Conference rivalry games often bring out the best from local high school basketball stars.
On the girls side, we had a couple of upsets and other significant results this week. That included St. Mary's evening the season series against Bishop Fenwick, with star freshman point guard SySy Mcausland Emmanuel leading the Spartans. Emmanuel's big game highlights our latest stars of the week.
Coaches and players are welcome to submit nominations by emailing Ethan Fuller at ethan.fuller@basketballjournal.com or by messaging him on Twitter/X (@ethman43).
Here are this week’s stars from Jan. 26-Feb. 1.
Addy Andrews, Cohasset
Class of 2026, 6-0 forward
NCAA: Union
Andrews exploded for a career-high 31 points on Friday, leading the Skippers in a 55-46 South Shore League win against Mashpee.
Tess Baacke, Medfield
Class of 2026, 5-9 guard/forward
NCAA: Bowdoin
Medfield's senior leader racked up 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists, pacing the top-ranked Warriors in an 83-31 rout of Norton.
Peyton DiBiasio, Saugus
Class of 2026, 5-8 guard
DiBiasio scored 16 points in Thursday's 38-31 loss to Winthrop, and in doing so, she surpassed Alex Winn (1,610 points) as Saugus' all-time leading scorer for both boys and girls.
Kayla Dunlap, Natick
Class of 2028, 6-0 forward
Dunlap gave us another loaded stat line on Friday, compiling a career-high 33 points, plus eight rebounds, seven steals and five assists in a 66-37 win over Weymouth.
Sysy Mcausland Emmanuel, St. Mary's
Hometown: Melrose, Mass.
The freshman phenom logged the defining game of her young career, erupting for 30 points and leading St. Mary's to a 70-60 win against Bishop Fenwick on Friday.
Anna Freeman, Medway
Class of 2026, 6-0 center
NCAA: Babson
Freeman caught fire for a career-high 28 points, powering Medway to a 56-39 victory against Tri-Valley League rival Dover-Sherborn on Friday.
Sophie Fish, Milton
Class of 2027, guard
Milton scored two huge wins this week with Fish at the center of both. Her 16 points helped the Wildcats take down then-ranked Needham, 46-41, on Tuesday. Fish then came back with 25 points in a narrow, 56-54 triumph over Brookline on Friday.
Avery Gamble, Oliver Ames
NCAA: Trinity
Gamble continued her senior season tear with 31 points against Taunton and 18 points against Mansfield, steering the Tigers to two Hockomock League wins.
Dylan Hurley, Whitman-Hanson
Class of 2026, 5-6 guard
NCAA: St. Anselm
Behind Hurley's career-high, 27-point outburst, the Panthers stayed unbeaten in the Patriot League with a 51-30 win against Hanover.
Anna Kanders, Swampscott
The standout sophomore is back on the list after averaging 22.5 points and 5.5 assists, guiding Swampscott to victories against Winthrop and Lynn Tech.
Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick
Hometown: Beverly, Mass.
Though it came in Friday's 70-60 loss to St. Mary's, Neilson tallied up 25 points, clearing 1,000 career points in the process.
Elle Orlando, Notre Dame (Hingham)
Class of 2026, 5-6 guard
Hometown: Westwood, Mass.
NCAA: Bentley
In a 1-1 week, Orlando posted 17 points in a loss to Fontbonne, then turned up for 28 points in a win against Dennis-Yarmouth.
Jai-Ana Silva, Greater New Bedford
Class of 2027, guard
Silva went off for a monster 35 points and 12 rebounds on Friday, carrying Greater New Bedford in a 64-52 South Coast Conference home win against Old Rochester.
Camden Strandberg, Bridgewater-Raynham
NCAA: Bates
Strandberg stuffed the stat sheet Sunday with 29 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and three assists, lifting the Trojans to a 59-42 win against Fontbonne.
