The Worcester Academy girls team searched for answers back on Nov. 22. In the immediate aftermath of a 74-37 loss to Tilton, solutions weren’t apparent to the heap of problems before them.
They just knew they never wanted to have that feeling again.
“We could have easily folded there, but I think it shows who was on our team,” said senior guard Saige Youngberg. “We had a bunch of girls who were like, ‘This is not how our season is going to go.’”
It took time, but the group began to enjoy the fruits of its labor. Only months later did they earn the most savory reward of all.
Worcester Academy was crowned NEPSAC Class AA champions after ousting Darrow in a down-to-the-wire battle. Raising the trophy was far more than just the culmination of their tournament run – it signified their concluding remark on a major turnaround.
Almost four months prior, when they lost by 37 points to Tilton, the eventual Class AAA champion, the final score would go into the books as the Hilltoppers’ largest margin of defeat all season.
“We didn't really know how to respond at that moment after that Tilton loss. It kind of felt like, ‘You know what? We all can just give up. We're not going to be able to come back from that,’” senior guard Elyse MacDonough said. “But everybody on our team had the complete opposite mindset of that.”
It was just the second game on their schedule. Worcester Academy had lost multiple starters from the previous season and was still crafting its formula for success.
Turnover had also extended beyond the players themselves.
Dan Sullivan entered as first-year coach of the program, having spent the preceding 11 years as an assistant for their boys counterpart under coach Jamie Sullivan. Coincidentally, the Worcester Academy boys also reached the NEPSAC mountaintop this season with its third Class AA crown in four years.
Buoyed by that background, championship culture was second nature to Sullivan when he embraced the girls gig. He already learned it, taught it and lived it.
“They saw the success that the boys program has had. They can see the picture,” Sullivan said. “It's not some vision that you can't really see. It's tangible, right there.”
He quickly found that the roster was a bit inverted. Aside from 6-foot-1 junior forward Ella Getz (Wayland, Mass.), there wasn’t much size to work with on the inside. Strength came from their guard play – headlined by MacDonough (South Burlington, Vt.), Youngberg (Wales, Mass.) and sophomore Gracyn Barnes (Grafton, Mass.).
There was also considerable talent at his disposal. MacDonough and Getz went Division 1 in committing to St. Bonaventure and New Hampshire, respectively, while Youngberg chose Division 2 Mercy as her next destination.
The Hilltoppers began the season at just 5-8, but amid their struggles through non-Class AA play, they remained resolute.
“We (didn’t) see the losses as stings on our permanent record. We took that as a part of this process,” Sullivan said. “Thirty-game season, it's a long season. You don't have to be your best in November or December. They realized that, and put it into action.”
First it was two straight wins – something they hadn’t achieved all season. Then three. Then four.
Worcester Academy ripped off a seven-game winning streak from Jan. 18 to Feb. 1, and by the time the regular season came to a close, had assembled a 14-2 run. It secured the No. 2 seed in the Class AA tournament as Getz, MacDonough and Youngberg were all named NEPSGBA All-Stars.
Bonds strengthened throughout their turnaround.
“We're more of a family than we are a team, and I think that this year, everyone loved everyone. Everyone played for everyone,” MacDonough said. “It was never an individual game… I've been on teams in the past where we win and we're still not happy.”
The playoffs were short and sweet. After rolling past No. 3 seed Wilbraham & Monson in the semifinals, the group fended off No. 5 seed Darrow in the championship. Worcester Academy trailed 21-8 early in the second quarter, and 46-38 late in the third.
But just as was demanded of them way back in the beginning of the season, the Hilltoppers dug deep and found resiliency.
“They've been dealt a lot of obstacles, both individually and collectively over the past year,” Sullivan said. “And they stuck with it. They stayed together, and just found a way.”
MacDonough was named tournament MVP, the final honor of her high school career that started out strong when she won the 2021-22 Vermont Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year as a sophomore at Rice Memorial.
The early-season schedule was tough, and their 5-8 start reflected a rocky road. But now they have the program’s first Class AA title since 2019 to show for their journey.
It grants a certain sentiment – far removed from how they felt just before Thanksgiving break.
“The feelings, they can't compare,” Youngberg said.
