BOSTON, Mass. — February break is when we start to feel the intensity of the winter basketball season turn up. As the last week of the regular season, it marks a pivotal time for teams to test their strengths ahead of the state tournament.
There are few places better to watch that competition that the Board 27 Comcast Tournament. Held for the first time at Emmanuel College, the tournament brought eight girls teams together for two four-team bracket tournaments. The field included five of the top eight teams in our last MIAA Girls Top 10 and seven total teams in the top 10 of their respective divisional MIAA Power Rankings.
The basketball lived up to the hype. Four of the six games were decided by six points or less, including both championship matchups. I attended Saturday's first round and Monday's championships, watching Wachusett and Foxboro take home trophies.
Below are the results from the games I watched, plus 14 individual standouts listed in alphabetic order of school (I also added some quick shouts at the end). I'll highlight my team-centered takeaways tomorrow.
Saturday — Semifinals
Wachusett 67, Norwood 44
Central Catholic 47, Woburn 41
Foxboro 63, Medfield 59
Bishop Feehan 71, Wellesley 35
Monday — Championships
Wachusett 46, Central Catholic 44
Foxboro 61, Bishop Feehan 56
Lily Singer, Bishop Feehan
Class of 2025, 5-10 forward
Hometown: Attleboro, Mass.
Singer scored 15 points in the blowout win vs. Wellesley, and though she only had three against Foxboro, this spotlight is more for her evolving defensive prowess. Singer has blossomed into a mobile small-ball center for the Shamrocks who can slide her feet, rotate and switch, yet also block shots without getting into significant foul trouble. I noticed a couple of well-timed help rotations and blocks against Foxboro, and she even managed to chase down what I thought was a wide open Warriors transition score. Add in capable passing acumen and perimeter shooting, and Singer has emerged as one of the more important glue pieces on the Shamrocks.
Maddy Steel, Bishop Feehan
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
NCAA: Tufts
Steel ended with a team-high 19 points in Bishop Feehan's tournament championship defeat. She did it in classic Steel fashion: only five first-half points, a tough and-1 layup in the third quarter and then three crucial 3s in the fourth that almost swung the contest. One of those was a cool pick-and-pop guard action with Charlotte Adams-Lopez. Steel's ability to shake off slow starts, continue to defend soundly and work to free herself up off the ball is commendable.
Kerri Finneran, Central Catholic
Class of 2025, 5-9 guard/forward
NCAA: UMass (Lacrosse)
Finneran's two-way effort Monday nearly powered Central Catholic to an upset of Wachusett. She had to both face-guard the Mountaineers' best player in Jaelynn Scott and finish several plays in the Raiders' offense. Finneran stayed consistent all afternoon, ending up with 19 points. Her work as a cutter was fascinating to watch in particular. Finneran isn't an explosive or overly powerful athlete, but her strength and court awareness make her a must-track off the ball — amazing to say when basketball is arguably her third-best sport.
"Nothing really affects her. She doesn't let her emotions get the best of her, and she stays steady and just performs," Central Catholic coach Casey Grange said. "And again, credit to someone who plays zero basketball in the offseason, to hang with some of the best kids in the state who play year-round."
Aniela Kwo, Central Catholic
Class of 2025, 5-11 forward
With her 19-point, 11-rebound double-double, Kwo was the game-changing force in Central Catholic's huge semifinal win against Woburn, which handed the Tanners their first loss of the season. She did it all: effort on the boards, sound contests on defense, handles in the open court, power moves in the post and even two 3-point makes when left open. Kwo kept it up with 10 points in Monday's loss to Wachusett.
Even though she plays as more of a power forward, which left her undersized against some talented opposing bigs, Kwo gains advantages with her agility and motor. She works hard to deny post entry passes and force turnovers. Kwo has enough ball skills to drive at defenses and make shots or pass out, and she's unafraid of contact. And, as an aside, I'm a No. 1 supporter of repping the sports goggles.
