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Making a splash in tournament play: Gardner-area girls hoops teams wrap up season

cait kemp, the gardner news
·4 min read

As spring approaches, Gardner-area hogh school basketball teams have all stepped off the court for the last time this winter. Teams played tough all season, some earning playoff appearances and making a splash in the state tournament while others fell short and hung up their sneakers after the Central Mass. sectionals.

Check out how Gardner-area girls basketball teams competed this year and the top players from each program.

Gardner

The Wildcats came out of the gate this season making a statement, taking nine straight wins before dropping their first game. All 12 of those wins came by at least 12 points. They went on to lose just three more games before the tournament, entering as the state tournament as the No. 21 seed in Div. 4 with a 16-4 record.

Gardner won its preliminary-round game against No. 44 South Lancaster Academy before falling to No. 12 Carver in the Round of 32.

Junior Tati Vazquez finished the season as the leading scorer in the Mid-Wach D, averaging 17.3 points a game and totaling 345 this season. Vazquez's season was highlighted by her many double-digit-point games (only two in which she scored less than 10), including 30 points against Main South and 23 against both Bromfield and South Lancaster.

Guard Krista Bettez was another top contributor who averaged 11.2 points per game. She was a key factor, especially stepping up in the Wildcats' first-round playoff game when Vazquez was on the bench due to injury.

Quabbin

Quabbin had a strong season, accomplishing their big goal of winning the CMADA sectional title. As the top seed in the Central Mass. playoffs, Quabbin defeated Valley Tech in the semifinal. The team then was up against Notre Dame Academy once again, after beating them in a tight battle earlier in the season. The Panthers emerged victorious once again against the Rebels and were crowned CMADA Class B Champs.

Meaghan Doyle of Quabbin goes up hard for a shot against NDA defenders in the CMADA final on February 21, 2024.
Meaghan Doyle of Quabbin goes up hard for a shot against NDA defenders in the CMADA final on February 21, 2024.

Heading into the state tournament, Quabbin had a tough road ahead as the No. 18 seed in Div. 3. The Panthers lost in the Round of 32 against East Bridgewater.

Senior Meaghan Doyle and sophomore Mia Ducos, both guards, were Quabbin's two leading scorers. The duo worked well together, creating opportunities and converting for baskets. Doyle averaged 10.7 and Ducos 10.3. Ducos was crucial in some of the Panthers' close wins, especially in both wins against NDA in which she scored 21 and 11 points.

More: As Quabbin takes CMADA title, coaches have differing thoughts on sectional tournament

Narragansett

After winning just four games last season, the Warriors tripled their win total this winter. Narragansett bounced back from an 0-2 start with a five-game winning streak and later pulled out close wins over Ayer-Shirley (39-38) and Lunenburg (49-47).

In the state tournament, the Warriors were the No. 18 seed and faced No. 15 Greenfield in the Div. 5 Round of 32, earning a 52-34 win. They then fell to second-seeded West Boylston in the Sweet 16.

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.

Junior Amanda Iannacone put up 214 points this season, averaging 10.2 a game. Freshman guard Kaelyn Cote stepped right up into her starting position and contributed 8.2 points per game, taking on big responsibility running the point.

Oakmont

The Spartans finished 6-14, which fell short of qualifying for the state tournament. They did, however, qualify for the Clark Tournament as the No. 8 seed in the girls large school bracket. They suffered a first-round loss at Clark against No. 1 Tantasqua, which went on to win the tournament.

More: Leominster girls hockey upsets high-seeded host Longmeadow in MIAA state tournament

Throughout the regular season, they won a handful of close battles. Early in the season Oakmont defeated North Middlesex (29-26) and later on pulled off a 40-39 victory over Marlborough.

Top performers included freshman Olivia Martin (7.3 ppg), senior Ella Dellasanta (4.6 ppg) and junior Molly Horgan (4.5 ppg).

Monty Tech

Monty Tech's Kylie Neseran shoots over Elisabeth Gardiner in the Bulldogs' game against St. Bernard's on Dec. 8, 2023.
Monty Tech's Kylie Neseran shoots over Elisabeth Gardiner in the Bulldogs' game against St. Bernard's on Dec. 8, 2023.

Monty Tech finished 9-11, missing out on qualifying for the state tournament by one win.

A highlight was a five-game winning streak late in the season that included victories over Parker Charter, Main South, Worcester Tech, South Lancaster and Main South. They then finished the season with a win over Auburn in a CMADA consolation game.

Junior Kylie Neseran was just outside the Colonial League's top 10 in scoring, coming in at 11th with 150 points this season, averaging 8.3 per game.

Behind her is Jayda DeCarlo, who averaged 7.5 points after being out for much of the season due to an injury. After her return, she jumped right back in and start contributing and was specially impactful during the five-game win streak.

Murdock

In 2022, Murdock had to cancel its season midway through due to low numbers. Now, the Blue Devils boast a roster entirely of sophomores. That core, which is sure to grow together over the next few years, picked up wins over Parker Charter and Sizer.

Leading the squad was guard Sadie Bauver, who scored the majority of the team's points -- averaging 11.3 points a game. The other primary contributor was Shannon Connolly (10.8 ppg).

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Highlights, stats of Gardner-area girls basketball as season ends