Who is the current girls’ basketball Player of the Year?
Josh Perry: In the preseason I picked Sharon’s Karlie O’Driscoll and she has done little to change my mind that she is one of the top players in the league and is a primary reason why the Eagles are at the top of the Davenport division. Having said that, my pick right now would be for Franklin junior Lexi Martin.
Martin has the ability to dominate a game on both ends of the court and can do it without scoring a ton of points. Her athleticism has been the key to Franklin’s 1-2-2 zone (she plays up top) and she has the rare ability to grab a defensive rebound and then beat everyone down court for a layup (in the Hock, only North’s Melissa Beaupre comes close). She has the handle, the size, the finishing, and the ability to step back beyond the arc and knock down shots that makes her very hard to handle one-on-one.
Martin certainly has a deeper supporting cast around her than O’Driscoll, but when she is on the court you just wait to see what she will do next. Katherine Tamulionis, Beaupre, and Michaela Lievi are others that have a good shout for this award.
Ryan Lanigan: Neither are the leading scorer in the league right now but it has to be between Foxboro’s Katherine Tamulionis and Franklin’s Lexi Martin, both of which have made huge contributions to their team this year.
Tamulionis, just a junior, is scoring 14.8 points as of Tuesday afternoon and has helped Foxboro to win four of their last seven games. Her speed causes fits for opposing defenses and she can exploit defenders that try covering her in man-to-man. Martin has been a huge boost for the Panthers this year and it’s because of her versatility. She has the ability to beat you with her speed but if need be, she can get in the paint and bang around to fight for a rebound or a layup. Both players are deserving of the title right now.
Which Hockomock team has been the surprise team of the year?
Perry: With a first-year head coach and coming off a difficult six-win season (four in the Hock), nobody was quite sure what to expect from King Philip this season. But, Martin Crowley has his team buying in on the defensive side of the ball and the Warriors have been one of the more physical teams in the league. KP has already exceeded last year’s win total and has victories over both of the current division leaders. Ellen Wagner, Emily Sullivan, and Amanda Johnson are a formidable front-line especially coupled with shooters like Alicia Cuoco and McKenzie Richardson. Looking at the talent, it probably shouldn’t be quite as surprising how successful KP has been, but after a few down seasons, it was hard to predict a 7-5 start.
Lanigan: It’d be easy to say Mansfield has been the surprise team of the year given their record last year compared to this year, but the Hornets were a team I said in the beginning of the season would surprise people, so they can’t be surprising now. Similar to Mansfield’s sub-.500 record year and turnaround this year has been the Warriors of King Philip. First-year head coach Martin Crowley has his team competing at a high level behind Ellen Wagner, Amanda Johnson and Alicia Cuoco. Those three, along with senior captain McKenzie Richardson are helping to set a good foundation for the eight sophomores on the roster.
Hock 5 First Team - Perry F – Karlie O’Driscoll, Sharon F – Lexi Martin, Franklin F – Anna McDaniel, Taunton G – Michaela Lievi, Oliver Ames G – Katherine Tamulionis, Foxboro | Hock 5 First Team - Lanigan F – Lexi Martin, Franklin F – Karlie O'Driscoll, Sharon F – Anna McDaniel, Taunton G – Katherine Tamulionis, Foxboro G – Michaela Lievi, Oliver Ames |
Perry: Just a sophomore, Emily Houle has emerged as one of the leaders for the Bombardiers, who secured a return to the playoffs on Tuesday with seven games to spare. After a solid freshman season, Houle has really taken on the mantle of leader in the backcourt for Attleboro, which graduated point guard Abigail Oliver from last season. Although Kerri Beland is the primary ball-handler and better overall scorer on the perimeter, it is Houle that exudes the leadership and confidence that gets her teammates in the right positions and pushes the team forward. She has also turned in a solid season on the defensive side of the floor, while guarding tough players like North Attleboro’s Danielle Perron.
Lanigan: Stoughton was looking for players to step up after losing a very solid group of seniors to graduation last season and guard LeiAndra Busby has stepped into that role gracefully. She uses her speed and uses a strong handle to get herself to the basket. She has improved her jump shot this season and becoming a floor general for the Black Knights. Stoughton as a team really focuses on turning their defense into offense and Busby’s speed fits nicely into that..
At this point, which team will be going the furthest in the tournament?
Perry: There is little doubt that Franklin is the deepest team in the Hockomock League right now. On Sunday, 11 of 12 Franklin players scored and the amazing part was that you didn’t notice that Coach Leighton had used every player on his bench because they seemed to fit in seamlessly. The Panthers also have the best blend of inside-out scoring with Martin, Lauren Irvine, and Aubrie Kutil getting points in the paint and kicking it out to Julianne Pisani, Julia Bireley, and sophomore Lauren Rudolph. The Panthers have a history of being the last Hock team standing in the tournament and that looks unlikely to change this season.
Lanigan: After starting the season 3-2 and a double-digit loss to one of the state’s top programs in Braintree, Franklin has gone on a roll and they have shown no signs of slowing down. They’re a young team but they’re a very deep team. Lexi Martin might be the top scorer, but there are plenty of Panthers – like Julianne Pisani and Julia Bireley – who are no strangers to the scoring sheet. They have reached the D1 South finals the last two years but have come up short against Braintree. There are some other teams that could make solid runs like North Attleboro, Sharon, Foxboro and Attleboro, but Franklin looks to be poised to go the furthest.
Which team is going to surprise people the rest of the season?
Perry: Watch out for Taunton. The Lady Tigers sit at just 4-8 at this point but there is the potential for a run down the stretch. With Anna McDaniel in the post and Alisha Silva as a perimeter scorer, Taunton has a solid inside-out game. Soraya Leon has been pivotal with her ability to get points and rebounds while Silva and McDaniel draw all the opposition’s attention and young shooters like Jordan Wade coming off the bench give the Tigers flexibility. Despite some of the players being upper-classman, many have been limited in the past few years by injury and more experienced players ahead of them in their positions. So, while there may be seniors on the roster there is still the need to get game experience. Don’t count Taunton out just yet.
Lanigan: This probably will come off a little silly given their 8-2 record, but I think Sharon – who has been somewhat overshadowed by the deep Kelley-Rex division – could arguably be undefeated still if they had been completely healthy. They have the talent – Karlie O’Driscoll, Lily Abarbanel and Andrea Bender just to name three – that can challenge any team in the league. They still have big showdowns against Franklin, North Attleboro, Mansfield and Attleboro and those games should be a good measuring stick to where the Eagles stand.