effort came Saturday, when she scored 16 points to help take down Walpole. Her hops again stood out on the boards, where she's one of the best effort rebounders I see in the MIAA. Darling is also such a smart cutter and showed great chemistry with point guard Keyona Raines. She's a hard-charging slasher who takes contact well at the basket.
Paige Henebry, Medfield
NCAA: Longwood (lacrosse)
Medfield has so much talent and shooting on its roster that I think Henebry goes overlooked. She is vital to this team's current dominance because, along with Tess Baacke, Henebry frequently draws assignments on opposing centers since she's the closest Medfield has to a big. I think she took that challenge well, specifically against talented center Kyla Yurkus and Wachusett. Henebry can also space the floor, knock down the 3 and occasionally drive past slower defenders to the basket. She's a reliable complement to the stars.
Teegan Lanpher, Wachusett
Class of 2027, 5-3 guard
A 17-point second-quarter eruption from Lanpher gave Wachusett a 31-25 halftime lead over Medfield before the Warriors battled back. That was the apex of an awesome week from the junior guard, who finished with 25 in that game and also had 17 points in Saturday's victory over Bishop Feehan. Lanpher has grown into a dangerous movement shooter; she torched Medfield by spacing to the corners (four made 3s Monday) and was converting from all over the arc against Feehan (five made 3s Saturday). But she's still fun to watch with her fearless drives, high-arcing runners and difficult layups.
Frankie Mazzini, Braintree
NCAA: Connecticut College
Despite the late-seconds defeat to Woburn, Mazzini still showed off her stellar two-way impact at point guard. She had a few big second-half sequences as part of her 12 points that got her team fired up. It included a 3-point make and an ensuing pickpocket steal-to-layup on defense, and then later, a block in rotation that led to an assist on a fast-break score. Mazzini has improved as a shooter and more decisive scorer without taking away from her stellar defense.
Shannon LaMorticelli, Bishop Feehan
Hometown: Norwood, Mass.
LaMorticelli contributed a team-high 10 points in a tough blowout loss to Wachusett Saturday. Her work often goes unheralded, but she's a very important, versatile piece on a Shamrocks team that needs her to cover gaps in size and shooting. LaMorticelli can knock down a corner 3 or a baseline jumper. She cuts hard, finishes consistently around the basket and competes for rebounds. I also thought LaMorticelli was active as a weak-side defender and shut off some passing lanes.
Keyona Raines, Cathedral
I've always known Raines as a an explosive point guard and impact defender. She has reached an entirely new level offensively as a senior and was arguably the most complete performer of the tournament. Raines scored 21 points in Saturday's win against Walpole and 18 Monday against Woburn.
Neither opponent could stop Raines off the dribble. She diced up two of the top defenses in the state with pull-up mid-range shots and quick-twitch scoring moves out of the pick and roll. Raines showed advanced vision in the half-court with corner assists and some pick-and-roll dimes, and she threw multiple perfect long-distance passes in transition. Add in surprising dominance on the boards and more well-timed steals too. Raines quietly filled her role on past Cathedral championship teams, but she has met the moment as a leader this winter.
"We lost nine kids last year. She realizes, 'OK, this is my team. I'm gonna make mistakes. It's OK,'" Cathedral coach Clinton Lassiter said. "And she's gotten a lot more vocal. She's actually leading practices. There's been times when in the first 15 minutes, (I) let her run it, so that way it's going to give her a voice. So I see her stepping up to her role, and I think she's building her confidence more and more."
Raines is among the best uncommitted seniors left in New England, an elite athlete who now has the court processing speed to match.
Jae Scott, Wachusett
Class of 2026, 6-0 guard/forward
NCAA: Tulsa
There isn't another senior in New England who moves with effortless speed and fluidity like Scott. She first amassed 33 points and 16 rebounds against Bishop Feehan, and then, even while battling foul trouble the entire game, still managed 22 points against Medfield. Scott was unstoppable on the glass and in transition, but that's no surprise. She also had a monster two-handed swat the one time Abby Broderick tried to drive through her. Some other details I liked: Scott made some solid passing reads as the middle against Bishop Feehan's zone defense. And then when she got buckets in half-court settings, she was most successful playing off two feet, where she could absorb contact and just outleap everyone else near the basket. Scott's touch within 10 feet is almost automatic.
Angela Tshowa, Cathedral
Tshowa (roughly 5-foot-11 by my guess) is one of the new names to know on a Cathedral roster that looks much different from past seasons. She stood out with her rebounding effort and passing out of the paint in both Panthers victories. Tshowa made quite a few smart reads out of the post to corner shooters and didn't force bad shot attempts. She's a reliable center on this team who's long-armed and strong.
Camry Williams, Woburn
Class of 2028, 5-7 guard/forward
Williams is one of the loudest, most consistent communicators I've watched recently, but she walks a good line channeling that energy positively. She's also a unique player type as an undersized inside-out forward. Williams is super strong and can shrug off defenders in 1-on-1 post-ups and driving situations. She's crafty around the basket with hook shots and layups using either hand. Williams is also a lefty jump shooter who can step out and hit a 3 off the catch. Her best game occurred Saturday against Braintree with a team-high 17 points.
