The Bishop Fenwick girls basketball team plays one of the toughest schedules in the state. Masconomet went unbeaten in Northeastern Conference play and finished with 18 wins overall, while conference rivals Danvers and Marblehead each had 14 victories.
Yet all four squads will begin the Division 2 playoffs on the road. Only one local club, Division 4 entry Hamilton-Wenham (14-6), earned a first round home date.
Bishop Fenwick (9-11) won’t have to travel far; the 17th seed will make the short trip to 16th seeded Wakefield (15-5) in a first round matchup.
Junior captains Caitlin Boyle and Celia Neilson are top of the area’s top scorers, with Boyle averaging 16.8 points a night while Neilson checks in at 13.6. Boyle also averages 7.7 rebounds per game, while Neilson averages more assists (5.2) per contest than anyone else on the North Shore. Caroline Perry, a senior captain, is a threat to hit shots from long range, too, while sophomore Abby Jenkins and seniors Sienna Mancinelli and Kiley Bloom make their presence known.
A 12-game winning streak and its best regular season mark in 11 years takes 20th seeded Masconomet into the playoffs, where a first round game with No. 13 draw Mansfield (14-8) awaits.
Balance is the name of the game for the Chieftains, with sisters Samia Lalikos (10.8 ppg., 8.1 rpg., 2.3 apg., 2.7 steals per night) and Angie Lalikos (8.8 ppg., 8.1 rpg., 1.7 spg., 1.1 blocks) at the forefront. Ava Allen checks in at 10.7 ppg. (with a team-best 39 three-pointers), and Riley Bovardi (3.1 apg., 5.5 rpg., 2.5 spg.) is one of the region’s best defenders.
Angie Djoko, a junior captain, has been a double-double machine for Danvers; her 33rd ranked club (14-6) will travel to No. 32 Holliston (7-13) Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a first round matchup. Djoko is among the top five locally in both points per night (15.4) and rebounds (11.0) and is matchup nightmare for opponents. Annabel Boyd (4.0 apg.), Kyla Moroney (5.4 rpg.), Kayda Brown, Kendall Murphy and Sienna Lynch are other Falcons to keep an eye on.
Balance helps push Marblehead (14-6) to success. A 14-7 regular season earned the Magicians the No. 41 seed, where they’ll take on No. 24 Reading (12-8) Monday at 5 p.m. Junior captain Tess Andriano is averaging 10.4 points a game, having hit 28 trifectas, and also pulls down 7.4 rebounds a game. Junior guard Sami Dosch is second on the North Shore in assists per game (5.1) and is also an excellent defender. Senior guard and captain Ramona Gillette and junior forward Greta Sachs also help in numerous ways.
Out of Division 3, Swampscott (12-8) will also be taking its show on the road as the 34th seed for a preliminary bout with No. 31 Southeastern Regional (16-4). Big Blue freshman Anna Kanders has been one of the biggest stories in North Shore basketball this season, averaging 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game while burying 37 three-pointers. Sam Ward is also dangerous from beyond the arc, having hit 35 triples.
Hamilton-Wenham (14-6) has the highest seed of any local girls team, earning the No. 7 spot in Division 4. A first round game with either No. 26 Amesbury (9-11) or 39th ranked High School of Science and Technology (18-2) awaits.
Sasha Magokonov is a looming presence down low for the Generals; the senior captain averages 10.6 in both points and rebounds. Fellow captains Annie Moynihan (2.2) and Sadie Gamber (2.0) dish the ball off to their teammates nicely while junior Margot Bryce Morris pulls down 6.8 rebounds a contest. Sophomore Asa Labell has connected for 19 three-pointers as well.