The Merrimack Valley Conference is always among the toughest leagues in MIAA basketball. Last year, after a slow start, Central Catholic emerged as the team to beat.
The Raiders compiled an 18-5 record but won 11 of their final 12 games before falling to Springfield Central in the Division 1 quarterfinals. Head coach Casey Grange expects her team to be right in the mix of top teams again, but after losing nearly half of the roster, she plans to practice patience in the early weeks.
"I would say leadership and defensive intensity were the biggest things we're losing," she said. "We are all gonna have to be patient at the beginning of season to try to find this new team's identity."
Central Catholic does have its top two contributors back, providing a solid foundation. Here's what to expect from the Raiders in 2024-25.
