Like it did in much of the country, girls basketball in Massachusetts underwent a transformation in 1972. That was the year the landmark Title IX legislation for female athletes was officially enacted. Within three years the girls had demanded their own state tournament and with it came unprecedented opportunities for players everywhere – especially in Westwood. Here’s a look back, in chronological order, at some of the town’s all-time girls basketball greats:
Mary Ann McCoy – The first of 11 sensational siblings who starred on the high school hardwood, she played four fabulous seasons under soon-to-be legendary coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. Just 5-foot-8, she averaged double figures in both points and rebounds while playing center for the teams that started the program’s famous win streaks. She was selected to the Boston Globe’s first All-Scholastic team as a senior in 1976, and earned a scholarship (still a rarity for women in those days) to Providence College.
Nancy Fabiano – A 5-foot-4 backcourt dynamo, she earned a league MVP award and an All-Scholastic nod during a dream junior year. Unfortunately, her senior season of 1977 was more like a nightmare. While her teammates set a national record with their 73rd consecutive regular-season win and then captured the school’s first sectional title, she suffered through an injury-shortened final year. Despite playing in only seven games, she still managed to become the first girl in school history to reach 1,000 career points.
Madeline McCoy – Standing merely 5-foot-9 but with unusually long arms, she was a towering presence for the 1978 “Green Machine” that fell one point short of a state title. She led the team in scoring with her unstoppable turnaround jump shot, but her real forte was defense. In addition to being a great rebounder, her superior leaping ability and uncanny timing made her one of the state’s premier shot blockers. A two-time Globe All-Scholastic and All-American recipient, she followed her big sister to Providence.
Ann Deacon – “The spark that made things happen” according to Delaney-Smith (known by then as the “Wizard of Westwood”), she shot her 1979 team to the school’s first state title in dramatic fashion by scoring 30 points in a thrilling overtime victory. Everybody’s All-American by the time she graduated, the flashy 5-foot-7 guard/forward garnered every award imaginable before embarking on a hall of fame career at Dartmouth. Her amazing 1,419 career-point total remained a school record for more than two decades.
Cheryl Aaron – Frankly, there wasn’t much she didn’t do during her courageous career. She played every position on the floor for coach Delaney-Smith, whose astonishing career (204 wins in 12 seasons) ended with hers at the completion of the 1982 season, and earned league MVP and All-Scholastic honors. Despite missing most of he sophomore year because of an injury, she still compiled more than 1,000 career points. A Holy Cross Hall of Famer for helping them earn their first NCAA bid, she later played professionally in Ireland.
Karyn McCoy – Called “The Franchise” by coach Tom Hughes, the powerful pivot controlled the paint for the successful 1988 and 1989 teams, earning back-to-back league MVP and All-Scholastic honors. On offense, she scored 18 points per game despite facing constant double teams. On defense, she averaged 12 rebounds and 6 blocks, many of which she recovered herself. The fifth member of her family to earn a Division I scholarship (Mary Ann, Madeline, Jimmy, and Steve being the others), she played at UNH.
Suzanne McLaughlin – A sensational six-foot center, her senior year of 1991 was the last of the school’s astonishing 18 consecutive undefeated regular seasons in the Tri-Valley League (Holliston snapped the 293-game streak the following year). Averaging 18 points and 14 rebounds a game for two straight seasons, she won back-to-back league MVP awards, was chosen for the Boston Herald’s Dream Team as a senior, finished her illustrious career with more than 1,200 points and was awarded a scholarship to play at Division I UNH.
Erin O’Brien – A sharp-shooting guard who “hustled every minute she was on the floor” according to longtime Wolverine coach Bill Riley, her teams enjoyed a 65-8 record during her stellar three-year career. As a senior in 1992, she led them all the way to the Boston Garden for the Eastern Mass. finals. That year, she averaged 15 points, 6 assists and 4 steals a game and made the Globe’s All-Scholastic squad. She went on to a fine career at Stonehill where she became one of their greatest 3-point shooters of all time.
Andrea Barr – Fast and formidable as either a forward or guard, she led her teams deep into the tournament for three straight years. Capable of a triple-double on most nights, she led her Wolverines to a league championship during her senior year of 2000. Also the league MVP, as well as an Elaine White Sportsmanship Award winner and a Herald All-Scholastic, she accepted a scholarship to Stonehill. While there, like she had in high school, she ran her career point total to well over 1,000 points.
Lindsay Hallion – One of the most successful athletes the school ever produced, during her first two years she was a key ingredient for the 2001 and 2002 teams that won back-to-back state titles in undefeated fashion. She made more history during her junior year as leader of the team that extended the win streak to a state-record 71 games. The school’s top all-time scorer with 1,538 points by the end of her final season, she made the Globe Super Team before leaving to play for Delaney-Smith at Harvard.
Even More Westwood Greats: Jill Greenberg (2008), who scored her 1,000th career point during her last game in a Westwood uniform, completed her fabulous four-year career the same year as longtime coach Bill Riley, and was responsible for a good chunk of his 357 career wins. … Another recent standout was Paula Sheehan (2003), who might have led the Wolverines to a third straight title if she hadn’t missed her senior year with an ACL injury. … Prime-time pivot Sandy Martisauskas (1997) scored 1,149 points and pulled down more than 1,000 rebounds during her stupendous career. … Sensational center Kim Ilg (1986), Tri-Valley MVP as a senior, was an instrumental part of the 1985 state title team coached by Sue Peters. As were All-Scholastics Pam Nee and Caroline Granese (both 1985), the team’s gritty backcourt. … Floor general Lynne Walsh (1980), who Delaney-Smith claimed was “as valuable as anyone she ever coached,” ran the show for the 1979 title team. And it might have been two in a row if Jackie MacMullan’s (1978) buzzer beater hadn’t rimmed out in the 1978 final. … And what about Denise West (1984) and Nancy Rae (1987), two more memorable All-Scholastics?
Like many in the story above, author Rob Vandenabeele grew up playing basketball at his neighborhood playground. He later became a coach and referee at the high school and college levels. His first book, Mass Hoops: The Best of the Bay State’s High School Basketball History, was published in 2010 and is available for purchase at Wellesley Booksmith, or on-line at Masshoops.net or at Amazon.com.
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