Bishop Feehan earned a season sweep of Catholic Central League rival Cathedral, but it didn't come without a fight.
The Shamrocks, who sit atop our rankings, led 44-29 through three quarters. Then the seventh-ranked Panthers staged a valiant comeback attempt, coming as close as 55-53 in the final 10 seconds before the 56-53 final score. Cathedral's nonstop attacking and high-energy defense proved exhausting — especially for Shamrocks point guard Charlotte Adams-Lopez, who was playing her second game since missing nine due to a nasty combination of mono and stomach flu.
Adams-Lopez credited Bishop Feehan's array of playmakers for helping carry the offensive load as she rebuilds her endurance.
"I felt it more this game than on Sunday, but I think as the game goes, I get warmed up," she said. "We have a lot of people on the team who take turns with possession, so it's not plays off but, we have a lot of people who can contribute, so it's not too bad."
It's been a grueling recent stretch for the Shamrocks (18-2). Four of their last six games have been decided by one possession or less, including a controversial buzzer-beating loss at St. Mary's. They've played their last four games on the road and have two more road games upcoming with the Board 27/Comcast Tournament at Emmanuel College.
"(It's) kind of a combination of being up for the challenge and trying to get mentally focused on each game, but also recognizing what a tough task it is to play," Bishop Feehan coach Amy Dolores said. "I mean, we've been on the road to St Mary's, we went to Lawrence, we went to Boston in (five) days, and they're still going to school and being teenagers and doing all that stuff."
Here are 5 standouts from the matchup.
Charlotte Adams-Lopez, Bishop Feehan
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
NCAA: Brown
Adams-Lopez (13 points, four assists) says she's still gearing her conditioning back up, but her steady play and effort level were critical in keeping the Shamrocks on track.
The Brown commit was confident and efficient launching 3s and attacked for a big and-1 layup in the third quarter. Adams-Lopez staged engaged defensively too, intercepting a pass while blocking a cutting lane and hustling for an important late-game deflection. I also noticed Adams-Lopez's easy chemistry with members of Bishop Feehan's supporting cast. She hit Shannon LaMorticelli on a well-timed pick-and-roll pass for a layup, and she ran a bunch of little two-player actions with Sam Carlson that freed each other up.
"(Carlson) had to play point guard for the nine games I was out; her vision got even better than it already was," Adams-Lopez said. "So we both see the floor very well, so we can connect in that way."
Lily Singer, Bishop Feehan
Class of 2025, 5-10 forward
Hometown: Attleboro, Mass.
Singer is the "impact transcends the score sheet" player of this game. She only had five points: a catch-and-shoot 3 and a driving layup where she attacked an opposing post player on her heels. Singer stepped up literally and figuratively on defense, contesting a ton of Cathedral's hard-charging drives to the basket and getting her hands on several blocked shots. Bishop Feehan does not have the paint presence of a player like Julia Roberts from last season, but Singer has done a great job of developing into that role in addition to her floor-stretching ability.
"Lily, she's such a good shot-blocker, so I know she's behind me if I get beat, and it gives us the confidence to play up on them more," Adams-Lopez said.
Maddy Steel, Bishop Feehan
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
NCAA: Tufts
It's impressive how slow starts don't affect Steel's mentality at all. She missed a few open 3s early, but starting with some driving layups through contact, Steel got back in the game. She reinforced her reputation as one of the state's best clutch scorers, using a three-possession sequence where she made a three, Adams-Lopez hit another, and Steel tossed in a third behind a screen to push a 44-40 gap up to 53-40. After hitting some game-sealing free throws, Steel ended up with 19 points, scoring 14 in the second half.
Hijjah Allen-Paisley, Cathedral
Class of 2025, 5-5 guard
Allen-Paisley (11 points) deserves so much credit for the calm leadership she uses to anchor a Cathedral team that thrives on chaos. I sat near the floor and could hear her communicating with teammates while guarding Steel off the ball. When Cathedral struggled in the middle of the game, she stayed even-keeled. Even in the closing seconds when calls didn't go the Panthers' way, Allen-Paisley was positive; I saw her giving thumbs-up to teammates and moving them on to the next play.
That level-headed focus translates to production too — like the off-ball movement and relocation 3s she made, or Cathedral's last bucket, a layup from Leilani Benson off a pocket bounce pass from Allen-Paisley.
Tamia Darling, Cathedral
Class of 2026, 5-9 guard/forward
I've watched Darling for two years at Cathedral now, and at least in person, this was the most consistently impactful game I've seen from her. She might have been the best running-and-jumping athlete on the floor and used her physical tools as a relentless rebounder to give the Panthers crucial second-chance opportunities. Darling scored a team-high 14 points largely off of putbacks, but she's super fast and capable of out-leaping opponents around the basket when driving. She also plays some fantastic defense within the Panthers' versatile scheme and had a huge 1-on-1 stop in transition to help the comeback effort. Darling needs to become a more efficient finisher and shooter, but flashes of a mid-range jumper are there.
Quick shouts:Â Sophomore Shannon LaMorticelli gave Bishop Feehan 10 points and some great minutes off the bench. ... Sam Carlson has become noticeably more confident as a secondary ball-handler next to Adams-Lopez and tallied nine assists. I also thought she defended Cathedral's guards extremely well. ... Keyona Raines capitalized on the late-game frenzy with several steals and scores, finishing with 13 points for Cathedral. ... Malani Smith (10 points) continues to be a quiet, useful complimentary piece for the Panthers as well, bringing much-needed perimeter shooting.
