Oliver, senior class helped set a new standard for Norwell High girls basketball
LOWELL — As a fourth grader, Maddie Oliver remembers being in the stands looking up to the players on the Norwell High girls basketball team.
As she played the final basketball game of her high school career, there’s little doubt that plenty of youth basketball players were in the stands for the Division 3 state final hoping to be the next Maddie Oliver.
Oliver, along with seniors Paige Maguire, Reagan Dowd, Holly Panttila and Charlotte Pithie, saw their careers end with a 46-38 loss to St. Mary’s of Lynn in the Div. 3 state final at the Tsongas Center.
“I idolized them all so much,” said Oliver remembering her days in the stand.
Oliver graduates as a 1,000-point scorer whose team compiled an 87-11 record over her four seasons. That included one quarterfinal appearance, a trip to the semifinal and two state finalist spots.
“Those girls, I’ve never met a group of girls that worked harder than them,” said Oliver, who plans to basketball next year, she’s just not quite sure where yet. “Every practice, staying after for extra shots. We all religiously watch film hours a day. We all wanted this so bad.
“I feel like it’s very rare that you find a group of people that willing to put in 100% effort all the time and completely give your body, soul, mind and everything to the game. …That’s what made us be able to go on these runs.”
The No. 3 Clippers (23-2) are still in search of their first state championship. Friday marked title No. 6 for the Spartans.
The marquee matchup in Friday was Oliver against St. Mary’s sophomore Bella Owumi, who already has double-digit Div. I scholarship offers. Owumi finished with a game-high 19 points and 8 rebounds. Oliver tallied 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
“Just two of the best players in the state just playing as hard as they can, trying to take it home for their team,” said Norwell coach Matt Marani of the matchup.
The Clippers never led, but always found a way to keep it competitive. An 11-point, second-quarter Spartan lead (23-12) was trimmed to three when Oliver drained a floater late in the third quarter. St. Mary’s responded with the final four points of the third quarter to take a 32-25 lead into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, freshman Adrienne Dowd (10 points) cut the deficit to five (41-36) with 1:11 remaining after finishing off an offensive rebound, but the Spartans held on for the win.
Adrienne Dowd scored a team-high 10 points, as did her old sister Reagan Dowd.
“I really had no idea that either of them were going to make the team,” said Oliver of the Dowd twins, Adrienne and Amelia, “but Adrienne just had an immediate impact. Her size, her length, her athleticism completely changed the game for us.”
“It’s funny, I don’t know if she knows how big of a moment it was or not, but she had a poise,” said Marani of Adrienne Dowd. “ She’s been doing it all year. We knew we needed more size because St. Mary’s is so big, so I knew she was going to play a good amount today, but I’m very impressed with her.”
Panttila, a senior, routinely found herself on the floor battling for loose balls on Friday.
“She’ll lay it all out on the line,” said Marani of Panttila. “There’s no loose ball she won’t dive. The kid is an incredible athlete with a will. We’ve had games we’ve won just on her offensive rebounding.”
Maguire, Oliver and Reagan Dowd were all senior captains. At a young age, they were dubbed the ‘Norwell triple threat’ by their parents for their obsession with basketball.
That trio spearheaded the Clippers to new heights and ended a 25-year state-final drought with back-to-back trips to the state championship.
“To win 20 games in one season, is incredible,” said Marani. “To win in it all four of their seasons, they’re just otherworldly.”
