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Both Winchester High School basketball teams could not have asked for any better results during this year’s Bob Bigelow Tournament, held for the first time in the new WHS gym on Dec. 29 and 30.
The boys defeated TechBoston and Franklin to complete the championship sweep after the girls took care of Concord-Carlisle (44-34) and Boston Latin (49-37) to secure its ultimate prize, while also taking a 5-2 overall record into the new year.
In the Bigelow Tournament opener against Concord-Carlisle on Dec. 29, Coach Sam Mosley said that her team “played well against an aggressive zone defense,” and then went on to say, “our ball movement was key (to this win) that opened up shots for us all over the court.”
Junior Averie Monti led the way against the Patriots with 11 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Carolyn Collins came up with five steals to go along with scoring eight points.
The Winchester girls carried over that momentum to the tourney finale against Boston Latin.
“We executed a lot of the small things in this game, which led to a great team win,” said Mosley.
Sophomore Molly Doyle paced the attack against Boston Latin with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
“This was her second double / double so far in the young season,” Mosley said, “and she has also been a force for us in the post.”
Collins was next in line with 12 points, while also accounting for six rebounds.
After the championship game, Mosley singled out the efforts of junior GG Fantini, saying that she “facilitated the offense very well with five assists and three steals.”
The veteran coach also commented on the free throw shooting of senior Catherine Ryan, who nailed five out of six attempts, while pulling down seven rebounds.
Early season recaps
In the season opener at Stoneham on Dec. 12, the Red & Black defeated the Spartans in a back-and-forth game, 55-51.
“Overall, it was a team effort to begin the season to combine for 19 assists and 15 steals,” said Mosley. “We played with great composure in the fourth quarter, when we were down by one with three minutes left on the clock. Key rebounds then allowed us to take back the lead, and with 15.6 seconds left in the game, freshman Carolyn Collins hit a clutch free throw to put us up by two scores.”
Collins ended up with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to help lead her teammates to victory. Doyle chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds. Ryan also did her job to secure the win with 15 points and five rebounds.
The Red & Black then lost a close game to Melrose in their home opener on Dec. 16, 49-45.
“This was a tough loss,” said Mosley. “We had the lead going into the second half, but Melrose played (well) throughout the game, which forced us to commit too many turnovers.”
Collins once again sparked the team with 18 points and nine rebounds. Ryan was credited with 10 points and eight rebounds.
A trip to Shawsheen Tech followed that loss, and the visitors were able to put it behind them to come away with a 52-32 non-league triumph.
“This was a great team effort,” said Mosley. “We started off a little slow in the first half, but picked it up in the second half to secure the win. We were also able to gain more confidence from it.”
Doyle collected a double / double to help lead the way to victory with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Fantini sank three of four three-point attempts, and “was great on both sides of the court,” said the coach.
The team then stayed on the road to take on league rival Woburn on Dec. 19, only to lose to the Tanners, 69-41.
“This is another year that we’re facing another tough Woburn team,” said Mosley. “We hung in there throughout the first quarter, which ended in a 20-20 tie. We eventually lost steam in a fast-paced game, but at the same time we are looking forward to the next time that we play them (on Jan. 30 at home).”
Mosley mentioned that Monti played solid defense throughout this game, coming up with eight rebounds and three steals, but Collins stood out once again on offense with 13 points. Fantini finished up with nine points and two blocks.
The Red & Black returned their winning form against visiting Lexington on Dec. 22, 42-29. It was their last game before the Christmas break, but they didn’t lose any momentum from it after taking two more in the aforementioned Bigelow Tournament.
Joe McConnell is a longtime, award-winning sports editor for numerous North Shore publications. He began covering Winchester sports for the News in November 2024.
