THE NORWELL THREE
By now, you know who we are talking about. Norwell has been captivating over the past four seasons because coach Eric Thornton put his trust in a trio of freshman guards and just flat out said “it’s on you” when it came to keeping the program not just relevant, but championship level.
You have had plenty of time to see Lauren Bales (pictured), Kaylee Fuelling and Maiah Shelton play. So if you haven’t yet, shame on you. This trio has, in their own way, redefined Norwell basketball in a newer era. They don’t always do things the easy way, but they have learned to impose their will and learned how to be tough, gritty and intelligent. Last year, it got them a win from the semi state round. What can this trio do in their final act this postseason? It is one of the most intriguing storylines come this postseason.
LILLY MAST, WEST NOBLE
There aren’t many minutes, if any, of a given game that Mast is sitting down for. Injured, tired, it doesn’t matter; not only does she want to be in the game, the Chargers need her in the game to be highly successful. With her playing over 27 minutes per game, it shouldn’t be a surprise then that the Chargers are sitting in second place in a loaded NECC this final week of the regular season.
Mast is one of the purest scorers in the conference and is averaging 16 points a game while also leading the Chargers with 4.3 assists per contest. She converts quickly on the offensive end and a lot of that is aided by how she plays on the defensive end. Her activity and wingspan is helpful whether she’s in a man to man defense or leading West Noble’s jumping 2-3 zone. She is averaging an incredible 4.8 steals per contest with six games where she has nabbed the ball away seven or more times.
GRACE SULLIVAN, HOMESTEAD
The speedster has become the pace setter for the Spartans as they look to defend their Sectional title next week. Sullivan’s ability to control tempo is rare and she has been able to morph from a high level scorer as a freshman at Canterbury into a really smart think first, pass second, score third point guard over the past two seasons when she’s had the ball in her hands more at Homestead.
Sullivan doesn’t get enough respect for the level she plays on the defensive end. Her foot speed is next level and again it all comes down to tempo. Sullivan has the ability to bend opposing players to her will when it comes to the speed of the game on both ends of the court.
AVARCIA NARD, NEW HAVEN
Nard has seen the good, the bad and the ugly of New Haven’s rebuild attempts. And the good was few and far between before this season. But Nard has been that constant through very few wins and very many blowout losses. A 7-9 mark at this point in 2020-21 has shown the massive improvement and strides they are making as a program and you have Nard to thank for some of that. For any program to pull themselves up, you need someone to be a constant and buy into herself and the program.
Outside of that, Nard has been very solid on the court, leading the team about half of the time in rebounding and scoring. She is playing the best basketball of her career and that matters as much as the overall buy in. She is averaging as close to a double double as she has ever and shooting the ball at a steady rate.
MARIAH HOSTED, CHURUBUSCO
Hosted has been the heart of the Churubusco program through a lot of transition including three head coaches in the last three seasons. Through it all, the Eagles have been able to rely on her toughness to lead them whether they were winning or not. Just last week, Hosted may have had the best couple of games of her career, even in a 1-2 week.
Last Tuesday, she had a 20 point/10 rebound double double against Lakeland and followed that up a night later against Canterbury with 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine steals. Hosted is tough as nails and has consistently been one of the most underrated players in the NECC.
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
Be the first to comment