It’s hard to believe we’re a month into the winter season, but despite postponements galore, most teams are thru the first third of their schedule.
Even with sparse schedules, the first four weeks of the season have given us a great picture of who the contenders are, and which stars of the South Shore will be leading their teams this winter.
WATD has put together a list of the nine most impressive performers of the season’s opening month.
Orlagh Gormley, SO, North Quincy
The sensational sophomore has been the South Shore’s top scorer this season. Averaging 31.2 points per game this season, Gormley has been a terror for opposing defenses.
Her supreme talent was on full display against Marshfield on Dec. 22, when she dropped an astonishing 48 points to lead the Red Raiders to an 89-70 victory. In one of the best single-game performances in recent memory, Gormley also tallied 10 assists and 10 rebounds, finishing with a triple-double.
After a long lay-off, the sophomore followed it up with a 24 point, 13 steal performance against Hanover on Tuesday night, coming one assist short of a second consecutive triple-double.
Between Gormley and Daithi Quinn, the future of both North Quincy basketball programs is extremely bright.
Perry Blasetti, SR, Hingham
The youngest sister in a long line of Hingham hoops stars, Blasetti has taken the reigns in her senior season.
Much like Sydney, Haley, and Ryley before her, Perry is leading the way for another strong Harborwomen squad.
Through Hingham’s 6-1 start, Blasetti is averaging 19.7 points per game, scoring over 20 three times.
The senior’s best performance came against Pembroke, where she scored 27 in a 58-46 win.
With big games looming the next two Fridays against rival Duxbury and undefeated Whitman-Hanson, expect Blasetti’s play to rise to the occasion.
Grace McNamara, JR, Scituate
While the start hasn’t been the most auspicious for Scituate, it takes nothing away from the play of McNamara.
The junior is averaging over 20 points per game (21.3), and has consistently been the driving force of the Sailors’ offense.
After a 27 point opener against Archie’s, McNamara gave her best performance of the season in a duel with North Quincy, scoring 31 points against Orlagh Gorley’s 30.
McNamara picked up her third 20+ point game of the season on Tuesday, leading Scituate to a key victory over Plymouth South to bring their record up to 3-5.
Julia Elie, SR, Rockland
If there’s one thing that Julia Elie knows it’s the middle. The middle sister of the Caroline-Julia-Maggie trio that has been giving the South Shore League fits in recent years, Julia has also found herself right in the middle of everything going right for Rockland’s offense during their 6-1 start.
Now in her senior season, Elie has really taken charge of coach Diana Newcomb’s offense; showing out to the tune of a 22.6 points per game average.
Elie has scored over 20 points four times this season, leading the Lady Bulldogs in scoring in each of their games.
Her best performance to date came on opening night, when she accounted for just shy of half Rockland’s points with 27 in a 56-39 victory.
Grace Oliver, SO, Norwell
Norwell has been en fuego to start the season, and Oliver is at the center of the 6-1 run.
The sophomore is averaging an even 25 points per game, bolstered by a ridiculous two week stretch towards the end of December.
Oliver averaged 30 points per game over four contests against Dighton-Rehoboth, Nauset, East Bridgewater, and Milford.
During the stretch, she also had a pair of double-doubles, tallying 15 rebounds against Nauset and 17 against Milford.
Sarah Chenette, SO, Cohasset
Yet another star sophomore out of the South Shore League, Chenette is the modicum of consistency for the Skippers.
Averaging 18.3 points per game on the year, Chenette has scored no fewer than 16 points over Cohasset’s last six games.
The highlight of the season thus far has been Chenette’s first 30 point game, which came in nail-biting 59-54 loss to Sandwich on Dec. 29. She, and the Skippers, would have their revenge, as Chenette scored in double figures in a 65-29 win over the Knights last Saturday.
Sitting at 4-4, the Skippers are still hanging in as a dangerous team in the South Shore League, so look for Chenette to help lead a late season charge.
McKalah Gaine, SR, Hanover
Though her team is hovering around the .500 mark through the first month of the season, Gaine’s play has been extraordinary.
A double-double machine, the senior enjoyed a four game stretch against Hingham, Pembroke, Whitman-Hanson, and Falmouth in which she averaged 17.5 points per game and 12.5 rebounds per game.
Through seven games, Gaine is averaging 16.5 points per game with four double-doubles. Her high mark was a 22 point outing in a win over Falmouth.
Molly Donovan, SO, Duxbury
The Dragons have come to compete in the Patriot League this year, and Donovan is a big reason why.
Through six games, Donovan has scored in double figures five times, with her season high coming in a 22 point effort against Plymouth South.
Duxbury’s leading scorer, the sophomore is averaging 15.8 points per game.
Alyssa Hopps, FR, Quincy
While the stats aren’t there early in the season, Quincy’s sharpshooting rookie has been on a tear over the last few games.
Hopps is averaging 20 points per game in the Presidents’ last three contests, during which she has been nails late in games.
The freshman drained a buzzer-beater three-pointer to lift Quincy to a 45-42 victory over Silver Lake on Dec. 30. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, she made it back to back contests with game-winners, drilling another three-pointer with seven seconds left to notch a 47-46 come from behind win over Plymouth North.
With how tight the Patriot League Fisher Division is at the moment, those two shots are the difference between sitting in second place and second to last place in the league.