By Christopher Tremblay

Staff Sports Writer

Last winter, the Hopedale girls basketball team went 164 during the regular season and qualified as the number one seed in the Division 5 State Tournament. Unfortunately, the Blue Raiders found themselves getting upset 44-41 by Lee High School in the Round of 8. This year, Hopedale has a mission to not only get back to the round of eight, but forge forward from there.

“The girls got a taste of almost making the Final 4,” said Hopedale Coach Jay Rojee. “It was tough on them; we were actually up by eight late in the game before hitting a bump and losing. They now have a chip on their shoulder and an edge in their game to get back there and beyond.”

Senior Phoebe Carroll, the team’s big forward who eclipsed 1000 points last year as a junior for the Blue Raiders, will be a leader on the court for Hopedale this winter. Carroll averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds a game last year and makes it look easy on the court. According to the coach, she is one of the best in blocking shots and will definitely be the team’s center piece as they begin the season.

Another senior, Anna Fafard, will take on the point guard role this season giving the Blue Raiders a strong presence. She is a tough individual on the court and will be looked upon to lock down the opposition best player with her grit and determination.

Also returning will be junior guard Lexi Carroll, a great defender and one of the best slashers to the basket that Hopedale has. She can also defend with the best of them. 

Junior Layla Huntley will also be coming back to play a forward/center position giving Hopedale a low post presence.

With four of the five starting positions already locked up, Rojee will be looking for someone to step up their game and grab hold of that final starting position. Jenna Weeden will be looked upon as one of those possibilities. Last year, she came off the bench and provided the team with phenomenal offensive play. 

Mia Casey and Kiley Tesseo are two other athletes who could possibly step into that fifth starter role. Casey is a gritty rebounder who possesses a tough demeanor on the court, while Tesseo is a hard-nosed defensive player who also came off the bench last year. She is probably the team’s best lockdown player.

The rest of the team will be made up of guards Gianna Gallerani and Chloe Carpenter, both can not only handle the wall, but can come off the bench when needed and knock down a three-point shot. The Blue Raiders Bigs bringing a physical presence to the court will be Maddie Bean and Mackenzie Viens, Hopedale’s tallest player. 

Rojee and the girls are looking to earn a spot in the Final 4 of the Division 5 State Tournament this year and once they get there they know that anything beyond that is possible. However, with the move from the MIAA to the newly formed CMAC A, Hopedale will have a much more difficult time going up against some tougher teams, not to mention their non-league schedule is loaded. The tougher opponents will not only be a challenge but will have the squad prepared for the tournament at the end of the year. 

“The biggest unknown this year will be the move into the CMAC; our strength of schedule will be tough,” Rojee said. “Our margin of victory this year will definitely be different from a year ago. We will be tested, but with 10 returning players from last year’s team, we are already ahead of last year at this point. There will not be a lot of teaching.”