LOWELL — Sometimes, isn’t pressure a good thing?
Either way, as St. Mary’s girls basketball Coach and Athletic Director Jeff Newhall walked off the Tsongas Center floor Friday night, that pressure was off.
With the top-ranked Spartans’ 46-38 win against No. 3 Norwell, St. Mary’s athletics program continued its streak – now at 18 consecutive school years – of at least one state championship.
“I’ve said it many times before: We have great student-athletes at the school and a great coaching staff – this doesn’t happen by mistake,” said Newhall, now a head coach with six state championships. “We’ve had a good run. We’ve had great administration. It’s a great school.”
When asked about the streak ahead of the school year, Newhall kept things honest and said it’s something “everyone is aware of.”
Spanning across eight sports, it began when the girls hockey team skated to championship glory in the 2007-08 season. That was the start of a three-peat for Coach Frank Pagliuca, who also hoisted trophies in 2013 and 2024.
The softball team won back-to-back titles beginning in 2009, while the baseball team took home trophies in 2015, 2019, and 2021.
St. Mary’s boys basketball team has joined the fun with three state titles, while the golf program executed a three-peat from 2016-18.
Coach Sean Driscoll led the football Spartans to a title in the fall of 2022, while former Coach Mark Lee’s hockey squad won in May of 2017.
But Friday night, the spotlight was on the girls basketball team, which put a cherry on top of a dominant season.
St. Mary’s won 24 games and compiled wins against Belchertown, Newburyport, East Bridgewater, Pittsfield, and now Norwell during its state tournament run.
The regular season wasn’t too shabby, either. St. Mary’s was 19-3 and played through “the toughest schedule in the state,” according to Newhall. Losses came against strong programs in Bishop Feehan, St. Joseph’s Academy, and Medfield.
“We love state championships – don’t get me wrong – but it’s also about having the experience they’re having and being ready to go onto their next level of life in college,” Newhall said.
St. Mary’s state championship streak
2024-25 Girls Basketball
2023-24 Girls Hockey
2022-23 Football, Girls Basketball
2021-22 Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball
2020-21 Baseball
2019-20 Girls Basketball
2018-19 Baseball, Golf
2017-18 Golf
2016-17 Boys Hockey, Golf
2015-16 Boys Basketball
2014-15 Baseball
2013-14 Girls Basketball
2012-13 Girls Hockey
2011-12 Boys Basketball
2010-11 Girls Basketball
2009-10 Girls Hockey, Softball
2008-09 Girls Hockey, Softball
2007-08 Girls Hockey
