MARSHFIELD – Second year head coach Jack Whalen will look to replace a dominant center this winter as his Twinfield-Cabot girls basketball team looks to build off the program’s first winning season in over a decade.
Trojan alum Jack Whalen breathed life and enthusiasm back into a sputtering Twinfield-Cabot girls basketball program last season, winning 13 games, including their first home playoff win in over five years. His dominant center Alice McLane along with a dynamic group of juniors came three points shy of upsetting rival Williamstown in the Division IV quarterfinals for a chance to advance to the Barre Auditorium. McLane was a double-double machine for the Lady Trojans, leading the team in both scoring and rebounding, earning her a much deserved First Team All-Mountain League selection. Whalen returns a group of talented and experienced seniors this winter but will have to fill the gaping hole of McLane’s inside presence to keep the program’s forward momentum going this season.
“We only lost one senior from last year’s team, but it was a big loss. Alice had an incredible season and career. She was most of our team’s size and I’ve been thinking about how to retool as a team from the moment we lost to Williamstown last year. The way we play and the way we look are going to be different this season, but this is a talented and gritty group of returning seniors who have very high expectations. They came so close to advancing to the Aud last year and they realize this is their last shot to get there. They’re going to give this team everything they got and I’m going to give them everything I’ve got as a coach,” said Whalen.
Jorja Washburn earned Mountain League honors last season and was a potent scoring option down the stretch for the Lady Trojans playoff run. Also returning for Whalen is floor general Carley Mancini and multi-tooled guard-forward Kendall Fowler. This talented trio of seniors gives the Lady Trojans a shot to win on any given night in the rugged Mountain League. Haley North, who missed the playoffs last season, and Sophie Mancini will also be welcomed additions to the starting lineup throughout the regular season. Fourteen girls came out for the team this year and although the numbers aren’t quite where Whalen wants them to be yet, he’s excited for the program to field its first junior varsity team in over a decade with the addition of a few freshmen coming over from Cabot.
“We are going to lean heavily on our senior leadership and talent. They are working hard, they’re in shape, and me and my assistant coach Mark Mooney have joked that our motto this season is that subs are overrated. We have some talented girls coming up that I coached at the middle school level, and they are going to be great additions to the program. These are great kids and a great community, and I feel lucky to be able to work with them, along with Kris Bador and the boys program, and our athletic directors Randy Rathburn and Dana Welch. They are all doing a great job of being supportive and committed to making basketball exciting and fun again for this community. I’m fully committed to building this program for the long haul and we are so excited for the start of the season,” said Whalen.
The Lady Trojans will start the season on the road against Peoples Academy next Tuesday before a much-anticipated rematch with Williamstown at the Barre Auditorium on January 3.
