The MIAA state tournament always shines a light on the state's brightest stars. This year, they gave us some remarkable performances.
From early-tournament buzzer-beaters to state final game-winners, we were treated to memorable efforts throughout the last three weeks.
It wasn't just seniors who lived up to the big stage. A handful of sophomores and one extra-talented eighth-grader also stood out on the court.
Here are 15 of the players who defined this year's state tournament.
Hijjah Allen-Paisley, Cathedral
Class of 2025, 5-5 guard
Allen-Paisley capped a stellar high school career with her third state championship. She scored 20 points in the Division 4 final against South Hadley, remaining her calm, composed self throughout the Panthers' 68-37 win. Allen-Paisley drilled four 3-pointers, including a sweet step-back where she called for a pass from Keyona Raines in transition at half-court and Raines led her perfectly to the corner.
Allen-Paisley is also an underrated perimeter defender; she moves her feet well and pressures the ball hard without fouling. She scored 18 points in the semifinals and 13 in the quarterfinals, but her overall impact gets underrated because Cathedral is so balanced.
DIVISION 4 DOMINANCE:Â Cathedral wins third straight title, seventh in 10 years
Bryan Bascones, Worcester South
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard/forward
The Colonels ran out of steam in the Division 2 final, but Bascones deserves credit for leading her team back as a senior. She's the closest thing the small team has to a center, so she operates a lot out of the post and elbows and fights hard against bigger players. Bascones opened the tournament with 35 points against Burlington, then reached double figures in each of the next three wins.
Kat Cheesebro, Dartmouth
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Cheesebro got Dartmouth back to the Division 2 quarterfinals before another home loss to Whitman-Hanson. Along the way, she posted 40 points, 24 points and 24 points in her final three high school games. Cheesebro also crossed 2,000 career points and put herself further in front as Dartmouth's all-time scoring leader.
Cara Dean, South Hadley
Class of 2027, guard/forward
I'm intrigued by Dean, who doesn't have a listed height online but is probably around 5-foot-10. She scored 21 points in the Division 4 final and was the one player consistently finding a way against Cathedral's frustrating defense. Dean is a long wing and a stellar 3-point shooter, but she also made quite a few power drives from the perimeter for layups. She averaged 16 points and two made threes per game in the state tournament. South Hadley should be a Div. 4 title frontrunner again with Dean leading a strong young core.
Dylan Hurley, Whitman-Hanson
Class of 2026, 5-6 guard
Among several contenders, Hurley might have the shot of the state tournament: her four-point play on a banked 3-point make with 4.5 seconds left in the first overtime of Whitman-Hanson's second-round matchup against Duxbury. That stunning play tied the game and would eventually lead to a Panthers triple-overtime win. Hurley followed up that 19-point effort with 13 points to beat second-seeded Dartmouth on the road in the quarterfinals. Maliah Pierre also deserves a shoutout for her game-high 28 against Duxbury.
Izzy Kittredge, Medfield
Class of 2026, 6-1 forward
On a loaded Warriors squad filled with impact players, Kittredge was the most consistent and shined when the lights were brightest. She racked up 28 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists and three blocks in Medfield's 62-20 rout of Worcester South to repeat as Division 2 champs. Within that was one of the most dominant quarters I watched this winter: 14 points, three assists and a block during the Warriors' 28-6 third quarter surge.
Kittredge reached double figures in three of Medfield's other four tournament games. The only one she didn't — the semifinal victory over North Quincy — she tallied seven points, 17 rebounds and five assists. Kittredge can fit her game to whatever the team needs, and it makes her a stellar two-way player.
SECOND HALF SURGE:Â Medfield pulls away in historically dominant Division 2 win
Ashlyn Lesure, Hoosac Valley
Class of 2025, 5-7 guard
Lesure's steady resolve epitomized Hoosac Valley's bizarre comeback victory against Renaissance in the Division 5 championship. After missing a bunch of early shots and picking up a technical foul in the first quarter, she stayed focused and ran the offense en route to 18 points. Lesure averaged 19.4 points during the Division 5 tournament to lead Hoosac Valley to a repeat title.
