HOLDEN — The victories just keep coming for this intrepid bunch. The Wachusett Regional High girls’ varsity basketball team improved its season record to 9-0 with a 70-30 shellacking of visiting Algonquin Regional on Jan. 12. The Mountaineers were led yet again by an unworldly performance by U.S. Naval Academy-bound senior Mary Gibbons, who hit beyond the arc 7 times as part of her 29-point overall performance. Sophomore Jaelynn Scott chipped in with 10 points.
It’s no secret that this is a special group of student-athletes, who continue to inch their way closer to the promised land — also known as MIAA playoffs — but all agree there is much more to accomplish before becoming reaching such lofty goals.
“Every year, we go into tryouts with the goal that we’re going to win a state title,” said head coach Jim Oxford. “Six times we’ve been to the state semifinals, and this year we know we have a good team again. We know we have the potential to go really, really far. We just have to keep reminding ourselves to work hard and it’ll pay off in the end.
“I like the fact that we play hard in games, and I like the style that we play and that they buy into it. I like the fact that we can play inside or outside. We have tremendous shooters, and we’re very athletic. I like that our seniors are good leaders and set good examples by the way they practice, and (that) they show how committed they are to the game of basketball and the program we have here. They set a good example for our younger players.”
“The chemistry on and off the court is amazing,” Gibbons said. “We’re all so close, like a family, and we’re all genuine friends. Everyone has the same goal, which is to go the state finals again. When everyone has that same goal, it translates out onto the court, and that’s how we play.
“Sometimes we get a little relaxed and comfortable, but we try to pick it up at practice. We know our limits. We have our fun, but we definitely know when to focus on games. Last week we were playing Nashoba, and we didn’t play our best game there. They were winning at halftime, but we feel like we respect all and fear none. We just go in with the win one at a time mentality, and that’s how we play our game.”
“We know to take things one game at a time and not get ahead of ourselves,” added fellow senior Liz Cain. “We look at every game separately. We really are like a family. I’ve known these girls for a long time.”
The team continues its torrid pace in Mid-Wach A, leveling all opponents that come their way. The Mountaineers have won 8 of 9 games by margins of greater than 20 points. Oxford knows that this bunch has the capability to take things far as they approach the midpoint of the season. Only one aspect stands out as something he’d like to see a touch more of.
“Our kids are really nice, and I’d actually like to see them be a little more edgy,” he said. “I tell them it’s OK to be mad at each other and bark a little. It’s OK as long as you do those things constructively if you’re trying to get better. They’re who they are, and I love who they are, and I just hope that we continue to be successful.”
Members of the 2023-2024 Wachusett Regional High girls varsity basketball team are Rileigh Leary, Sophie Gibbons, Mary Gibbons, Liz Cain, Lil Chaisson, Jae Scott, Akosua Adu-Gyamfi, Caitlin Ciccone, Hannah Best, Teegan Lanpher and Olivia Reidy. Captains are Leary, Cain, Best and Mary Gibbons.
The team is head-coached by Jim Oxford, assisted by Bob Champlin, Rusty Dillon, John Matheson, Kathryn McDonald, Ron Scarborough and Laura Vinton.
