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Winchester High girls basketball coach Sam Mosley guided her team this year to a 13-8 regular season record that qualified them for the Division 1 state tournament as the 28th seed. The Red & Black then went on the road to face host South Community High School of Worcester (17-3), the fifth seed, in the Round of 32, where they ended up dropping the postseason opener, 60-31 on Feb. 28.
It was a remarkable turnaround season for a program that had to endure an 0-20 campaign last year, which prompted Mosley to praise her team’s commitment to change the narrative rather quickly.
“Going 13-9 (overall) with a postseason appearance shows just how hard they worked (in the off season) to successfully get the job done during the season,” she said.
As far as the state tournament game is concerned, the veteran Winchester coach had this to say about South High.
“They were aggressive, while executing their gameplan (to beat us),” she said. “We knew going into it that certain (South) players could have the potential to get hot from the outside, and unfortunately for us, a couple of their players did just that. They did not miss. As a team, South ended up making 10 three-pointers, and a few of them were big momentum swings.”
But Mosley then mentioned that her own team was “special this year,” because the returning players did not allow last season's record to define them.
“All three captains – Mira Karunakaran, Sophie Hadas and Catherine Ryan – put in the work throughout the off season by running practices, playing in a summer league and participating in preseason warmups,” Mosley said. “Having that type of leadership helped create a positive culture for the season.”
Freshmen Mya Korpal and Carolyn Collins were the team’s leading scorers this season, which also obviously bodes well for the future.
“To have such young talent lead the way like that in their first season just shows that they do not fear the competition; they embrace it,” said Mosley. “Sophomore Molly Doyle, another talented young player, led us in rebounds by being a force under the basket at both ends of the court.”
But Mosley once again singled out her three senior captains for being the difference makers between no wins last year and 13 this season.
“Karunakaran played two years on the varsity, bringing a lot of the little things to the team,” the coach said. “She wanted nothing but the best, and she was willing to work hard on and off the court to accomplish that goal. She was the first to speak in team huddles, and also made some keen observations during practices and also in the games.”
Mosley added that Hadas also played two years on the varsity, and was always prepared for everything that was thrown her way.
“No matter what the situation was, she adapted to it in so many ways,” she continued. “Last season, she was primarily a guard, but this year she adapted to play both guard and forward. Her knack to learn different positions helped us out so much.”
Ryan had the most varsity experience among the captains with four years on the big club.
“It was special to see her grow each year, both as a player and as a person,” said Mosley. “Catherine was our leader. The trust and chemistry she had with her teammates on the court was unmatched. We had two games this season, where she was sidelined with an ankle injury, and you could (see) that her presence was (definitely) missed.”
But this season was just the beginning for a program that’s heading in the right direction. The coach pointed out that Korpal and Collins should continue to build on their offensive explosiveness, while adding that Doyle, and juniors GG Fantini and Averie Montie will be next year’s captains. But she expects everybody to step up, just like this year.
At the annual end of the season team banquet recently, Ryan was told that she made the Middlesex League All-Star team, along with Collins, who was also chosen to the All-League team, which means that she was one of the five best players among all 12 teams.
Collins led the Red & Black in assists and steals, while pouring in 285 points. She appears to be well on her way to possibly catching her sister, Emily, the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,287 points, who graduated in 2024.
She was the Middlesex League Liberty Division MVP in her senior year after averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks per game, and probably would have had more career points if she didn’t lose at least 10 games, because of the COVID year. She is now a sophomore on the Assumption College women’s basketball team.
Awards season
Doyle, one of next year’s aforementioned captains, was the recipient of the Teammate Award for her dedication to make everybody better, including herself.
“It’s how she plays the game,” Mosley said. “She is just as enthusiastic for someone else's accomplishments, as she is for her own.”
Karunakaran received the Coach's Award.
“Mira embodies everything a coach is looking for in a player,” Mosley said. “Her knowledge of the game helped the overall team win consistently this year, while also always looking for ways to (get better) herself.”
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 and is currently its Sports Editor. He can be reached at editor@winchesternews.org.
