STOUGHTON, Mass. — We've spent the last few months laser-focused on AAU basketball and top prospects around New England. The Wally Seaver Invitational helps us flip the page to the upcoming high school seasons.
The tournament has become the go-to summer tune-up for hundreds of boys and girls teams around the region. It's held in honor of the late Paul "Wally" Seaver, who passed away in 2013 following his two-year battle with ALS, and run by his son, Paul. Proceeds from the tournament were donated to the Pete Frates Foundation this year, and a record 163 teams competed in the 14th running of the invitational.
I went to the Dana Barros Basketball Club to check out the girls games. Several schools are potential MIAA championship contenders in their respective divisions, and New Hampshire powerhouse Bedford made the trip down. Bedford and St. Mary's triumphed in their respective bracket championships.
I wouldn't overreact to team success in this tournament. MIAA coaches could not coach their teams (though most schools had their head coach present as a spectator). Instead, we got some fun subs on the bench; St. Mary's had recent transfer Bella Owumi and alum Niya Morgen coaching the squad. Effort really stood out especially in a mid-summer setting, as you'll see referenced in several below highlights.
Because so many games were happening at the same time, I had to prioritize some teams and sacrifice others. Pentucket, King Philip, Needham, Norwell and Arlington Catholic were some quality schools I'm intrigued by but couldn't watch. Here are 12 standouts from what I did see in Stoughton.
Caitlin Boyle, Bishop Fenwick
Class of 2026, 6-2 forward
Hometown: Georgetown, Mass.
NCAA: Stonehill
Boyle announced her Division 1 commitment less than two weeks ago and showed she's physically ready for the college level. She was dominant out of the post, using a mix of skill and physicality to get to her spots for several short turnaround hook shots and layups. Bishop Fenwick values her post presence and rim protection on defense, but Boyle can handle the ball well at her size and attacked some open driving lanes for scores. She showed great chemistry with Celia Neilson, who we'll get to later, highlighted by a well-timed pick-and-roll possession against St. Mary's in their 55-47 bracket championship loss. Boyle is one of the top returning forwards in MIAA and a difficult matchup with her versatility.
Alaysia Drummonds, Foxboro
Class of 2027, 5-5 guard
Foxboro enters a new era of sorts after graduating stars Kailey Sullivan and Addie Ruter. Drummonds is one of the guards who needs to take a step forward in response, and I liked what the rising junior showed in the championship against Bedford. It's a tiny, one-game sample, but Drummonds looked confident and consistent knocking down a few 3-pointers. She also fought through some tough screens to muck up Bedford's offense at times and hustled back for a transition strip block that saved a basket. Drummonds can be valuable for the Warriors' re-tooling efforts with her outside shot and defensive motor.
Jaylin Frye, St. Mary's
Class of 2029, 5-10 forward
Hometown: Lynn, Mass.
This St. Mary's roster is so young, which means there's a lot of growing to do, but it has significant breakout potential. Frye is a new name to me who helped the Spartans claim their bracket title. We didn't see much of her in the rotation as an eighth-grader, but Frye looked great on Saturday against Walpole and in Sunday's championship win.
She notched a deflection covering a backdoor cut and added a block in rotation. She can drive from the perimeter and either finish through contact or pivot into short jumpers. Generally, Frye seems to have a good sense of where to cut on offense and where to rotate on defense, and she battled on the glass against some larger opposing forwards. I'm keeping an eye on her along with the rest of this rising freshman/sophomore core at St. Mary's.
Dylan Hurley, Whitman-Hanson
Class of 2026, 5-6 guard
Hurley injects energy into the Panthers from the point guard position. She's so quick off the dribble and so confident (and capable) launching 3s off of screens and some dribble-handoffs. I really appreciated her work on defense, especially in Sunday's 49-44 semifinal loss to Bishop Fenwick, perhaps my favorite game of the weekend. She pressured the ball relentlessly, wasn't afraid to match physicality against some strong Fenwick guards, and even picked up a drawn charge that was huge for momentum. Hurley was among a few quick, high-motor guards who popped at this tournament.
Bella Landies, Bedford
Class of 2027, 5-10 guard/forward
Bedford only brought three rotation mainstays from last season's NHIAA championship squad and still cruised to a 54-28 win over Foxboro in the championship game. That says a lot about deep this program is, with contributors like Landies stepping up. She's a quality jump shooter in the mid-range and behind the arc who her teammates consistently found open. Landies also defended with effort, including a closeout block on a 3-point attempt. I don't know how much room the Bulldogs have in the rotation next winter, but she showed game-ready skills.
