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Since we last checked in on the Winchester High girls basketball team, they were 7-2, and authors of six straight wins. Momentum was on their side, and it continued against Reading (54-53, Jan. 9), Malden Catholic (41-35, Jan. 11) and Watertown (50-45, Jan. 13), before Belmont clipped them in a heartbreaker on Jan. 16, 42-41 to snap the winning streak at nine. The Red & Black then dropped a 44-38 decision to host Burlington on Jan. 20.
Call it the mid-season winter blahs or the basketball not bouncing the right way, but Coach Sam Mosley’s team, now 10-4, already knew before those losses that it clinched a postseason berth. They understand that there’s still work to be done with seven games left on the regular season schedule.
There’s the matter of the power rankings, which shows them seeded 22nd in Division 1 as of Jan. 20. The more wins that they can rack up over the next several weeks will bode well for a higher seed, and a possible home game in the first round of the state tournament.
In the aforementioned Reading game at home, Mosley labeled this close win over the Rockets as “gritty.”
Trailing most of the game against their sharpshooting rivals, with the largest deficit at nine, the Winchester girls refused to give up.
With 1:35 left in the game, senior captain Catherine Ryan pulled down an offensive rebound and went right back up for two to tie the score at 50. On the next possession, freshman Mya Korpal stole the ball, before scoring the go-ahead basket. It was the team’s first lead of the game.
The visitors, however, wasted no time to tie the game up again with only 49 seconds left on the clock.
Winchester, however, was composed against Reading’s zone press. Korpal, playing the wing, eventually found a lane to drive to the basket to account for the game-winning points. She ended the game with 15 points.
The defense then took over in the last 30 seconds to maintain the slim advantage. Junior GG Fantini alertly drew an offensive charge to seal the deal with five seconds to go. Carolyn Collins, another freshman, paced the offensive attack against the Rockets with 19 points, while also grabbing 10 rebounds.
“We played a mentally tough game to pullout this victory,” said Mosley.
Defense was also a factor in the Malden Catholic game.
“We started slowly, but then only allowed two points in the second quarter, and five in the fourth,” said Mosley.
The coach then singled out Fantini after the junior played an incredible all-around game.
“(Fantini) was fantastic at both ends of the court, ending the game with 15 points and 5 rebounds,” Mosley said.
Ryan was the leader on offense in this game with 14 points, and was also credited with five rebounds.
Watertown was another close game, because the visiting Raiders were pressuring the ball to force turnovers, according to the veteran Winchester coach. Mosley then added that “(our) girls persevered, and played hard (to win this game).”
The Red & Black were up by three late, when Collins, who led the team in scoring with 21 points, nailed two clutch free throws to secure the win. Sophomore Molly Doyle had a double / double with 10 points and a career high 15 rebounds.
The loss against host Belmont was a result of another slow start, when the Marauders jumped out to a 9-2 lead. The team was also missing its captain Catherine Ryan, who was sidelined with an ankle injury. They were rattled at first, before eventually settling down, trailing by only four points at halftime.
“We did take the lead, but unfortunately our efforts were a little late (to maintain it) in order to pull off the comeback win,” said Mosley.
Doyle accounted for her fourth double / double of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds to go along with no turnovers. Collins finished with 12 points, and was a perfect six-for-six from the free throw line.
Mosley specifically mentioned that junior Averie Monti stepped up into a starting role, and played tremendous defense, while finishing up with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
After the loss to Burlington, the Red & Black were scheduled to go up against visiting Arlington on Senior Night, Jan. 23. They will then remain at home to take on Wilmington (Jan. 27, 6 p.m.) and Woburn (Jan. 30, 7 p.m.) to close out the second month of the season.
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.