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Norwell High girls basketball falls to St. Mary's (Lynn) in MIAA final
Topics
-
Morgantown set to battle George Washington in Class AAAA state semifinals
Mar. 13—CHARLESTON — The Morgantown High girls' basketball team will meet a familiar state tournament foe as the Mohigans will square off with George Washington on Friday evening in the Class AAAA ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Class 3A girls basketball: Washington advances to championship game
The Oklahoma high school basketball Class 3A girls state tournament continued Friday at State Fair Arena. Here's a look at what happened in the semifinals.Yahoo Sports - 5h -
Class 4A girls basketball: Lincoln Christian reaches championship game
The Oklahoma high school basketball Class 4A girls state tournament continued Friday at State Fair Arena. Here's a look at what happened in the semifinals.Yahoo Sports - 2h -
Fair Grove girls basketball completes three-peat, beat Principia in Class 3 championship
Fair Grove girls basketball completed the three-peat, further cementing the current senior class as the greatest to ever wear Eagles purple.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
FOLLOW LIVE: Norwell vs. St. Mary's girls basketball MIAA Division 3 final updates
Norwell will battle St. Mary's of Lynn in the MIAA Division 3 girls basketball state championship. Follow here for live updates.Yahoo Sports - 9h -
Reporter's Notebook: How a fireside chat set a new standard for presidential leadership
Late President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his first fireside chat on this day in 1933 to an audience of approximately 60 million, setting the standard for a leader's obligation to explain himself. ...CBS News - 2d -
Class B girls state basketball roundup: Parkston edges Deubrook Area in overtime
Mar. 14—HURON, S.D. — In the second overtime game of the Class B girls state basketball tournament, the Parkston girls basketball team edged Deubrook Area 56-52 in Huron on Friday. The two teams ...Yahoo Sports - 6h -
Class A girls state basketball roundup: Wagner comeback falls short against Sioux Valley
Mar. 14—SPEARFISH, S.D. — After trailing by double-digits in the second half, the Wagner girls basketball got within three points of Sioux Valley in the consolation round of the Class A girls state ...Yahoo Sports - 6h -
WIAA state basketball: Central Wisconsin boys and girls playoff basketball scoreboard
Find out the latest Central Wisconsin boys and girls high school playoff basketball scores here.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Goodhue's high-powered offense dominates in girls basketball state quarterfinals
Mar. 13—MINNEAPOLIS — Late Thursday morning it was Walker-Hackensack-Akeley's turn to be introduced to what the Goodhue girls basketball team does. It's all legal, but it's a lot: full-court ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Class 6A boys basketball: Tulsa Union advances to first state final since 2014
The Oklahoma high school basketball Class 6A boys state tournament continued Friday at Yukon High School. Here's a look at what happened in the semifinals.Yahoo Sports - 6h -
GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL: Permian girls to face EP Franklin in bi-district round
Mar. 13—The Permian girls soccer team will face El Paso Franklin in the first round of the Class 6A Division I state playoffs next week. The Lady Panthers will face Franklin at 3 p.m. March 21 at ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Iowa Girls Basketball: Top Power Forwards in 2026
Who are the top in-state basketball players within the Class of 2026? Iowa Preps answers that question now!Yahoo Sports - 13h -
College Report: Nevaeh Zavala helps High Point win Big South basketball tournament
Nevaeh Zavala, a 6-0 sophomore from Royse City, scored a team-high 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to help High Point’s women win the Big South basketball tournament. High Point, which is in ...Yahoo Sports - 4h -
PIAA SWIMMING: Scranton Prep’s Kaszuba wins medal; Dallas relay team strikes gold in girls Class 2A meet
Scranton Prep sophomore Eva Kaszuba added some hardware to a busy winter sports season by reaching the award’s podium at the PIAA Class 2A Swimming and Diving Championships. Kaszuba, who is also a ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Class 3A boys basketball: Millwood cruises past Sequoyah Claremore into OSSAA finals
