When high school basketball seasons tipped off in December, opening weeks were about adjusting to new players, learning systems, and settling into roles.
By January, however, teams begin to produce results as their schedules intensify. Programs play every two or three days and, by now, they know what and who they’re putting on the floor.
Swampscott girls coach Katelyn Leonard even described January as the “grind of the season.”
As for some hot programs, look no further than St. Mary’s. Both the girls and boys teams remain undefeated, despite major questions entering the season.
For the Lady Spartans (6-0), the question was how they would replace superstar Bella Owumi, Lily Norton, Reese Matela, and Juliana Conte. Under coach Jeff Newhall, the team hasn’t missed a beat behind Sysy McAusland-Emmanuel and a balanced supporting cast.
As for the boys, their transition under first-year coach Josh Keilty has been seamless. The Spartans are 6-0 with an average margin of victory of 21.6 points. Keilty also guided St. Mary’s to the Walter J. Boverini Basketball Tournament title last weekend.
The KIPP boys closed out 2025 in dramatic fashion. Viccee Howard hit a game-winning buzzer-beater to lift the Panthers past Shawsheen Tech at home. Howard finished with 30 points and with four seconds remaining, went coast to coast before burying a mid-range jumper as time expired. Coach Moody Bey and company are 3-1 with wins against Whittier Tech, Peabody, and Shawsheen Tech.
The Peabody girls won their first four games of the season. Although the Lady Tanners have dropped their last two in holiday tournaments, they’re still primed to be a top contender in the Northeastern Conference.
Peabody is well-balanced and has multiple players who can hurt you. Good luck getting rebounds away from Sophia Coburn and Lizzie Bettencourt, who control the glass in dominant fashion. Offensively, everyone contributes. Against North Andover, Olivia Gaynor led the team with 16 points and five assists. Against Masconomet, it was Aliana Ryan with 20 points, five assists, and four steals. And against Swampscott, Avery Bettencourt stepped up and finished with 15 points.
The Lynnfield boys are one of the area’s sharpshopping squads. John Bakopolus has his team firing on all cylinders and when the Pioneers get going from deep, they’re hard to stop.
After dropping its opening game of the season, Lynnfield won its next three by double digits. Against Triton, the Pioneers made 11 three-pointers. Then, against Bishop Fenwick, Lynnfield connected on 16 triples en route to a 15-point win.
You can’t sleep on the Fenwick girls, either. With a big game against St. Mary’s coming up next week, the Lady Crusaders are a perfect 4-0 and recently captured the Sue Rivard Tournament with a one-point win against a talented Walpole team. Led by senior captains Celia Neilson and Caitlin Boyle, Fenwick won its first piece of hardware. Neilson was named tournament MVP, while Boyle received all-tournament honors.
The Lynn Classical and Swampscott boys, as well as the Lynn Tech and Marblehead girls have started off red hot, too.
It’s only January and games are coming and going quickly. These are a few teams that have started with a bang and look for more in 2026.
Mark Aboyoun is a New Jersey born sports writer at The Daily Item. Aboyoun is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s University ’18 and went on to earn his Juris Doctor at Western New England School of Law in 2021.