MEDFIELD, Mass. — Mark Nickerson and Medfield have spent much of the offseason generating hype about how good the still-young Warriors, fresh off an MIAA Division 2 title, could be.
On Friday, we got our first look at the confident defending champions. Medfield pulled away late in its home opener to win 64-41 against Tri-Valley League foe Medway, who had reached the Div. 3 semifinals last spring.
"I told you, I think we've got a great team. We didn't look like it early on," he said."(The Mustangs) were knocking down shots. They were athletic. They were more physical than us in the first half. I thought we were really lucky going to halftime with the lead. And then there was just that moment, I think it was towards the end of the third quarter, where three straight possessions in about 45 seconds, we knocked down three 3s."
Medfield's key to victory was its 2-1-2 press defense featuring an aggressive front three — typically some combination of Naya Annigeri, Tess Baacke and Abby Broderick. They swarmed a more tentative Medway offense, beginning the game with a forced 10-second violation, and though the Mustangs successfully broke through at times, the relentless pressure led to a string of consecutive backcourt turnovers in the fourth quarter. That turned a competitive game Medfield led 29-27 at the half into the final result.
Here are five standouts from the matchup.
Naya Annigeri, Medfield
Class of 2027, 5-8 guard
Annigeri came out as perhaps the most confident and impactful player, tallying 18 points and five assists. Her desire to drive the basketball might be at its highest yet, and Annigeri said afterward that she feels a bit more in control of her game as a sophomore. Annigeri opened the game with a baseline drive and assist to the opposite corner for a Broderick 3-pointer, and routinely attacked lanes from the wing for layups.
She also finished with a whopping eight steals. Annigeri was deflecting everything, flashing some serious anticipatory skills, active hands and a willingness to dive for loose balls. She forced a handful of quick steal-and-scores as the face of Medfield's suffocating press. Annigeri explained that her aggressiveness seeking deflections comes because she knows her teammates are positioned to seal the turnover.
"If I'm forcing the ball to one side, and then the other (player's) on the wing, trapping immediately, and then someone else in that middle — everyone has a goal in that," she said. "Even if I tip the ball, it's not just me. It's everyone."
Abby Broderick, Medfield
Class of 2028, 5-9 guard
For a first career high school game, Broderick fared very well. She earned the start, scored Medfield's first bucket of the season on the aforementioned corner 3, and ended the first quarter with a reverse layup at the buzzer. Broderick hit again from distance later in the game and showed consistent effort rebounding and running the floor. She finished with 12 points and looked like she belonged on one of the state's best teams.
"I thought she was great — poised," Nickerson said. "I thought she made great decisions. She took good shots."
Izzy Kittredge, Medfield
Class of 2026, 6-1 forward
Kittredge had to battle a stronger opponent in Medway center Anna Freeman, and she got better matching up as the game progressed. She turned up the defensive intensity as Medway tried to feed Freeman in the post and got two quick steals to start the second half. On offense, Kittredge scored 15 points and demonstrated confidence with her handle. She also gave us a sweet post fadeaway bucket from about the free-throw line. There are few, if any, MIAA players with Kittredge's shooting ability and ball skills at her size.
Anna Freeman, Medway
Class of 2026, 6-0 center
During parts of this game, Freeman was the most dominant player on the floor. She took command of her size advantages against Medfield and had 12 rebounds in just the first half (14 total) to go with 10 points. Though she drew more defensive attention in the second half and produced less on the scoreboard, Freeman still had the right process, including a quick assist she made out of a double-team to Regan Longval for a corner 3.
I was most impressed with Freeman's work on the defensive end, where I counted six blocks. She did a great job staying vertical and contesting shots without fouling. There were a few times Kittredge also tried to drive past Freeman from the perimeter, but Freeman was mobile enough to stay with her and disrupt layup attempts.
Regan Longval, Medway
Class of 2026, 5-9 guard
Longval is a new name for me, but she'll be a core piece to Medway's 2024-25 success. She had the unenviable task of guarding Annigeri and was able to at least stick with her, deter her from 3-point shots and be physical defending drives. Longval canned three 3s, finished with 13 points and registered an awesome chasedown block in transition off of pure hustle. The Mustangs have better days ahead with Longval and some of the other tall guards in the rotation, plus Freeman.
