PEABODY — The Bishop Fenwick girls basketball team is heading into the 2019 season with plenty to prove.
Last year’s Crusaders finished the season at 13-10, a solid feat coming out of the loaded Catholic Central League. Fenwick’s season came to a heartbreaking close in a 53-52 loss to rival St. Mary’s in the Division 3 North semifinal. The postseason loss to the Spartans has the Crusaders motivated to go deep into the postseason once again.
“It’s definitely a motivator, especially the way we lost,” Crusaders coach Adam DeBaggis said. “To lose by one point to end the season is something that’s in the back of your mind.”
Things will look a bit different for Fenwick on the court this season. The Crusaders graduated a major talent last year in point guard Sammi Gallant and it’ll take a group effort to fill the hole.
“There’s going to be a lot of working in different combinations this year,” DeBaggis said. “Sammi was our point guard and was about as dominant of a point guard as you could be for a few years. Before that we had another girl who was like that for a few years, so things will be different. Now it’s just about seeing how everyone fits in filling that role.”
That starts with senior captain Micayla Rossi and junior captain Liz Gonzalez playing key roles in leading the team.
“Those girls have been doing a great job,” DeBaggis said. “They’ve been on the team for a while now. They’re ready to be leaders.”
Junior forward Annie Murphy will also need to step up along with guard Veronica Tache’.
“Veronica had a couple big moments for us in the past,” DeBaggis said. “Now she’s probably going to a full time role and she’ll be on the court a lot more.”
That will be the story for a lot of players on Fenwick’s roster this year. DeBaggis expects some growing pains but hopes his team can learn from them as the season goes on.
“It’s just understanding that there’s going to be a lot of mistakes and overcoming that,” DeBaggis said. “We have the athletes, a lot of talented girls, they just haven’t played varsity.
“I think building confidence is key. We have a bunch of girls that haven’t played a lot of varsity minutes. (Rossi, Gonzalez, Murphy and Tache’) are the only ones that have played a lot of time. So it’s going to be a lot of just building up confidence throughout the year with the rest of our team.”
That’s easier said than done in the always challenging CCL.
“The league will be great as always,” DeBaggis said. “There’s always at least two teams playing for a state championship it seems. For us the last two years we’ve probably been .500 in league play but have still gone far into the tournament. Quite frankly, it’s one of the best girls basketball divisions in the state.
“But it’s never a bad thing,” DeBaggis said. “You just know every night you’re in for a battle. I’d rather have it that way than anything else.”
Fenwick tips off the season at CCL foe Arlington Catholic Tuesday, Dec. 17 (6:30).
