St. Mary's, the resident MIAA Division 3 dynasty, entered a transition year last season with one of its youngest rosters.
The Spartans, winners (or shareholders in 2020) of the last three Div. 3 championships, had graduated three 1,000-point scorers in Yirsy Queliz (now at Northeastern), Niya Morgen (Bentley) and Kellyn Preira (Monmouth). They weren't a title favorite, but coach Jeff Newhall watched his team quickly stack up statement wins anyway and ultimately reach the semifinals before losing to powerhouse Foxboro.
"I knew there was one team that was going to be a problem, so in the back of my mind, I was kind of like: Anything less than the Final 4 or the state final would be kind of a disappointment. And if we lost to, really, anyone but Foxboro, I thought that that would be a disappointment as well," Newhall said. "So I would say, overall, it was a really, really good year — probably better than I anticipated. We got back on course a lot quicker than I would've (thought)."
This year, Division 3 has a trio of top-tier teams on paper in St. Mary's, Foxboro and Norwell. Here's why the Spartans believe they can reclaim the title.
Bella Owumi just keeps getting better
Owumi (Lynn, Mass.), the MIAA's top college prospect, started as a middle-schooler on the last two state title teams as a defensive specialist. But last winter she was thrust into the role of lead playmaker as a freshman.
It was rocky at times, but Owumi found her footing, averaging 14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 steals. Newhall, her longtime coach and neighbor, watched her grapple with defenses that sent their effort towards stopping her. Owumi learned to let defenses come to her and allow her teammates to make plays. In the Div. 3 quarterfinals against Hanover, she didn't even score — and the Spartans won, 47-31. Over the summer, when St. Mary's won their bracket at the Wally Seaver Invitational, Owumi showed patience and poise with the ball in her hands.
"The times when she struggled is when I think she thinks she has to do more than we need her to do," Newhall said. "And I think that's why last year, and some of the stuff we've done in the offseason, has been good for her, because she realizes —she knows anyways, but she needs to see it, just like all of us — that she just needs to be regular Bella who can influence the game, no matter where the ball is and whether we're on offense or defense. She's off the ball, she can make a cut, make a layup. She's got the ball, she can blow by someone, she can hit a three. She's on the ball defensively, she could steal it; she's off the ball, she could block her shot. So she just influences the game in so many other ways."
Those other ways are why Owumi picked up offers from Louisville, Miami and Villanova by the end of the summer. She's an elite defensive wing with a combination of length, strength and natural instincts. Newhall expects another sizable leap this winter now that Owumi is more comfortable in her role.
"She's very coachable, so no matter what it is we need her to do on the offensive and defensive end, she's going to do it, she's going to listen, and she's not going to need to be told twice how," he said.
Lily Norton's emergence as a go-to guard
Though most knew of Owumi well before high school, St. Mary's had just one senior last year and several talented but unproven underclassmen. Norton, a 5-foot-8 point guard, quickly showed her on-court value with her steady decision-making and scoring outbursts. Newhall even described her as the team's most important player at times because she could settle the team with her court awareness.
"We were fully confident (from) the Saturday we drove home from the Tsongas Center with the state championship (in 2023) in Yirsy, Kellyn and Niya's senior year, that coming into the following year ... Lily was going to be able to be the point guard, even against the competition we play against," he said.
Norton did receive some stiff competition, particularly in the Catholic Central League, where Division 1 champ Bishop Feehan and Division 4 champ Cathedral fielded two of the best backcourts in MIAA. Newhall expressed extreme confidence that Norton can handle the burden of another tough schedule.
"We're going to be playing against good teams that have good guard play, and would put Lily up there with any guards in the state in terms of how she plays the game, her approach to basketball, her I.Q., and her decision-making and protecting of the ball," he said. "She's really a prototypical point guard, which there's not a lot of these days, so I'm glad that we have her."
Experience matters
St. Mary's only graduated guard AJ Hyacinthe from last year's roster. Assumption-bound senior Reese Matela has held down the center spot for multiple years and classmate Juliana Conte helps the backcourt depth. The key difference is the previous year of experience for a roster that's still largely young.
Several players had bright spots at different times during the winter. Charleigh Green played notable minutes as an eighth-grader and should bolster the frontcourt with Matela. Junior Jillian Roberts is another rangy guard who drilled a buzzer-beater to beat Oliver Ames in last February's Spartan Classic. As the Spartans chase a fourth championship in five seasons, Newhall says youth is no longer an excuse.
"Expectations, I think, are always high here, and this year will be no different. But we're not young anymore, so that's out the window," he said. "Even though some of our best players are sophomores, we're not young anymore, and our schedule is probably as difficult as it's ever been. So there's a huge challenge in front of us, but I anticipate, if we stay healthy and stay humble and do what we need to do in practice, that we'll be right there at the end."
