Girls basketball preview: Frontier likely to lead the local pack as 2024-25 season gets underway

Frontier players Molly Gates (23), Olivia Machon (21) and Claire Kirkendall (11) celebrate as they walk off the court after their win against Easthampton last year in Easthampton.

Frontier players Molly Gates (23), Olivia Machon (21) and Claire Kirkendall (11) celebrate as they walk off the court after their win against Easthampton last year in Easthampton. STAFF FILE PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Franklin Tech’s Hannah Gilbert handles the ball while defended by Pioneer’s Kyler McClelland last year in Northfield.

Franklin Tech’s Hannah Gilbert handles the ball while defended by Pioneer’s Kyler McClelland last year in Northfield. STAFF FILE PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

Staff Writer

Published: 12-17-2024 8:49 PM

Last winter saw four Recorder area girls basketball teams — Franklin Tech, Frontier, Mahar and Pioneer — reach the Round of 16 of the MIAA state tournament. 

How many of those teams can make it back there, or go further in the tournament? All four will need to find a way to replace their top scorers from last year, though the Redhawks seem to be the most able to hit the ground running after bringing back the majority of their team from a season ago

Dave Machon’s squad lost just two players from a team that was one win away from taking the Franklin County League North, and with a plethora of experience returning, Frontier has its eyes on bringing some hardware to South Deerfield. 

“They all want it,” Machon said. “They’re young but they understand what it’s like to just go after it all. I don’t want to say that’s all we think about but we certainly prepare to try to win a bunch of games and make a run at Western Mass. The girls know I want it and I know the girls want it.”

So far, so good. The Redhawks cruised to a win over Southwick in their season opener before earning a key league victory over Easthampton on Sunday in the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center, showing just how tough an out Frontier will be this winter. 

With the experience and basketball intelligence that the Redhawks have, Machon admitted it makes his life easier. 

“We try to execute as much as we can and we try to keep it simple with this group,” Machon said. “They have really high basketball IQs. I try to let them free-wheel a bit until it’s time to intervene. Otherwise they do a really good job with few cues.” 

Claire Kirkendall, Skyler Steele, Harper Modestow, Olivia Machon and Jazzy Hayes were all key players on the team a season ago and all five will once again be key cogs for Frontier this winter. 

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The core of the team has played together for a number of years, meaning early season chemistry won’t be an issue. 

“Most of us have been playing together since we were in fifth grade,” Olivia Machon, a senior, said after Sunday’s win over Easthampton. “We’ve been waiting for this senior year and for everything to come together. I think this is the year we fully go in.”

The Redhawks also picked up a key addition, as Addie Harrington transferred from Pioneer to Frontier prior to this school year. Harrington was the Panthers’ leading scorer (15.1 PPG) as a freshman last year and adds to the talent already on the Frontier roster. 

“We have some great, smart returners,” Dave Machon said. “We have a strong senior class in there in terms of team camaraderie. They really bring the team together. It’s a couple older players, a couple younger players and we’re melding pretty well which is good." 

With a squad of 13 varsity level players, Dave Machon said he is trying to get as many players minutes as possible with eyes on creating depth to make it through the long basketball season. 

“We’re running 13 deep right now,” Dave Machon said. “I think we’ve gotten everyone on the floor in every game. That’s a big goal of mine this year to get a lot of playing time for a lot of players and keep everyone interested.” 

While Frontier will battle it out in the FCL North with Mahar, Greenfield, Hopkins, Lenox, Palmer and Easthampton, teams from Ware, Putnam, Pioneer, Athol and Mohawk Trail will be trying to dethrone Franklin Tech in the FCL South. Head coach Joe Gamache returns a talented roster with eyes on retaining a league title. 

“We expect to be competitive in league play,” Gamache said. “We hope to qualify for the postseason and hopefully by the time the postseason comes around, we can be a danger if we get in.”

