SWAMPSCOTT — Last year was the definition of a grind-it-out season for the Swampscott girls basketball team. The Big Blue had to battle through injuries and a competitive schedule to get to a 10-10 record and earn a No. 11 seed in the Division 2 North tournament, where they fell in the first round to Hamilton-Wenham.
“Last year went well considering the circumstances,” said Swampscott coach Katelyn Leonard, now in her fourth season with the team. “We had to battle through some injuries and grind out a lot of wins, but the girls came together at the right time and finished off the season strong.”
This year, things look a bit different.
After losing a group of four seniors who were all heavy contributors in Jaymie Caponigro, Hannah Leahy, Maggie DiGrande and Ella Parker, the Big Blue certainly have some big shoes to fill.
“Those girls were so important to our team, it’s obviously no easy task to replace them,” said Leonard. “But we’ve got a strong group of upperclassmen returning this year and a lot of younger talent as well, and they’re all ready to get a chance to step up.”
That group of upperclassmen is led by a group of four new captains this year. Senior Emily Guiney, the most experienced of the group, will look to be a force in the paint both on offense and defense. Junior Katie Watts is currently sidelined with an injury, but her sharpshooting will be a welcome addition once she’s ready to go. Junior Grace DiGrande, the younger sister of Maggie, will lead the way from the point guard position this year. And then there’s junior Nikki Rosa, who is coming off a sophomore season where she really came into her own and was named a Northeastern Conference All-Star.
“Nikki is just a tough player,” Leonard said. “She does all the little things out there and makes so many plays for us, she’s definitely going to be a key player for us this again this season.”
Leonard says that her team’s athleticism is one of its big advantages this season, and the Big Blue will try to use their speed and defensive prowess to create offense.
The Big Blue have been practicing since the beginning of the week, and Leonard sees the energy level of her team is right where she wants it as the new season gets underway.
“We’ve had a few practices now and the energy level is really high all-around,” she said. “Everyone has come in with a great attitude everyone is working hard. You can’t ask for much more than that to start a season.”
Swampscott will once again battle through a tough schedule, including a conference slate that will see the Big Blue play every NEC team once this year. Tournaments like the Lynn Christmas Tournament will also pit Swampscott against some challenging opponents this season.
The regular season gets underway on December 15 when Swampscott will travel to rival Marblehead to open the season.