Gabi Lorenzini, St. Mary’s
Class of 2028, 5-9 guard/forward
Lorenzini got on my radar last winter for coming off the bench and hitting big threes in a comeback victory against Cathedral. This weekend, she showed more as one of the fiercest competitors on the roster. Lorenzini was a huge reason St. Mary's beat Bishop Fenwick in the championship; she canned a 3 and a pull-up jumper in the mid-range in addition to a tough layup. She also had this great baseline cut followed by an extra pass inside to Frye for a bucket. Lorenzini defends the ball very hard and isn't afraid to dive on the floor.
Mel McCarthy, Bedford
Class of 2027, 6-0 forward
McCarthy was up there as possibly the best player of the weekend. She was drilling 3s off the catch; I like the high release on her form and she did a good job squaring up her feet on shots. McCarthy also set some big-time screens and went to work in the post. Bedford coach Kevin Gibbs said she's worked a lot on getting mobile while still building muscle, and it's showing. She'll be one of the top players on the 49-straight-win Bulldogs next season.
Celia Neilson, Bishop Fenwick
Class of 2026, 6-0 guard/forward
Hometown: Beverly, Mass.
Neilson's head-fakes and hesi drives powered Bishop Fenwick to the championship. She is so strong for her position and despite not being the fastest guard, she has the skill moves to create advantages. Her finger-roll layups were near-automatic down the stretch against Franklin and Whitman-Hanson. Neilson is also a brutal defensive matchup for opponents with her strength at guard, and she makes a bunch of high-level transition passes. She has a couple of Div. 1 offers from Le Moyne and Loyola Maryland.
Kyleigh Pidgeon, Bishop Fenwick
Class of 2027, 5-8 guard
Pidgeon was one of the breakout new names (for me) in this tournament. She hit a bunch of 3s off the catch in Saturday's win against Franklin. I also appreciated how confident she was attacking closeouts, especially along the baseline, where she got to a few layups. Pidgeon's got a strong frame for her size and is part of this consistent theme of physicality and toughness at Bishop Fenwick.
Maliah Pierre, Whitman-Hanson
Class of 2027, 5-9 guard/forward
I think Pierre is still under the radar for how talented she is. She seems more confident with the ball in her hands, scoring on a pull-up mid-range jumper and slicing through the defense for some layup finishes. Pierre also finished this crazy acrobatic layup that I though would certainly be blocked, she knocked down a post hook shot through a double-team and hit a 3-pointer from a handoff. She's a great, versatile team defender who also fights for rebounds. Pierre needs to be a more consistent perimeter shooter and add strength all-around, but she's an awesome, important winning piece for the Panthers.
Adrianna Porazzo, Foxboro
Class of 2026, 5-7 guard
Porazzo ran a lot of point for the Warriors last winter, but she'll have even more on her plate with Sullivan graduated. I thought she handled a tough opposing assignment very well in the championship defeat. She used ball screens well, getting to one nice mid-range runner, and sat back on a screen to drill a 3-pointer. Porazzo sees the floor at a high level and moves well without the ball. Her and Drummonds are the most experienced players on the Warriors, who are moving up/back to a loaded MIAA Division 2.
Annie Zink, Bedford
Class of 2026, 5-6 guard
Among a lot of competitive, high-motor defenders I've already mentioned, Zink was probably the best. She is an absolute nightmare for opponents on the ball with her lateral quickness and off the ball with her understanding of help. Zink plays every possession so hard, and a lot of them lead to Bedford transition chances, where she also thrives. I liked her passing decisions on offense in the championship win, including a drive-and-kick for one of Landies' made jumpers. Zink just makes defense fun to watch and is a tone-setter for the rest of the Bulldogs.
Quick shouts:Â Annie's younger sister Eva Zink is one of the top 2028 prospects in New England as a 6-foot wing. Her confidence driving the ball keeps getting better and she knocked down a corner 3 in the championship. ... Leah Daley stood out in Whitman-Hanson's backcourt next to Hurley as a taller, lanky guard who's tough to stop on drives. ... Walpole went 2-1 but didn't make the bracket round. I remain a fan of Bella Bingham's game as a power forward in the true sense who keeps growing her skill as a scorer. ... Separately, Lily White (Dracut, 2029) and Izzy Rotundo (Braintree, 2027) are two intriguing wings I'm following who spaced the floor well and attacked open lanes for scores. ... St. Mary's top youngsters, SySy Mcausland Emmanuel (2029) and Charleigh Green (2028) both flashed moments that show why they've received early Div. 1 interest.