Ava Hill, Foxboro
Class of 2025, 5-10 forward
Hill showed this weekend how well she works off of Foxboro stars Kailey Sullivan and Addie Ruter (more on them in a moment). She was on the receiving end of some cutting and floor-spacing buckets assisted by both players. Hill could sneak out to the perimeter, where she made a 3 against Medfield, or she could find spots around the elbows to attempt open jumpers. Her best game came against Medfield when she scored 10 points, including two mid-air putback scores that each drew fouls.
Addie Ruter, Foxboro
Class of 2025, 6-3 center
Foxboro knew Ruter's size was one of its greatest advantages Monday against a small Bishop Feehan squad. The coaching staff pushed for her to assert herself during this game, and though Ruter is quieter and deferential by nature, she took over. Ruter finished with 23 points, dominated on the glass and made several high-level passing reads out of the post. Most notably though: her touch shots and mid-range fadeaways are automatic and so fun to watch.
"I think this weekend was the first time I've seen her on offense kind of want the ball more," Foxboro coach Lisa Downs said. "She's kind of been a little bit more tentative up until this weekend. I think just using her inside-out game, it gives us that upper edge that is just going to make our guards that are around her all that more open for shots."
Kailey Sullivan, Foxboro
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
A tournament MVP award would go to Sullivan without question. I'm running out of ways to describe how much of a walking bucket she is. Sullivan racked up 31 points against Medfield, then turned around and scored 27 on her birthday against Bishop Feehan, carving up two of the best teams in the MIAA. We know she's a lights-out shooter (and she made five 3s against Medfield), but Sullivan keeps wowing me with her off-dribble playmaking. Her confidence attacking closeouts and getting to floaters and mid-range jumpers is deadly. I also thought Sullivan played solid 1-on-1 defense, against two challenging backcourt matchups.
"She is so competitive," Downs said. "Obviously, she's the engine of the machine out there. She can do so many things on the offensive end, and she just has such a basketball I.Q.; it's off the charts. So she makes everybody around her better."
Naya Annigeri, Medfield
Class of 2027, 5-8 guard
On a rare off shooting night, Annigeri still managed to impact the game, finishing with 19 points and six rebounds in Saturday's close loss to Foxboro. As I mentioned earlier this week, Annigeri has developed significantly in how she reads defenders in 1-on-1 situations and makes driving decisions. Even with Foxboro's Adrianna Porazzo leading a quality defense, Annigeri still found moments to attack and convert lefty layups, or attack space and kick out to shooters. And again, her length and anticipation skills are one of Medfield's most important defensive assets.
Izzy Kittredge, Medfield
Class of 2026, 6-1 forward
Kittredge was a matchup nightmare for a Foxboro team that was hesitant to have its forwards close out hard to the perimeter. She canned five 3s as part of her team-high 22 points on Saturday, often walking into open looks and confidently drilling them. Medfield has so many shooting options on the floor at a time; it can go underrated how elite Kittredge is behind the arc with her touch and high release. She also did a great job defending the back line in zone, including a play where she hustled in rotation, got a deflection in the corner and managed to save it for a steal.
Maureen "Mo" Larkee, Norwood
Class of 2028, guard/forward
Among Norwood's bunch of young talent, Larkee (who I'd estimate is around 5-foot-9-ish) popped for her confidence shooting and putting the ball on the floor. I could hear the Wachusett bench immediately label her as a shooter when she subbed in, and she made them pay early with a 3-pointer. Larkee scored Norwood's first eight points in the 67-43 loss, moving well without the basketball and adding a hesi into a driving and-1 layup. She and fellow Mustangs freshman Ellen Baranowski represent some intriguing building blocks for the program.
