All across the MIAA, there are talented backcourts. There might not be a better one than the duo at Lowell.
Seniors Tzar Powell-Aparicio and Jason Kamau have been terrific this season in leading the Red Raiders to a 14-1 record, including an 11-1 mark in the Merrimack Valley Conference, as a strong contender to win the Division 1 state tournament. Individually, both of them had memorable performances last week, and they lead this edition of our MIAA 5 Stars of the Week.
A reminder – nomination for our MIAA 5 Stars of the Week can be made by emailing Steve Hewitt at steve.hewitt@basketballjournal.com or by messaging him on Twitter/X (@steve_hewitt).
Let’s reveal this week’s 5 Stars.
Niko Catalano, North Andover
Class of 2025, 6-5 forward
Catalano makes this list for the second time in the last month after he put up a career-high 33 points and 18 rebounds in North Andover’s victory over Methuen. He also posted 22 points in a triple overtime loss to Tewksbury.
Jason Kamau, Lowell
Class of 2025, 5-9 guard
Kamau made some history in Lowell’s victory over Chelmsford, notching a program record 13 steals to go along with 13 points and six assists. He added nine points and nine assists in Lowell’s dominant victory over Andover on Friday.
Ryan McDonald, Walpole
Class of 2026, 6-2 guard
McDonald set a career high with 46 points, and added eight rebounds, in Walpole’s 76-65 victory over Weymouth. He shot 68 percent from the field and went 7-for-8 from 3-point range. Head coach Jenna Galster noted that the junior guard made some great cuts, fills and reads to maximize the team’s spacing, and his teammates hit him with well-timed and placed passes. McDonald is averaging 18.2 points per game this season.
Tzar Powell-Aparicio, Lowell
Class of 2025, 6-0 guard
After scoring 28 points in Lowell’s win over Chelmsford on Tuesday, Powell-Aparicio became the eighth 1,000-point scorer in program history as he scored 27 points in Friday’s win over Andover. He also added nine rebounds, four assists and five steals in the latter’s performance.
Caden Sullivan, Franklin
Class of 2025, 6-0 guard
NCAA: Endicott
Sullivan had another signature – and more importantly, winning – performance in Franklin’s win over Mansfield, when the senior star scored 27 points and produced a huge steal late to seal the victory. The Panthers are now 16-0.
Other notable performances: Lynn tech junior Giovanni Jean had 26 points and seven assists to lead a win over Shawsheen. … Bourne star Nate Reynolds had 21 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in a win over West Bridgewater before compiling 25 points and 19 boards in a victory over Nantucket. … Finn Bjork had 26 points and 13 rebounds to lead 14-1 Somerset Berkley to a victory over Dighton-Rehoboth. … Bishop Feehan senior Phil Botelho scored a career-high 38 points in a win over Wareham. … Stoneham’s Tony Dean had a triple-double of 24 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks in a victory over Amesbury. … Tewksbury senior Jaden Maxi had 27 points – including the tying basket to send the game to overtime – to lead the triple OT win over North Andover. … Andrew Braganca’s triple-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 steals led Beverly’s victory over Danvers.