WILD WIN:Â Hoosac Valley overcomes heated Division 5 final for repeat championship
Tabby McDonough, North Quincy
Class of 2027, guard/forward
North Quincy put together one of the MIAA's true breakout seasons, riding momentum all the way to the program's first-ever Final Four appearance. Amid several players stepping up in different games, McDonough stands out for her 15 points and 10 rebounds in the quarterfinals to help fifth-seeded NQ defeat fourth-seeded Notre Dame (Hingham). She had a stretch of three straight steals as part of a 12-0 run in that contest.
Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan
Class of 2026, 5-9 guard
You could go in a few directions with Bishop Feehan's balanced roster; Charlotte Adams-Lopez was my favorite player to watch in the championship and Lily Singer had some big games to help the Shamrocks make it. But I thought Mullen was the best display of both consistent production in the tournament and in the Division 1 final. Some of her four 3-point makes (14 total points) were gutsy, including a crossover pull-up trey with the shot clock winding down that put Feehan up, 54-53, with 1:23 to go. Mullen logged 14-plus points in four of her five tournament games, including 20 points, six rebounds and four steals against Concord-Carlisle.
Maddie Oliver, Norwell
Class of 2025, 5-11 guard/forward
Oliver only scored 10 points in a defensive-oriented Division 3 final but posted some monster stat lines to lead the Clippers to their second consecutive championship game appearance. That includes 24 points in the semifinals, helping Norwell avenge last year's championship defeat and take down Foxboro.
Before that, she posted 22 points against Fontbonne and 30 points (with 17 rebounds) against Bellingham. Oliver does a good job of letting the game come to her and using her handle and court vision to get teammates involved, but taking over with size and power when she needs to.
Bella Owumi, St. Mary’s
Class of 2027, 5-11 guard/forward
Hometown: Lynn, Mass.
The energy felt like it shifted during Friday's Division 3 championship. Last time Owumi had made it, she was a quiet eighth-grader starting but filling a defense-first role alongside loaded Spartans teams. This year, she came in as the highly-touted sophomore expected to lead.
Owumi did by scoring 19 points. She expectedly swooped in for rebounds and deflections and ended the game with a signature, "where did she from from?" block in transition. But the Norwell defense also dared Owumi to shoot, and she canned four 3s off the catch and off the dribble. She is arriving as a complete prospect — arguably New England's best in the 2027 class — and it is special to watch.
BACK ON TOP:Â St. Mary's defeats Norwell for second Div. 3 title in three years
Jaelynn Scott, Wachusett
Class of 2026, 6-0 forward
The hypothetical MIAA tournament MVP belongs to Scott without question. Her 31-point, 14-rebound masterclass against Bishop Feehan is one of the best individual efforts in state championship history. Scott's point total is tied for the third-most all-time in a girls state final. She called game with a long-striding layup that put Wachusett ahead with three seconds left in the Division 1 final.
To reach the championship game, Scott first scored 23 points against Arlington, then 20 against Central Catholic and logged a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double against Braintree. Her touch driving to the basket, length on defense and unmatched rebound timing make her a unique MIAA talent.
AT LAST: Wachusett breaks through for first Division 1 championship in thriller
Frankie Spadorcia, Braintree
Class of 2025, 6-0 forward
Braintree was also one of the stories of the season, flipping an 11-11 2023-24 year into a 21-3 season and a Final Four run. Spadorica was the focal point of the team's biggest tournament games. She posted 17 points in the quarterfinals to help Braintree win a 43-40 battle against Woburn, as well as 14 points in the second round against Needham.
Kailey Sullivan, Foxboro
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Sullivan averaged 25 points across four contests to lead Foxboro to the semifinals. She was still the game's leading scorer with 24 points in the loss to Norwell, a defeat where Sullivan battled foul trouble. She managed to keep the Warriors in the hunt with her signature quick-trigger floaters and driving layups that got her to the foul line.
Zi'Yan Wallace, Springfield Renaissance
Class of 2029, 5-10 forward
Amidst the mayhem in the Division 5 final, Wallace burst on my radar as a must-know future star. She scored 20 points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter, dominated on the boards, knocked down a smooth 3-pointer and looked comfortable taking players off the dribble. She stayed cool and impactful through the chaos. Wallace scored 20 or more points in all five tournament games. It's tough to measure her against Div. 5 competition, but remember that Alicia Mitchell (now a Columbia-bound star at Loomis Chaffee) was also lighting up D5 two years ago for Springfield International. She was a junior and Wallace is only in eighth grade.