Here’s a look at how each team is shaping up as the season gets underway: 

Athol

COACH: Conor Morrissey

LEAGUE/DIVISION: Franklin County South/5

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 2-18

ROSTER: Allison Robertson, Ava Martin, Emily King, Madi Hermes, Abigayle Spooner, Ava Adams, Maddie Desrosiers, Jaylah Taylor

OUTLOOK: The Bears were a young team a season ago but return a trio of seniors in Robertson, Martin and King who were all contributors during Morrissey’s first season leading Athol.

Spooner, a junior, is another returning varsity player while Hermes, a junior, sophomores Desrosiers and Taylor along with freshman Adams will look to make their way into the lineup.

Franklin Tech

COACH: Joe Gamache

LEAGUE/DIVISION: Franklin County South/5

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 19-5, lost in D5 Round of 16

ROSTER: Abigail Dobias, Lindsey Taylor, Cordelia Guerin, Lilyann Baldwin, Sarah Beckwith, Laken Woodard, Ariel Peters, Hannah Gilbert, Madyson Lynde, Brayleigh Burgh, Alison George, Lilianna Inman, Haleigh Benoit

OUTLOOK: The Eagles graduated Lea Chapman (14.3 PPG), Kyra Goodell (7.7 PPG) and defensive stalwart Kait Trudeau from last year’s Round of 16 squad, though Gamache has the talent coming back to make another postseason run.

That starts with Gilbert (13.2), a senior who has been contributing since her freshman season at Tech.

Guerin, Woodard, Inman and Benoit round out the seniors on the Eagle roster, all being asked to take another step forward during their final season with the program.

“Right now it’s about getting kids that haven’t played a ton of minutes at the varsity level to acclimate quick and take on bigger roles,” Gamache said. “Those roles are on the floor and leadership ones. They’re coming along and responding well. We have the talent to be successful, it’s just a matter of how quickly we can put the pieces together.”

Burgh, Lynde, Duncan and Peters are making the jump from the JV level and are looking to carve out roles while Dobias and Beckwith are freshmen who have impressed.

Franklin Tech enters the season looking to win another league title while shooting for its fourth straight MVADA vocational tournament championship.

Frontier

COACH: Dave Machon

LEAGUE/DIVISION: Franklin North/4

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 17-5, lost in D4 Round of 16

ROSTER: Macy DeMaio, Abby Schreiber, Addie Harrington, Ashley Taylor, Whitney Campbell, Skyler Steele, Claire Kirkendall, Rowan Reilly, Elsa Brown, Olivia Machon, Harper Modestow, Rayner Loose, Jazzy Hayes

Greenfield

COACH: Ben Johnson

LEAGUE/DIVISION: Franklin County North/5

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 10-11, lost in D5 Round of 32

ROSTER: Tayler Bergeron, Anna Bucala, Elderina Cecunjanin, Annie Cobileanschi, Natalia Cody, Mackenzie Goncalves, Ever Kennedy, Sarah McCloud, Gloria McDonald, Amy Mihailicenco, Niya Strohman

OUTLOOK: It won’t be easy to replace the scoring production of Amber Bergeron, a 1,000 point scorer who led the Recorder area with a 26 point-per-game average a season ago before tearing her ACL late in the year.

Bergeron’s younger sister, Tayler Bergeron (8.4 PPG), will be one of the players asked to step into more of a scoring role along with running the point. Bucala, a senior, is another guard who has shown great leadership.

McDonald is a returning varsity player who Johnson hopes can take on some of the offensive responsibilities while Cecunjanin and Goncalves are coming back to the hardwood after a year off and will be contributors this winter.

“After losing 60 percent of our scoring from last year, our offense will look a lot different,” Johnson said. “This year we have five girls capable of scoring the basketball on any given night and we will likely have a different leading scorer depending on matchups and who is hitting their shots.”

Returning only three full time varsity players from a year ago, Johnson is hoping the Wave hit their stride later in the season.

