Typically, we try to mix up our headliner for our 5 Stars of the Week throughout the season. But when someone hits 2,000 points, we need to make an exception.
Notre Dame (Hingham) star Ava Orlando joined the exclusive club Friday when the Cougars took down Longmeadow, 79-44. The sweet-shooting point guard leads another strong week where several of the biggest names in MIAA balled out.
Coaches and players can submit nominations by emailing Ethan Fuller at ethan.fuller@basketballjournal.com or by messaging him on Twitter/X (@ethman43).
Here are this week’s five standouts:
Kat Cheesebro, Dartmouth
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Dartmouth remains undefeated behind Cheesebro's unflappable dominance. She amassed a 25-point, 13-rebound double-double against Barnstable, then tallied 33 points Saturday against New Bedford.
Kerri Finneran, Central Catholic
Class of 2025, 5-9 guard/forward
NCAA: UMass (lacrosse)
Finneran powered the Raiders to two quality wins this week. She collected 18 points, four assists and three rebounds against Bishop Fenwick, then stepped it up with 26 points to help the Raiders fly by Merrimack Valley Conference rival Andover.
Ava Orlando, Notre Dame (Hingham)
Class of 2025, 5-7 guard
NCAA: Bentley
Orlando crossed the 2,000-point threshold in style, racking up 31 points, 10 assists and six steals in Friday's win over Longmeadow. According to the Boston Globe, she's the 80th player, boy or girl, in Massachusetts history to surpass 2,000 points (though it's unclear if this includes Jaylen Harrell on CATS or Tabor's Daithi Quinn, who reached the milestone earlier this month). Orlando also scored 25 points Wednesday against Arlington Catholic.
Kailey Sullivan, Foxboro
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Sullivan stays on fire for another week. Her 27-point and 28-point outings helped the Warriors cruise by Hockomock League rivals Sharon and North Attleboro.
Frankie Spadorcia, Braintree
Class of 2025, 6-0 forward
Spadorcia did a little bit everything in Braintree's statement 3-0 week. She started Monday with 17 points and four blocks in a win against North Quincy and continued the momentum over to Thursday, posting 11 points and a monster seven blocks in an important, 50-45 victory over Quincy. Spadorcia capped her week with a massive double-double (20 points, 18 rebounds) against Brookline.
Other notable performances: Orlando's sister, Elle, tallied 30 points in the same game against Arlington Catholic. ... Reading guard Molly Trahan gave us another 30-point barrage Friday, scoring 34 in a 68-63 win against Wilmington. ... Kate Suneson collected 23 points, nine rebounds and two steals to help Apponequet defeat New Bedford Friday. ... Addie Pong's 27 points led Notre Dame (Worcester) to a Friday night win against Brockton. ... Woburn's Shannon McCarthy averaged 21 points across two Tanner wins in Middlesex League play. ... Jenna Mishou stuffed the stat sheet for Archbishop Williams on Friday with 22 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks and two steals in a 70-60 win against Arlington Catholic. ... Linda Sheng logged 28-point and 15-point outings to lead Belmont to Middlesex League victories. ... Allie Regan (Framingham) and Kaylee Maier (Dracut) posted separate 25-point outings in victories on Tuesday. ... Blue Hills freshman Sarah Michel also had a big Tuesday with a career-high 27 points against Bristol-Plymouth. ... Saugus guard Peyton DiBiasio continued her stellar season with 25 points on Thursday.
