By Ken Chaisson
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The Walpole Timberwolves girls’ basketball team earned their first victory of the season in their home opener, defeating the Milton Wildcats 61-49 on Tuesday, December 17.
Head coach Dave Wall, now in his 10th season, has solidified his legacy with 126 career wins, making him the second-winningest coach in Walpole girls’ basketball history. Wall leads a team that has won the Bay State Conference title three consecutive years. Last season, the Timberwolves finished 17-6, falling to Northampton in the state quarterfinals.
This year’s squad is led by senior captain Caroline Doran and junior captain Bella Bingham, a Bay State Conference first-team all-star last season. The roster is well-rounded, featuring four seniors, five juniors, four sophomores, and one freshman. Other starters include Maran Gallivan, Tori Adams, and Abby McMann.
The team is also adjusting to the departure of standout Izzy Adams, who transferred to Dexter-Southfield after earning Dream Team honors last season and becoming the eighth Walpole player since 1986 to surpass 1,000 career points. With Adams gone, the Timberwolves look to their current roster to rise to the challenge—and possibly produce the program’s next 1,000-point scorer.
The season began with a rare loss, as Walpole fell to Braintree 48-41 in the opener. Cold fourth-quarter shooting proved costly against a strong opponent, but the team sees it as a learning opportunity. “It’s not how you start the season, but how you finish it,” remains the mindset.
Milton, coached by Kyle West, has shown steady improvement and narrowly lost their opener to perennial power Wellesley, 37-34, in a game decided by Milton’s final shot.
Tuesday’s matchup began slowly for Walpole, as the team trailed 6-2 and didn’t score a field goal until 2:10 remained in the first quarter. A steal and fast-break layup by Adams gave the Timberwolves their first lead at 8-6, and they never looked back. By the end of the first quarter, Walpole led 10-6.
In the second quarter, Walpole extended the lead to 12 points, with Adams setting the pace through her aggressive defense and timely scoring. The Timberwolves’ fast-paced offense featured contributions from all positions, including a highlight play where Gallivan delivered a perfect bounce pass to Adams for a layup. Walpole led 26-16 at halftime.
Milton fought back in the third quarter, cutting the lead to five points, but Walpole regained control. Sophomore Emily Mulgrew provided a spark off the bench, scoring eight straight points, including two three-pointers, to push the lead back to 12. The third quarter ended with Walpole ahead 40-31.
In the final quarter, Coach Wall implemented a 1-3-1 half-court zone defense with the tall and athletic Bingham at the top. The strategy paid off immediately, as Walpole’s lead ballooned to 18 points in just two minutes. This time, there was no repeat of the fourth-quarter shooting woes from the Braintree game. The Timberwolves opened the quarter with a flurry of three-pointers and steals, highlighted by Bingham’s aggressive play, pushing the lead to 51-33 with 6:42 remaining.
Walpole’s largest lead reached 22 points before finishing with a 61-49 victory.
Bingham led all scorers with 22 points, including 8-for-9 shooting from the free-throw line. Adams and Mulgrew each contributed 12 points. For Milton, Victoria Fish and Sophie Fish scored 15 and 12 points, respectively.
The Timberwolves will compete in the Riley Winter Classic in Westwood in February, where they will face teams from Falmouth, Westwood, and Middleboro. Before that, they travel to Oliver Ames High School in Easton for their next game on Friday, December 27.
