By Ken Chaisson
This is the 70th year of Walpole girls’ high school basketball. The 1955–56 squad was coached by physical education teacher Phyllis McBride. Helen Betro (Howard) was the team captain.
While the first varsity event held in the fieldhouse was the wrestling quad on Saturday, January 17, 2026, the official grand opening was the doubleheader basketball games against Norwood on Thursday, January 22. The girls introduced the sparkling Walpole fieldhouse in its first game in front of an overflowing crowd.
All-Scholastic senior captain Bella Bingham became Walpole’s 9th girls’ 1,000 point scorer against Wellesley on January 6. She joined Nicole Wolff (2,000+), Hope Sanborn (Moriarty), Meghan Sullivan (Crow), Kerri Sullivan, Summer King, Kelly Fogarty, Sydney Scales and Izzy Adams in the exclusive club.
Walpole (7–3) is ranked #11 in the Boston Globe poll as well as 7th in the MIAA power rankings for Division 2. Their three defeats have been nailbiters to top teams including a 50–48 setback to #2 Bishop Feehan on Martin Luther King Day.
The Ladytimbs are led by senior captains Tori Adams, Abby McMann and Bingham. Bingham and Adams are returning Bay State Conference all-stars.
New head coach Sean McInnis takes the reins of the girls’ team this season as ten year veteran Dave Wall moved over to the Braintree boys’ team. McInnis has instituted an up-tempo, pressing and running system which has borne fruit for the balanced Timberwolves’ squad.
Norwood (9–1) was ranked right behind Walpole at #12 but one notch ahead in the power rankings. Norwood has won the last few matchups against the Timberwolves. That ended this year.
Twenty seconds into the game, junior Katie McDonald splashed a three pointer from the wing to score the first basket in the history of the fieldhouse as Walpole jumped out to leads of 6-0 and 9-2 before the Mustangs narrowed the gap by the end of the first quarter to 11-10.
Walpole extended their lead by halftime to 27–21. In the last few seconds of the half, McMann had a big blocked shot and Adams took it coast to coast to pad the lead.
The Ladytimbs came out strong in the third quarter stretching their lead to twelve, 35–23, on a natural three point play by Bingham. Then a drought hit. Walpole scored only three points in the next nine minutes. With 5:21 to go in the game, Norwood took their first lead, 40–38.
But those last five minutes became Bingham time as she asserted her dominance, stuffing the stat sheet at both ends of the court: a steal, a basket, a rebound, a block and an assist. The captain was not to be denied tonight. Adams and junior Emily Mulgrew hit key free throws to close it out.
In another tournament-toughener, Walpole won 46–41.
Bingham finished with 18 points, McMann had 10 points, and Adams chipped in nine.
Future conference challenges are slated against Braintree, Natick and a rematch with Needham. The LadyTimbs are also scheduled to play in the IAABO 27 Comcast Tournament at Emmanuel College against Cathedral on February 14th.
