Springfield Central feels like the perennial sleeping giant of MIAA girls basketball. The Golden Eagles turned heads when they won the first statewide Division 1 championship in 2022, and even though they're always in the mix, they're often an unknown for many of the Eastern Mass. contenders.
It feels like things are shaping up similarly this winter. Springfield Central has yet to lose in-state and they just scored a huge non-MIAA win this past weekend.
The Golden Eagles move up in this week's Top 10. We also have one new member that scored a shocking home win. And the Bay State Conference slugfest continued with some notable results.
Here's our latest rankings.
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1. Medfield (12-0)
Next game: at Hopkinton, Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m.
The dominant Warriors keep chugging along. They dismantled Millis and Medway, two of the better other Tri-Valley League teams, then went 2-0 in the Hoophall Invitational. Medfield still has yet to lose a game and has won every contest by double digits. Naya Annigeri was a Star of the Week, but Abby Broderick also deserves praise as she continues her sophomore breakout. She averaged 20.8 points across the last four games.
2. Springfield Central (8-1)
Next game: at Pittsfield, Jan. 22, 6 p.m.
The Golden Eagles made quite a statement by downing Northwest Catholic, our top-ranked CIAC program, at the Hoophall Classic. In lieu of a separate game recap, this will be a longer section that serves as my initial thoughts after watching Springfield Central for the first time.
I was amazed by the depth on this young roster. Zi'Yan Wallace, the freshman standout I've hyped up, had a subpar game by her standards and barely played in the second half. Sophomore standout Giavanna Mars found her groove in the second half and ended up with 15 points and seven rebounds as the game's catalyst. Maya Ocana Saunders, another freshman, led her team with 18 points.
Springfield Central is similar to Medfield in the way their guards, led by Mars and Saunders, hound the perimeter and cause chaos in full-court press. The team forced 23 Northwest Catholic turnovers. But they also have intriguing size including junior Genesis Grimes, who did a fantastic job guarding Northwest Catholic star Abby Casper, a Holy Cross commit. And the Golden Eagles managed 56 points against a more experienced opponent despite shooting 1-for-11 behind the arc. They are fast, talented, and capable of putting bad stretches behind them. The rest of Division 1 should be nervous.
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3. Wachusett (7-2)
Next game: vs. Grafton, Jan. 20, 6 p.m.
Last week, the Mountaineers lost their first regular season game against an MIAA opponent since the 2022-23 season and second since — get this — at least the 2017-18 season. The 64-55 shocker to Minnechaug was a physical road contest against an opponent clearly on the rise, as you'll see. But it's still a stunner because of how high expectations are with this team and how it, historically, simply doesn't lose these games. I can't drop the Mountaineers very far down the rankings because they're still proven winners with arguably the best on-paper roster in the state. But it's a wake-up call, and I imagine Wachusett is plenty motivated for the remaining slate.
4. Whitman-Hanson (10-1)
Previous rank: 5
Next game: at Plymouth South, Jan. 20, 6 p.m.
The Panthers came out of their gauntlet Patriot League week a perfect 3-0 and still undefeated in the state. It wasn't seamless, and it included a dramatic, 19-point comeback victory against North Quincy last Monday. But the Panthers then stormed past Duxbury and won a close 45-40 contest at Hingham. That's almost all of their top competition in the conference, with another good test coming Friday against Pembroke.
5. Bishop Feehan (9-2)
Previous rank: 7
Next game: at Walpole, Jan. 19, 2:30 p.m.
This was an important prove-it stretch for the Shamrocks after their loss to Worcester South two weeks ago. They've built what's now a four-game win streak against Bedford, Needham, Bishop Fenwick and Walpole — two Top 10 teams, a near-Top 10 team and the top-ranked NHIAA squad. Avery Teixeira logged multiple double-double efforts as a breakout junior and Bridget Rowland scored the winner with 4.6 seconds left against Walpole in a 50-48 battle.
6. Bishop Fenwick (8-1)
Next game: at Masconomet, Jan. 21, 7 p.m.
Last Friday's 53-45 loss to Bishop Feehan at home surely stings. That's the most points allowed by the Crusaders this season — still not a ton — and they couldn't muster enough offense to match. I'm excited for what might be a rock fight of a contest Saturday at Worcester South. These are two of the state's best and most aggressive defenses.
7. St. Mary’s (11-1)
Next game: at Cathedral, Jan. 23, 6:30 p.m.
The Spartans nabbed two out-of-region victories at the Bishop Verot Shootout in Florida, with SySy Mcausland Emmanuel leading in the scorebook for both games. She also scored a team-high 17 points in Tuesday's rout of Algonquin. Cathedral has been heating up recently, riding a four-game win streak, and always plays St. Mary's tough. That should be one of the better Friday night matchups this week.
8. Worcester South (7-2)
Next game: at Millbury, Jan. 21, 6:30 p.m.
The Colonels cruised last week against lower-division opponents, with 24-point and 28-point routs of Hopedale and Northbridge, respectively. As mentioned, the Saturday home game against Bishop Fenwick is a huge statement opportunity. South won't play many Top 10 contenders the rest of the way, so this should tell us where it stands in the Div. 1 title race.
9. Minnechaug (8-1)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: at Longmeadow, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Tuesday's win against Wachusett is certainly an upset. It also marks an arrival for Minnechaug as a legitimate Division 2 power. Freshman phenom Zahara Wilson, who transferred in from Springfield International, erupted for 28 points in the victory. Minnechaug then went on to nab Hoophall Invitational wins against Ridgefield (Conn.) and Bishop Ludden (N.Y.). The Falcons have beaten every Western Mass. power on the schedule except Springfield Central, with a home rematch on tap for Feb. 2.
10. Needham (9-1)
Previous rank: 6
Next game: vs. Bishop Feehan, Jan. 21, 6:30 p.m.
The Rockets' perfect season ended in a hard-fought loss to Bishop Feehan last Wednesday. In an odd twist, they have a full week to prepare for this uncommon nonconference rematch. Then it's a huge Friday home showdown with Natick, the last big Bay State Conference opponent Needham hasn't seen yet. The Rockets can assert themselves as the best in their league with a victory.
The next five: Walpole, Natick, Foxboro, Woburn, Braintree
I was so close to putting Walpole in the Top 10. The Timberwolves (7-3) have surprised me under first-year head coach Sean McInnis. They took down Braintree last week and barely fell short in the final seconds at Bishop Feehan today, 50-48. Their only losses are to Feehan, Bishop Fenwick by a point and Needham in overtime. Natick and Braintree round out the dogfight at the top of the Bay State Conference, and Foxboro and Woburn remain unbeaten.