“I expect a slow start on the offensive end for us early on but I have full confidence in this group that once we figure it out and how we like to play and the style we want, this group will have no trouble putting the ball in the hoop,” he said.

Mahar

COACH: Steve Bonk

LEAGUE/DIVISION: Franklin County North/5

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 9-12, lost in D5 Round of 16

ROSTER: Hayden Comeau, Layla Guilmete, Thea Whitmore, Mckenzie Mathews, Autumn Cleveland, Cordelia Rhodes, Haylee Paluk, Jaya McBroom, Julia Hatch, Taylor Paluk, Lexi Ares, Aubrey Johnson

OUTLOOK: Hoping to build on a strong season last winter that saw the Sens reach the Round of 16, the path to get back became tougher when Nevaeh Scribner, Mahar’s second leading scorer last year at 12.2 PPG, transferred to The Winchendon School.

Exchange student Irati Martinez (12.3 PPG) is also no longer with the school, and Bonk and Mahar will now be searching for different ways to score the basketball this winter.

The top option is Comeau (8.4 PPG), a junior who has been a big contributor for the Senators the last few season.

Taylor Paluk, a freshman, will be thrown into the fire but is a player Bonk sees big potential in.

Haylee Paluk, Whitmore — the lone senior — and Hatch round out the returning varsity players and will each be given more responsibilities this winter.

The rest of the roster is made up of younger players who will swing between JV and varsity, with Bonk hoping to develop his young team for the future.

“We’re definitely playing with next year’s team,” Bonk said. “We’re looking to get the younger girls some time at the JV and varsity levels. We’ll really been leaning on Hayden, Haylee, Taylor, Thea and Jules to keep this team together.”

Mohawk Trail

COACH: Steve Bzomowski

LEAGUE/DIVISION: Franklin County South/5

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 6-13

ROSTER: Bella Brown, Valerie Bzomowski, Eliisa Brown, Maddie Finn, Monique Hadley, Heidi Helenek, Emmalee Inman, Zephyr Jetzon, Natalie Lanoue, Zoe Mojallali, Bella Pettengill, Maddy Ross, Jayda Waters, Anna Whitaker, Sadie Wilcox

OUTLOOK: After winning just one game during the 2022-23 season, Steve Bzomowski took over last winter and got things going in the right direction as the Warriors won six games.

The Warriors bring back a young but experienced roster, with sophomores Valerie Bzomowski and Lanoue, as well as senior Pettengill, all back and expected to play big roles.

Finn and Tierney are fellow returners while Mohawk Trail has a large group of middle schoolers it hopes to develop.

Pioneer

COACH: Vincent Funari

LEAGUE/DIVISION: Franklin County South/5

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 16-8, lost in D5 Round of 16

ROSTER: Kiara Gruszkowski, Jacobia Tyminski, Ahanna Berthiaume, Maggie Tsipenyuk, Natalie Rios, Kyler McClelland, Kaylee Fernette, Deveney Pillsbury, Charley Harrington, Taylor Chase, Jaelyn Boliski

OUTLOOK: Funari, a Greenfield grad who has spent the last few seasons assisting with the Panthers boys basketball team under Scott Thayer, takes over for Kevin Harrington this winter, inheriting a team that reached the Western Mass. Class D final as well as the D5 Round of 16.

McClelland (13.2 PPG) is a sharpshooter who can light up the scoreboard while Rios (7.9 PPG) is a player Funari is expecting to take a big step forward with a larger role.

The Panthers are a very young team, with just five high school aged players, two of which are first time basketball players. Gruszkowski rounds out the returning high school aged players.

Tsipenyuk, an eighth grader, saw varsity minutes last year and will have a bigger role this winter while Harrington and Pillsbury are fellow middle schoolers who will be called upon.

“I’m looking forward to this,” Funari said. “There’s an immense amount of opportunities for skill work and basketball education. I’m looking forward to teaching them and seeing them learn. It will only benefit us down the road. I still think we can be competitive. We have four girls back from a team that made a Western Mass. title trip.”