LOWELL—A historic season came to an end for the sixth-seed South High girls basketball team as the Colonels fell 48-42 to top-seed Medfield in the Division 2 state final on Sunday night at the Tsongas Center.
South (23-2), which had its 19-game winning streak snapped, became the first Worcester Public Schools girls basketball team to reach the championship game. The Colonels finished the season unbeaten against area teams, claiming the Central Mass. Class A championship last month.
Somehow, head coach Diago McClain confidently knew his team would be in this position when he took the job at South back in 2021.
“I predicted when I took the job that we would be here in my third year and people thought that was crazy,” said McClain after the game.
Medfield (23-2) came out of the gate strong using pressure defense and sharp three-point shooting to take an early nine-point advantage at the end of the first quarter. South struggled to find its normally strong shooting touch in the first half and committed several untimely turnovers.
Senior Naima Bleou, a top-scoring threat for the Colonels, was held to just three points on one field goal for the game.
“They hit the shots that we needed to hit. There were times when we could’ve put them in a hole and we just couldn’t knock down that shot,” said McClain. “Every time they wanted to put us in a hole, they knocked down that shot.”
The Warriors connected for six three-point field goals in the opening two quarters and went into halftime with a 26-17 advantage.
South regained the momentum early in the third quarter by ramping up the defensive intensity with an aggressive full-court press.
A key three-pointer from senior Jaiyla Colon in the opening minutes coupled with a steal and layup from junior Nicole Jodoin brought the Colonels back within four points. A basket by senior Amisty Robles further cut the Medfield lead to 31-28 with three and a half minutes remaining in the quarter.
But the Warriors continued to hit shots from the outside, draining three more from beyond the arc and pulling ahead by 11 at the close of the third quarter. For the game, nine of Medfield’s 13 field goals were three-pointers, accounting for 27 of their 48 points. Freshman Naya Annigeri led the charge with a game-high 16 points including three long-range baskets.
“The season was great,” said McClain. “Obviously you want to win a state title. Coming from a small school with not that many girls, to be here is an honor. They played hard, but they didn’t play perfect, which they’ve been doing all year.”
South put together one last run late in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to five points on a Robles basket with one minute left but it wasn’t enough as Medfield hung on for a six-point win.
Junior Bryan Bascones led South with a team-high 12 points, 10 of which came in the second half fueling the Colonels’ comeback. Robles also finished in double figures with 10 points and a few impressive assists.
Six seniors on the roster will move on from South next year but a strong group of talented younger players returns.
“We’ll be ready; we’ll be back,” said McClain, who has worked tirelessly to breathe new life into girls basketball in Worcester throughout the last several years.
“I’ve advocated for girls basketball. I’ve fought with people about it,” said McClain. “It finally came to light that girls basketball is fun and it’s competitive.”
