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Eighth-grader Megan Bettez's first-place finish headlines latest Athlete of the Week poll

cait kemp, the gardner news
·3 min read

Last week, readers voted Quabbin girls basketball's Brianna Whitelaw as the Athlete of the Week. Whitelaw had a big game to earn a spot on the poll against Lunenburg, helping her team to a victory with a team-high of 11 points.

She earned 51.98% on the poll, totaling 1,873 votes.

Check out the latest top performances of Gardner-area sports and be sure to vote for your favorite athlete below.

Boys Basketball

Quinn Geary, Quabbin

Geary scored a game-high 16 points to lead Quabbin past Gardner 42-39 on Tuesday, February 6. Teammate Kyle Clark helped with 14 points and Bryce Venne added 9.

Quabbin's Quinn Geary shoots a free throw in the Panthers' game against Tyngsboro on February 2, 2024.
Quabbin's Quinn Geary shoots a free throw in the Panthers' game against Tyngsboro on February 2, 2024.

Henry Fairbanks, Monty Tech

Fairbanks may not have been the leading scorer, but contributed solid minutes and five points to help the Bulldogs to a 56-40 victory over South Lancaster on February 6. The game, which was also Senior Night for Monty Tech, was Fairbanks' first game back from a knee injury.

Brayden Richards, Narragansett

In a 55-39 win against West Boylston, Richards scored a game-high 13 points for the Warriors. Teammates Max Kauffman, Corey Henderson and Aiden Bancroft each had 10 points in the victory.

Girls Basketball

Mia Ducos, Quabbin

Quabbin's Mia Ducos brings the ball up the court against NDA on Feb. 6, 2024. Ducos led the Panthers to victory with 21 points.
Quabbin's Mia Ducos brings the ball up the court against NDA on Feb. 6, 2024. Ducos led the Panthers to victory with 21 points.

Ducos led the Panthers to several big victories last week. She netted 21 points, 11 at the free-throw line against Notre Dame Academy on February 6.

Later in the week, Ducos led with 12 points, including a free throw to take the lead in the final seconds of overtime against Littleton on February 9. The Panthers won 42-41.

Jayda DeCarlo, Monty Tech

In a 64-13 victory against Main South, DeCarlo scored a game-high of 12 points for the Bulldogs. Kylie Neseran added 10 and Paige Gadarowski scored 9 to help get the win.

Krista Bettez, Gardner

Bettez dropped 14 points for the Wildcats against Tahanto to lead to a 51-46 victory. Teammate Tati Vazquez scored 12.

Kaelyn Cote dribbles up the court while Gardner's Krista Bettez defends her. Narragansett and Gardner faced off in their season opener on Dec. 7, 2023.
Kaelyn Cote dribbles up the court while Gardner's Krista Bettez defends her. Narragansett and Gardner faced off in their season opener on Dec. 7, 2023.

Kaelyn Cote, Narragansett

Freshman Cote scored 10 points as the Warriors defeated Ayer-Shirley by just one point on February 9. Brielle Haddocks also contributed 10 points and Brooke Haddocks had 9.

Boys Hockey

Cullan White, Gardner

In a 6-1 win over Chicopee, White scored a hat trick to help lead the Wildcats' offense. Other goal scorers were Tyler Orcutt, Ty Burdett and Drew St. Peter, and goalie Mark Quinn had 11 saves.

More: Co-op co-captains: These home-schooled students lead Murdock girls basketball

Indoor Track & Field

Megan Bettez, Gardner

Eighth-grader Bettez came in first place in the 2-mile race at the District E Invitational Meet at Reggie Lewis Center in Boston on February 11 with a time of 12:00.03. Her first place finish helped Gardner girls to a tied 10th-place finish of 19 total teams.

More: Where are they now? Catch up with the 1999 Quabbin boys basketball team

Avery Murphy, Murdock

At the District E Invitational Meet, Murphy took first place in the 600 meters with a time of 1:39.84, which was also a PR.

Vote for who you think should be The Gardner News Athlete of the Week!

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: These 10 Gardner-area athletes earned a spot on the latest AOTW poll