Mass Premier Swish capture D1 State Title

The Mass Premier Swish 8^th grade squad ran past the competition en route to a division-1 state title. MPC won every game in the tournament by double digits to keep their record against other 8^th grade teams unblemished on the season.

“The girls play like a true team,” said head coach Alex DaLuz. “They have each other’s back, are extremely unselfish and work harder than any group of players I’ve ever been around.”

In the semi-final game, MPC took care of Bay State Magic Elite (Larnard) 53-26. The Swish raced out to a 34-11 halftime lead and never looked back. Kaitlyn Guenet led all scorers with 13 points. Anna Shaughnessy added 9 points and 6 rebounds. Nicole Gallagher scored 9 points and had four steals and four assists. Ashley Sampson had 5 points, 4 steals and 3 assists.

In the championship, MPC locked horns with old rival Bay State Jaguars. The Jags jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but MPC remained composed and knotted the score up at 14. From that point, the Swish went on to score the next 12 points and raced out to a 33-16 halftime lead.

The Jaguars picked up their play in the second half, but the deficit was too steep for them to overcome and MPC Swish prevailed, 55-42.

Ashley Sampson had a monster game as she led the way with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

Nicole Gallagher brought the toughness back to the Swish this season and she contributed with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.

Tess Sussman did a little bit of everything as usual. She ended the game with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.

Anna Shaughnessy patrolled the paint on both ends and finished with 7 points and 6 rebounds.

Super subs Kiera Fernandes, Lily Sykes and Kaylin Reen all made key contributions off the bench. Fernandes led all players with 11 rebounds and also swiped 3 steals. Sykes was a defensive whiz kid and spark plug as the miniscule guard managed to tally 3 blocked shots, 2 steals and 2 assists. Reen stretched the floor with her unlimited shooting range and finished with 3 points and 2 steals.

For Kiera Fernandes, Ashley Sampson, Nicole Gallagher, Kaylin Reen, Lily Sykes and Ali Ready, this was their second MA state division-1 championship. The aforementioned six players, along with Coach Alex DaLuz, won the title as 6^th graders with the M-Plex Beasts.