Brookline Opens 2024-25 Full of Optimism for an Improved Year

By Eliot Schickler

The Brookline High girls basketball team optimistically opens the 2024-25 season.

After going 1-19 in n2023-24, Brookline is confident that it will improve immensely this year. Going into the previous season, most of the Warriors lacked varsity experience, but after playing a year at the varsity level, they believe that their record will be vastly better than last year’s
edition.

“The major difference is that they all had a year to play at the varsity level,” Brookline Coach Kendell Jones said. “They took the time to gel during the preseason.”

It helped that 16 girls in the program, both varsity and JV, played AAU Basketball together last spring and this fall, with eight girls each on two different teams. The Warriors believe that they can only go in one direction.

“When you hit rock bottom, you can only move up,” Jones said. “The girls have the motivation to do well, and they push each other to do well.”

One thing working in Brookline’s favor is that it only loses two girls from last year’s squad to graduation. The Warriors will varsity mainstay GiGi McMahon, who at 5’7 (at most) was an undersized forward, who was a scrappy defender and rebounder, and Steph Gravely. Gravely played her first full season on varsity last year, and brought her physical strength and toughness to the court as a reliable backup.

Leading the returning players are senior quad-captains Olivia Mataraza and Olivia Zanini. They were tri-captains as juniors last year with McMahon and were on the 2022-23 varsity squad that finished 16-4 in the regular season – 17-5 overall.

The 6’2 Mataraza is the starting center in a mostly guard-laden lineup. She’s a solid defender and has improved her game immensely since last night. Zanini is one of many guards who is a good defender, and passer, and when she’s hot, she’s lethal.

“This year, we’ll have more experience, and we know each other’s playing style and skill set,” Zanini said. “We’ll be better this year for sure.”

Having a deep bench will also help the Warriors.

“After last year, we have all the girls playing together in the offseason, and we’re all on the same page,” Mataraza said. “We have a deep bench and can substitute players easily. It’s a matter of who’s working the hardest.”

Juniors Nefeli Aga-Kitch and Ivy Wheeler are guards and they are the other quad-captains. They both were varsity call-ups at the tail end of the 2022-23 season and saw limited action in one game. Aga-Kitch is multi-talented and is explosive when she’s hot, while Wheeler, who is one of the first players off the bench, is capable of doing everything.

“Every player on the team will be a factor, and we improved a lot in the offseason,” Aga-Kitch said. “Playing together in the offseason will help us this year.”

Joining Mataraza, Zanini, and Aga-Kitch in the starting lineup are junior guard Jada Kimbro, who was the point guard last and earned All-Bay State Conference Honorable Mention, and 5’11 freshman Skylar Makalusky. Although Makalusky is one of the taller players on the team, she’ll
be used at both guard and forward positions because of her versatility.

What senior backup guard Kyrieh Simmons lacks in height, she more than compensates for with her speed and pluckiness. Another small backup guard is sophomore Izzy Woods and she also brings speed and skill off the bench. A third backup guard, senior Amalie Hauner, is a lethal 3-point shooter when she’s hot.

“When Amalie is open and locked in, she’s a good shooter,” Jones said.

Junior Jaden Williams, the daughter of boys basketball coach Johnny Williams is a hard-nosed player who will mostly play at guard but could see time at forward with a relatively small lineup.

Serving as backups in the frontcourt are 5’10 senior Julia Dencker and 5’11 junior Vivianna McDonald. Both are solid in the interior with the athletic Dencker being the twin sister of field hockey goalie Anna Dencker, and McDonald is a reserve for the volleyball team.

“I’m very excited for the season,” Wheeler said. “Playing AAU basketball helped us learn each other’s playing style, and is helping us play together as a team.”