We're still three months from the start of the winter MIAA basketball season, and I already expect the girls landscape to look wildly different from last year.
The loaded 2025 senior class that defined many of the top teams in recent years has departed. The MIAA didn't lose a ton of stars to prep school, but some of the names who transferred are significant: Bella Owumi to Tilton (formerly at St. Mary's), Izzy Kittredge to Nobles (formerly at Medfield) and Maeve Powers to Dexter Southfield (formerly at North Quincy), among others.
But most importantly, the various sports underwent divisional realignment for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, based on the MIAA's Competitive Equity Modifier (more on that here) and appeals from some schools. That has created a massive wave of change in girls basketball.
Here are some of the most notable takeaways from the realignment as we start to preview the upcoming winter season. You can find the full division lists here.
LOOKING AHEAD:Â 10 MIAA girls teams to watch this winter
State finalists are on the move
Three of the 10 state finalists from last season are in new divisions, including some of this decade's MIAA dynasties.
St. Mary's has owned Division 3, either winning or earning a share (in 2020) of four of the last five championships. The Spartans also lost in the 2019 title game and the 2024 semifinals and is routinely among the best programs in Massachusetts regardless of class. Now they're moving up to Division 2.
Similarly, Division 4 no longer belongs to Cathedral, winners of a whopping seven titles since 2016 and the last three. The Panthers and coach Clinton Lassiter, owner of the most state championships in MIAA basketball history, are moving up to Division 3, where they'll remain a title contender.
Worcester South ascends to Division 1 after falling just short in the last two Div. 2 championship games.
Other notable teams in new divisions
Foxboro won the Div. 2 title in 2023, then dropped down to Div. 3 during the last realignment cycle. The Warriors captured another title in 2024 and were a contender last winter before losing in the semifinals to Norwell. Now they're back in a stacked Division 2 (more on that in a minute).
On the flip side, Bishop Fenwick last appeared in the Division 3 title game and lost a 45-41 battle to St. Mary's. The Crusaders moved up to Div. 2 the following year, but couldn't chase a championship due to the MIAA's schoolwide ban on postseason tournaments. They returned last year in a re-tooling season and lost in the Div. 2 Round of 16. The Crusaders have slid back to Div. 3, and with a dynamic duo of Caitlin Boyle and Celia Neilson, they could return to championship contention.
We'll see a few more private schools move up from Div. 3 to Div. 2 — notably Fontbonne, which was a No. 6 seed and quarterfinalist last year, and Arlington Catholic. Pembroke was a No. 11 seed in Div. 2 last year and is now in Div. 3.
WALLY SEAVER STARS:Â 10 standouts from one of the summer's top high school tournaments
Division 2 is LOADED
I thought Div. 2 was the deepest of any MIAA bracket during last year's state tournament. Not only do most of those teams seem strong again, but now St. Mary's and Foxboro enter the mix.
Getting into way-too-early preview talk: Medfield, even without Kittredge, should still be the favorite to three-peat with junior star Naya Annigeri and Bowdoin commit Tess Baacke leading the squad. But aside from Worcester South leaving the division, a lot of last year's top teams still look strong.
Whitman-Hanson impressed me again at the Wally Seaver Invitational in July and is always a tough defensive unit. The Panthers lost by three points to Worcester South in the semifinals last March. North Quincy is a program on the rise and has the depth to withstand the departed transfers, Powers and Jennifer Xue (to Milton Academy). Walpole has a new head coach but returns senior star Bella Bingham. Norwood's shocking upset loss as a No. 3 seed shouldn't overshadow the solid young core coming back. Archbishop Williams brings back Merrimack commit Jenna Mishou and Oliver Ames has our All-MIAA Third Team guard Avery Gamble returning.
That's nine teams I can plug into playoff contender status right now, and there's still room for more. Though Division 1 might have some of the best overall teams, I believe Div. 2 will be the best and most competitive division this winter.
How do the Division 3 and 4 races change?
With St. Mary's and Foxboro both gone, whoever wins Div. 3 will be the division's first new champion since Bishop Fenwick back in 2016. In Div. 4, only three teams not named Cathedral have held a trophy since 2015 (Amesbury in 2022, a shared Maynard/Cathedral title in 2020, and now-defunct Coyle Cassidy in 2018).
Bishop Fenwick might actually be a frontrunner with its star power and recent success, even after last year's 10-12 season and early tournament exit. Boyle and Neilson will be two of the best players in the MIAA at large and coach Adam DeBaggis knows how to win.
Norwell has finished runner-up in back-to-back Div. 3 postseasons, but loses five seniors, including James Madison-bound Madison Oliver and Hamilton freshman Reagan Dowd. Could this be Medway's chance to assert itself after two semifinal runs? The Mustangs have Anna Freeman, a reliable center and Babson commit, leading the way. Pentucket has also long been a sleeper in this division and could be ready for a breakthrough.
And then there's Cathedral. Despite graduating a whopping seven seniors, including All-MIAA second-teamer Hijjah Allen-Paisley (now at Franklin Pierce), the Panthers always seem to reload. Keyona Raines and Tamia Darling are two specially-gifted 2026 athletes with plenty of winning experience. I'll also quietly name-drop 6-foot-3 freshman Kristina Dallas — just remember her for now.
South Hadley might be destined for the Division 4 crown after running into the Cathedral buzzsaw in back-to-back winters. Though South Hadley did graduate some talent, junior Cara Dean was one of my favorite playoff performers after averaging 16 points in last year's tournament. Millis lost to South Hadley in the semifinals and does a good job of remaining competitive through graduation turnover.