Sophie Gibbons, Wachusett
Class of 2026, 5-7 guard
Wachusett's star backcourt duo shined in both games, with Gibbons posting 12 points against both Woburn and Central Catholic. The younger sister of star guard and current Navy freshman Mary Gibbons, Sophie has successfully ascended to her own lead role. She does a good job of being patient with ball screens but attacking lanes hard when she uses them. Gibbons also has a developed floater game and threatening 3-point shot, and when Wachusett needs to play fast, she's generally the one setting the pace.
Teegan Lanpher, Wachusett
Class of 2027, guard
The best small guard (maybe 5-foot-4) in a tournament loaded with great small guards, Lanpher dropped 24 points in Wachusett's Saturday win over Norwood. She's a score-first guard with burst and downhill speed, which she uses to fly under and past defenders. Lanpher also works super hard defensively on the perimeter and is typically the first Mountaineer on the floor for loose balls. She was quieter Monday against Central Catholic (nine points) but had a sweet crossover into an open pull-up 2. Lanpher also got out in transition for Wachusett's final two game-sealing layups.
Jaelynn Scott, Wachusett
Class of 2026, 6-0 forward
Scott is one of the MIAA's top players and prospects, already holding offers from UNH and Manhattan. She earns the star status with her overall versatility as a lengthy forward. It starts on the defensive end, where Scott racks up deflections and steals in the passing lane and consistently protects the rim in help. She does a great job of going straight up with her arms and contesting drives without fouling. Even though Scott did get into foul trouble against Central Catholic – mostly on fouls unrelated to defensive contests — she was able to stay in the game and make a defensive impact because of her discipline inside.
Then add in what Scott can do offensively: handle the ball in the open floor, drive on defenders, hit short hook shots and jumpers, and spot up behind the arc — and she's a tough two-way matchup. She scored 14 points against Norwood and 17 against Central Catholic, even while being face-guarded by Finneran.
"It was frustrating (being face-guarded), but you just have to learn to get through it," Scott said. "And when I got the ball, I knew I could go one-on-one."
Maria Gianarikas, Wellesley
Class of 2027, guard
The Raiders were outmatched Saturday in the blowout loss to Bishop Feehan, but Gianarikas (roughly 5-foot-7 by my estimation) mixed in some nice moments en route to 12 points. She was the most confident Raider handling the ball and attacking the Shamrocks defense, and I liked how she was able to keep her head up and find rollers and cutters for a couple of assists. Gianarikas made a difficult driving floater and hustled to steal an inbounds pass.
Mckenna Morrison, Woburn
Class of 2027, 5-7 guard
This was a challenging game for Morrison, who took a beating as Central Catholic clearly tried to bother her space and throw her off balance. She still wound up with 17 points in the narrow loss Saturday and didn't let the physicality derail her. Morrison made two 3-pointers and some long twos, with several coming off of screens and perimeter movement. When she had room to attack a mismatch, she was also willing to drive and post up smaller guards. Morrison's a quick guard who doesn't need to hold the ball long to make a play.
Quick shouts, small guard edition:Â We love small guards who battle. Three others stuck out to me this weekend: Addison Beers (Central Catholic, 5-0), Sam Carlson (Bishop Feehan, 5-5) and Alaysia Drummonds (Foxboro, 5-5). Beers' relentlessly frustrating defense on Morrison and other Woburn players was one of Central Catholic's most important assets in its win. Carlson has become a great fit in the Shamrocks backcourt with her quick decisions, movement off the ball and mid-range scoring. Drummonds seemed to come up with a critical rebound every time Foxboro needed one against Bishop Feehan.
More quick shouts:Â Shannon LaMorticelli is doing great work for Bishop Feehan off the bench. The sophomore tallied 10 points and nine rebounds against Foxboro, showing ability as a spot-up shooter, driving scorer and high-effort defender. ... Shannon McCarthy didn't score a ton for Woburn against Central Catholic, but her defense was rock-solid around the basket. She also stayed composed through some challenging clutch moments, and her maturity helps Woburn focus. ... Wachusett has another young talent to watch in freshman center Kyla Yurkus, who can already shoot a bit to complement the size she brings to the frontcourt.
