Five reasons why Taunton girls basketball is playoff bound for the first time in 11 years

TAUNTON— Last year, Gretchen Rodrigues took charge of a Taunton girls basketball program at a crossroads.

The Tigers were coming off a 4-16 season, losing five seniors as well as 2021-22 Taunton Daily Gazette Girls Basketball Player of the Year Kameron St. Pierre, who transferred to The MacDuffie School. On the bright side, there were some experienced sophomores and juniors as well as a crop of freshmen and eighth graders eager to make their mark on the program.

While Taunton started the 2022-23 season off 3-0, the team would only win two of their remaining 17 games to finish the year 5-15. Often times, the Tigers started off strong but eventually found themselves falling behind or coming up just short in close matchups. But still, Rodrigues said she knew brighter days were ahead for her team.

"Last year we were close and I kept saying ‘next year it’s going to turn around,'" Rodrigues said.

A year later, she's certainly been proven right.

A little over midway through the season, Taunton sits atop the Hockomock Kelley-Rex with an 11-1 record. With their 42-33 win over Milford Friday, the Tigers clinched a spot in the Division 1 tournament for the first time since 2013. A 71-53 win over New Bedford Sunday secured a season sweep of Rodrigues' alma mater, where she remains the all-time leading scorer.

"It feels good," Rodrigues said of beating both New Bedford and Durfee. "Shoutout to them, they’re good teams... (but) there’s a little extra edge when we play those teams for sure."

Now, as Taunton looks to secure their first ever Hockomock Kelley-Rex title, here are the five key reasons why the Tigers are having their best season in years.

1. Talent

Taunton possesses one of the more potent offenses in the Hockomock, with a lineup full of capable shooters. Leading the pack for the Tigers is senior Jillian Doherty, who averages 13.7 points per game, while sophomore Taryn Campbell is right behind her with 13.5 points per game, senior Cali Melo has 10.8 points per game and junior Chelsea Bousquet has eight points per game. Senior Alexi Haywood has also put in some strong outings, including an 11-point performance in the first game against New Bedford.

"They’re just such hard workers," Rodrigues said. "They’re believing in the coaches (and) they’re believing in the system. We’ve had another year of experience and I think we’re just gelling right now."

Rodrigues credits the hard work her players put in over the offseason, particularly in the fall and summer, for their success so far this winter, a sentiment certainly shared by her players.

"We've worked really hard and it's finally paying off," Doherty said.

2. Camaraderie

For Melo and Doherty, who along with Haywood serve as the team's captains, the team's strong chemistry and ability to spread the ball has worked wonders on the court.

"Since it's not a one-man show, I think our team is definitely stronger," Melo said. "We're all friends off the court as well and that helps us make better connections on the court."

With an array of teammates on and off the bench capable of scoring, stealing and blocking, there is a strong belief that each member can and will contribute whenever needed.

"We have multiple plays for everybody and everybody plays their role," Doherty said.

3. Winning culture

One of the biggest goals Rodrigues had for the Tigers when taking over was to install a winning culture, something she felt the team had been lacking for some time.

"We’re a good team and the main thing is that they’re believing in themselves now," Rodrigues said. "They believe they can win and they believe they’re the better team on the court and just buying in."

Both Melo and Doherty credit Rodrigues and her assistants as being key to that belief, one they feel has brought them all closer together.

"It's like a family," Melo said. "She creates a good culture for our team and I think we all work well off each other."

"She's definitely brought us all together and this year we've improved so much since she joined," Doherty said.

For Rodrigues, she couldn't do it without the leadership of her three captains.

"They’re so unselfish," Rodrigues said. "They’re just good kids, great students (and) they bring people together."

4. Depth

With 14 players on varsity, half of which are underclassmen, the Tigers carry a balance of youth and experience. Melo and Haywood are both in their fourth varsity season while Doherty and Bousquet are in their third, and have shown what they've learned during that time through their play.

Campbell has already established herself as a top scoring threat as a sophomore, while fellow sophomore Mia Torres has emerged as a player to watch, recording three straight steals as well as nine points against Stoughton.

Both the varsity and junior varsity squads practice together, something which Rodrigues believes has helped bring a lot of the younger players up to speed quicker and better prepared them for the rigors of varsity basketball.

"I think the future’s bright for Taunton basketball," Rodrigues said.

5. Determination

After years of being an afterthought in the league, the Tigers are enjoying the opportunity to prove their doubters wrong.

"In Taunton, girls basketball has always been kind of a joke because we've never really had a good, winning record, so I think just proving everyone wrong and being able to make it to the tournament (is) amazing," Doherty said.

The determination comes from that increased belief in themselves, something Melo has noticed has increased greatly this year.

"The confidence level in everyone has definitely gone up," Melo said. "We're all taking shots and drives we wouldn't have taken last year."

For Melo, who also stars for Taunton in soccer and lacrosse, she relishes the opportunity to play in the tournament for the first time in any of her sports. At the same time, though, she says her and her teammates are hungry for more.

"Making it past the first round of the playoffs and winning Kelley-Rex are our main goals," Melo said.

Likewise, Rodrigues and her coaches share that same hunger to keep pushing for more.

"I want to win," Rodrigues said. "I want to be in a good spot going into the tournament.

Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Talent, determination and hard work are key to Taunton's strong season