At this point in the MIAA girls basketball calendar, most teams are meandering through their league schedules with a few nonleague matchups sprinkled in.
It's in this time that we can see who separates themselves from their local peers. And Medfield — still No. 1 with no surprise — has put itself in a tier of its own.
The Warriors continue to dominate. We'll get into just how much they've outclassed their opponents so far. We also have a Central Mass. rising contender in Division 1 to note, and a fourth different Bay State Conference team appears on the list this season.
Here's our latest Top 10 update.
1. Medfield (14-0)
Next game: at Westwood, Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m.
Medfield has won every single regular season game by 23 or more points. Even the scrimmage against Londonderry, N.H., in December was a 13-point Warriors win that represents its most notable performance to date. Millis has been the "closest" Tri-Valley League opponent, losing by 24 points back on Jan. 13. The Warriors are averaging 71.2 points per game, easily tops in the TVL, and allowing a league-low 32.1 points.
This team is destroying everyone and that won't change this week.
2. Springfield Central (9-2)
Next game: vs. Northampton, Jan. 26, 7 p.m.
Pittsfield pushed the Golden Eagles hard in a 48-46 Springfield Central win on Thursday. That's the closest an MIAA team has come to knocking off the Golden Eagles this season. They'll get two more quality Western Mass. matchups this week, both at home against Northampton and South Hadley.
3. Wachusett (9-2)
Next game: vs. Shrewsbury, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.
The Mountaineers are back on track after rolling past Grafton and Algonquin with two 35-plus-point wins. Star senior Jae Scott surpassed 1,000 career points against Grafton on Tuesday. Only one game appears on the schedule this week, but things will get busy for Wachusett soon.
4. Whitman-Hanson (12-1)
Previous rank: 4
Next game: at Hanover, Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m.
Still undefeated in-state, the Panthers hit their groove with a 60-40 win against Plymouth South Tuesday and then a 59-37 win against Pembroke, a top Division 3 squad, on Friday. Their star duo took turns leading, with Maliah Pierre scoring 20 points against Plymouth South and Dylan Hurley tossing in 26 against Pembroke. Hanover represents another solid Patriot League opponent, but it feels like Whitman-Hanson is a tier above their strong conference right now.
5. Worcester South (9-2)
Next game: at Sutton, Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m.
After starting the season 1-2, the Colonels have won eight in a row. They scored another statement home win against Bishop Fenwick on Saturday, pulling away late to win 55-43. South's lockdown defense has yet to allow more than 43 points in a game all season. This win streak should reach double-digits with the next five opponents being rematches that South won the first time. That all leads up to an exciting showdown at Springfield Central on Feb. 10.
6. Bishop Feehan (11-2)
Previous rank: 5
Next game: vs. Dartmouth, Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m.
The Shamrocks completed the regular-season sweep against Needham, this time in more convincing fashion with a 51-29 road win. They also swept Archbishop Williams with their second victory, 48-38, on Friday. Feehan has played arguably the toughest schedule in the state so far (it's second behind Springfield Central in opponent rating in the MIAA power rankings as of Friday). That continues with three games this week: home against Dartmouth and St. Mary's, then at Cathedral on Friday.
7. Bishop Fenwick (10-2)
Next game: at St. Mary's, Jan. 30, 6:30 p.m.
A Saturday loss to Worcester South overshadows a 2-1 week for the Crusaders. Fenwick had rolled past Cardinal Spellman and Masconomet, but the 43 points against South was their second-lowest scoring output of the season. They're still a tier above the rest of their Division 3 opponents and get nearly a full week to prepare for a rematch with Catholic Central League rival St. Mary's.
8. St. Mary’s (12-1)
Next game: at Arlington Catholic, Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m.
The Spartans squeaked by Cathedral, 58-57, in a Friday night road clash. Cathedral is a tough place to play and the Panthers are hitting their groove as a Div. 3 contender, so I think that's still a great win. This is about to be a brutal stretch though: Arlington Catholic on Tuesday, then at Bishop Feehan Wednesday, then home against Bishop Fenwick Friday and a rematch next Tuesday vs. Feehan. The young roster will be physically and mentally tested.
9. Needham (10-2)
Next game: vs. Milton, Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m.
Though the home loss to Bishop Feehan looks rough on paper, the Rockets were able to rebound with a huge, 47-40 overtime victory against Bay State Conference rival Natick on Friday. That keeps them undefeated in one of the state's toughest conferences. They should maintain their perfect league status this week by getting through Milton and Weymouth.
10. Walpole (9-3)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: vs. Weymouth, Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m.
This is the first appearance of the season for the Timberwolves, who have far exceeded my expectations in Sean McInnis' first year as head coach. I knew senior Bella Bingham was a talented forward and she has been dominant in several games. But this team as a whole has quality wins against Norwood, Braintree and Oliver Ames. They've also barely lost to three Top 10 squads: Needham by three points in overtime, Bishop Fenwick by a point and Bishop Feehan by two. Now the challenge is to hold this spot with a road rematch at Braintree on Friday.
The next five: Foxboro, Woburn, Natick, Minnechaug, Andover
I place a lot of value on high-quality wins and competitiveness against other top teams in these rankings. That's made it very challenging with Foxboro and Woburn, who are both still undefeated but have scarcely played outside of their leagues. I could be drastically underrating both schools but I just don't have the evidence yet. I will say that this is the closest I've come to ranking either program, and if someone slips up, they're next in line. It's a similar story with Andover, who I'll mention here for the first time. The Golden Warriors only have one loss to Natick and have taken care of business in the Merrimack Valley Conference thus far.
Minnechaug falls out after losing to Longmeadow, and Natick couldn't quite get over the hump against Needham in that overtime bout. Beyond these five, I remain interested in Cathedral's recent surge and some more Western Mass. contenders in Pittsfield and Northampton.