The Oklahoma high school basketball Class 3A boys state tournament continued Friday at State Fair Arena. Here's a look at what happened in the semifinals.Yahoo Sports - 14h -
Class 4A boys basketball: Weatherford tops North Rock Creek to make championship game
The Oklahoma high school basketball Class 4A boys state tournament continued Friday at State Fair Arena. Here's a look at what happened in the semifinals.Yahoo Sports - 9h -
High school basketball: CIF state championship scores and schedule
CIF state championship boys' and girls' basketball scores and Saturday's schedule.Yahoo Sports - 43m -
State champion Albertus Magnus rolls past Middletown to reach girls basketball Final Four
Defending state Class AA champ Albertus Magnus reaches AAA Final Four with dominant win over Middletown in girls basketball regional finalYahoo Sports - 2h -
Who's the girls basketball Player of the Year? Time to vote on our poll to help us decide
Here are 10 nominees, now it's your chance to vote on who you think deserves the Rockford Register Star's girls basketball Player of the YearYahoo Sports - 21h -
Girls Basketball: Columbus Grove to face Rootstown for state title
Mar. 13—When Brian Schroeder gathered his players into his classroom at Columbus Grove High School during the summer, he posed a question to them about their goals for the upcoming season. The team ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Girls basketball: MACCRAY heads to the state final
Mar. 14—MINNEAPOLIS — A key stretch midway through the second half led by sisters Sam and Ella Hultgren helped lift the MACCRAY girls basketball team to a comeback victory against Sleepy Eye St. ...Yahoo Sports - 7h -
Pennsylvania Girls Basketball: Top Power Forwards in 2026
Who are the top basketball players within the Class of 2026? PaPreps resolves that question now!SUBSCRIBERS: Click to the see the full article here now!------------------- What other ...Yahoo Sports - 10h -
Oxford Hills girls basketball's Ella Pelletier named Gatorade Player of the Year
Mar. 13—Oxford Hills senior Ella Pelletier was announced Thursday as the recipient of the 2024-25 Gatorade Maine Girls Basketball Player of the Year award. Pelletier, a 5-foot-11 guard who has ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Class A State Basketball Tournament in Billings
Mar. 14—Action from Northwest A teams at the Class A State Basketball Tournament in Billings March 13-15. Bigfork's Braeden Gunlock (21) drives to the basket in the first half against Lewistown at ...Yahoo Sports - 3h -
Licking Muskingum All-Star basketball games set for Sunday at Newark Catholic
The annual basketball battle between the top seniors from Licking County and the Muskingum Valley is upcoming this weekend.Yahoo Sports - 22h -
Oliver Miller, center who helped Arkansas reach Final Four and played 9 NBA seasons, dies at 54
Oliver Miller, a beefy center who helped Arkansas advance to the Final Four before playing nine seasons in the NBA, has diedABC News - 2d -
How Greenfield avoided collapse in final minutes to advance to TSSAA basketball Class 1A title game
Rayanna Fisher led Greenfield past Richland as it secured its first TSSAA girls basketball state tournament championship game appearance since 2018.Yahoo Sports - 10h -
Centerville edges Deubrook Area, only high seed to win on opening day of State B girls tourney
No. 5 Bennett County, No. 6 Sanborn Central-Woonsocket and No. 7 Dell Rapids St. Mary pull upsets on opening day of State B girls basketball tourneyYahoo Sports - 23h -
Championship Saturday: A preview of the last day of the high school basketball season
Mar. 14—There was not universal agreement on this. It was more a general consensus people had about this 2024-25 Class 5A boys basketball season — if there was one team capable of stopping the ...Yahoo Sports - 2h -
Brian Eliason tabbed as new Mitchell girls golf coach
Mar. 14—MITCHELL — Mitchell High School has appointed Brian Eliason as the Kernels' new girls golf head coach ahead of a new season. Eliason is succeeding Jeff Meyerink, who took the head golf ...Yahoo Sports - 6h -
Why Oak Ridge's stunning loss to Bartlett in TSSAA basketball state tournament was so emotional
Bartlett defeated Oak Ridge 52-50 in the TSSAA girls basketball state tournament Class 4A quarterfinals on Thursday.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
3/12: CBS Evening News Plus
What contributed to February's cooling inflation; Reporter's Notebook: How a fireside chat set a new standard for presidential leadershipCBS News - 2d -
PIAA GIRLS BASKETBALL: Quarterfinals capsules — Friday’s games
