LYNN, Mass. — Medfield girls basketball coach Mark Nickerson thought Wednesday's top-five matchup with St. Mary's brought every test he could have hoped for his team: a tough opponent, built leads, blown leads and clutch minutes.
Through it all, the Warriors stayed composed. Even after watching an 11-point fourth quarter gap shrink to two points, they hung on, earning a 57-53 road win. Medfield (17-1) hadn't played a nonleague game all season, aside from a holiday break trip to Florida, because its Tri-Valley League is so large. The victory sent a message about the Warriors' status as a statewide power.
"I think the most important thing for us today is, (as a) Tri-Valley league team, a lot of people around the state are kind of looking at us, maybe a little bit like a paper tiger — not much substance behind us," Nickerson said. "But I think we proved that we could play with the best teams in the state today."
The matchup had extra juice because it brought the two best 2027 players in MIAA together: Bella Owumi at St. Mary's and Naya Annigeri at Medfield. Both stars shined, with Annigeri's 23 points leading Medfield to victory. She believes the win will help Medfield ramp up as it defends a Division 2 championship.
"St. Mary's has beaten a lot of really good teams, and this is the start of, basically, playoffs soon," Annigeri said. "So I think we came out and played really well, and we're really looking forward to hopefully going far in playoffs."
Here are five standouts from the contest.
Naya Annigeri, Medfield
Class of 2027, 5-8 guard
Nickerson wasn't surprised by Annigeri's stat line (23 points, six steals), but this was as much a statement individual performance as it was a big team win. Annigeri proved once again she belongs in conversations with the best 2027 prospects in Massachusetts and probably New England at large.
She overcame a slow start to score 18 second-half points and spearhead Medfield's triumph. Annigeri made four 3s but might have been even more impressive with her scoring off drives. She struggled early agains the physical defense of Lily Norton but adjusted as the game went on. By the end, Annigeri was fearlessly attacking late switches on screens and going 1-on-1 for comfortable finishes with her non-shooting left hand. Add in a bunch of steals and deflections in passing lanes, and Annigeri gave an overall brilliant two-way effort.
"That shouldn't surprise anybody, in my opinion," Nickerson said. "Obviously they've got a pretty damn good sophomore too, but 1 and 1A, or whatever, Naya is pretty special. Ball in her hands. I feel pretty fortunate and pretty confident it's going to work out."
Jailen Annigeri, Medfield
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Naya's older sister deserves a ton of credit for helping Medfield build an early lead. Annigeri scored 10 of her 13 points (three total 3s) in the first half, hustled on the offensive glass and picked up a steal defending next to Naya at the top of Medfield's notorious 2-1-2 press. She came up with one more big shot late in the game, when she and Naya put up back-to-back 3s to push the lead up to 51-40.
"It's so much fun playing with my sister," Naya said. "Our chemistry on and off the court — it's so much fun playing with her, and it's been an incredible season."
Izzy Kittredge, Medfield
Class of 2026, 6-1 forward
Kittredge only scored four points, but her work everywhere else (10 rebounds, four assists, four steals) makes her an easy third choice. Even though she's more of wing/forward, Kittredge's size means she's the closest Medfield has to a post player. She'll often have to defend centers and protect the rim against driving players, and she had a few well-timed rotations and blocks around the rim. Kittredge also continues to show a solid handle and driving game herself but didn't force bad shots. She fits in well on this Medfield offense that swings the ball around the perimeter with success.
Bella Owumi, St. Mary’s
Class of 2027, 5-11 guard/forward
Hometown: Lynn, Mass.
Owumi (12 points) lived up to the matchup billing as an elite 2027 prospect herself. Her defense is simply incredible. Owumi's now regularly making jaw-dropping rotation blocks around the rim, and she even closed out hard to the 3-point line to get a hand on a Naya Annigeri attempt late. She'll switch onto guards and smother them, or she'll go 1-on-1 against taller forwards and match that physicality.
Owumi also dominated the glass, and I thought this was one her more consistent impact offensive efforts even though she didn't rack up points. She showed off her continuously-improving pull-up game and some explosive drives for layups. Owumi also had a nice interior pass to Reese Matela while operating as the middle hub of St. Mary's zone offense.
"She's definitely a very strong and composed player," Naya Annigeri said of Owumi. "She was really good in the paint, and creating for her teammates. I was excited to play her tonight; she's one of the top prospects."
Reese Matela, St. Mary’s
Class of 2025, 6-1 center
Hometown: Swampscott, Mass.
NCAA: Assumption
With a team-high 18 points, Matela came up huge in St. Mary's comeback attempts. She has great chemistry with Owumi as mentioned and does a good job of positioning herself for easy inside layups. Matela's mid-range jumper was automatic in this game; I also think her defense is underappreciated. Not only did Matela protect the rim against some of Medfield's drives, but she also played up on ball screens and switched out to the corners when she needed to. She's a mobile center at her size, which helps boost St. Mary's team defense.