CLASS 2A 2-1 Mountain View (23-4) vs. 11-1 Williams Valley (24-3) When: Friday, 6 p.m. Where: Lake-Lehman HS Tickets: Must be purchased online at piaa.org/sports/tickets.aspx. Select the sport, ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
A New League Is Changing the Landscape of Women’s Basketball
The W.N.B.A. is coming off a season of record viewership. But Unrivaled’s ability to attract stars is changing the standard.The New York Times - 14h -
Two Exeter High School standouts are Seacoast Athletes of the Week for March 3-8
Exeter hockey player Chase Barbour and girls basketball player Nicole Melick win Seacoast high school Athletes of the Week honors.Yahoo Sports - 9h -
Lancaster boys and girls basketball players take home Ohio Capital Conference awards
Several Lancaster basketball players were honored by the Ohio Capital Conference. Senior Colton Bruny and junior Molly Stedman named first team.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
5A girls: Back where we started with Sandia and Hobbs on top
Mar. 13—Open ... and now shut. From Nov. 23 to now, this Class 5A girls basketball season has first and foremost been about the Sandia Matadors and the Hobbs Eagles. They opened the season against ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
State girls basketball notebook: Junior officials get up-close tourney experience
Mar. 14—HURON — The officiating crew is a little bigger than normal this week for the Class B state basketball tournament. Yes, there's the three officials on the court for each game, 12 of them in ...Yahoo Sports - 6h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Degenhart and Boise State knock off top-seed New Mexico in MWC Tournament semifinals 72-69
Tyson Degenhart led No. 5 seed Boise State with 22 points and Andrew Meadow sealed the victory with a 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining as the Broncos upset top-seeded New Mexico 72-69 on Friday ...Yahoo Sports - 8m -
Everything Nate Oats said after Alabama's win over Kentucky
Alabama head coach Nate Oats works with his team against Kentucky during the first half of a Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinal game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, ...Yahoo Sports - 20m -
Video – France Star’s Goals For Inter Milan & AC Milan “Ctrl+V” Copies In Serie A & Champions League
Inter Milan wrapped up qualification for the Champions League quarterfinals against Feyenoord.The Nerazzurri had already had a 2-0 advantage from the first leg of their round of sixteen tie. And ...Yahoo Sports - 24m -
F1 Australian GP LIVE: Qualifying results and updates as Lewis Hamilton makes Ferrari debut
Follow updates in qualifying in Melbourne as Hamilton eyes pole position in the first race of 2025Yahoo Sports - 25m -
Clemson's Brownell 'disappointed' after team locked out of lockerroom at halftime of ACC semifinal
The 10th-ranked Clemson Tigers trailed No. 13 Louisville 33-28 at halftime of Friday night’s semifinal game at the ACC Tournament and were in need of some in-game adjustments. Clemson players ...Yahoo Sports - 26m
More in Sports
-
Degenhart and Boise State knock off top-seed New Mexico in MWC Tournament semifinals 72-69
Tyson Degenhart led No. 5 seed Boise State with 22 points and Andrew Meadow sealed the victory with a 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining as the Broncos upset top-seeded New Mexico 72-69 on Friday ...Yahoo Sports - 8m -
Everything Nate Oats said after Alabama's win over Kentucky
Alabama head coach Nate Oats works with his team against Kentucky during the first half of a Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinal game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, ...Yahoo Sports - 20m -
Video – France Star’s Goals For Inter Milan & AC Milan “Ctrl+V” Copies In Serie A & Champions League
Inter Milan wrapped up qualification for the Champions League quarterfinals against Feyenoord.The Nerazzurri had already had a 2-0 advantage from the first leg of their round of sixteen tie. And ...Yahoo Sports - 24m -
F1 Australian GP LIVE: Qualifying results and updates as Lewis Hamilton makes Ferrari debut
Follow updates in qualifying in Melbourne as Hamilton eyes pole position in the first race of 2025Yahoo Sports - 25m -
Clemson's Brownell 'disappointed' after team locked out of lockerroom at halftime of ACC semifinal
The 10th-ranked Clemson Tigers trailed No. 13 Louisville 33-28 at halftime of Friday night’s semifinal game at the ACC Tournament and were in need of some in-game adjustments. Clemson players ...Yahoo Sports - 26m