Wilbur-McMahon Girls' Basketball Posts Second Straight Unblemished Record

Very quietly, a basketball dynasty is maturing on the southeastern tip of Newport County.

Under Coach Erin Houlihan, the girls’ basketball team recently completed its second straight perfect season. Comprised of eighth-grade and seventh-grade students, the Eagles soared to a 19-0 record this past winter, capped by winning the championship of the Rocky Hill School/The Pennfield School Tournament in early March.

“I am so pleased with the way our girls played and progressed this year,” said Houlihan, first grade teacher at the school. “They all came to practice every day and they all worked hard to improve themselves. They just love to play basketball.”

And to win. After posting 16 successive regular-season victories, Wilbur-McMahon blew through the Rocky Hill School/The Pennfield School Tournament by eliminating St. Michael’s School of Newport (45-19) and The Pennfield School of Portsmouth (33-12) in the first two rounds and holding off West Bay Christian Academy of North Kingstown (39-35) in the title clash. The Eagles’ first two tourney contests were played at The Pennfield School, while the championship game was held at the Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich.

Also entered in the tournament were co-host Rocky Hill, Barrington Christian Academy, Friends Academy of Dartmouth, Mass., and Sophia Academy of Providence.

“The championship game was really intense,” Houlihan said. “We were ahead most of the way and led by 10 points at halftime, but we played without a couple of our regulars and West Bay made a nice comeback in the second half. However, we finally held them off to win the championship.”

Wilbur-McMahon’s roster included eighth-graders Theresa Gallagher, Emma Dwinell, Briana Turcotte, Danielle Emond, Kathryn Maiato, Jessica Allder, Jessica Zarriello and Libby Goulart along with seventh-graders Haley Alves, Haley Oliveira, Stevie-Rae Travers and Vanessa Couto.

In regular-season play, the Eagles defeated regional middle-school rivals such as Portsmouth Middle School, Gaudet Middle School of Middletown, Thompson Junior High of Newport, St. Philomena’s School of Portsmouth, Friends Academy and Block Island School. A strong defensive squad, Wilbur-McMahon was also a potent offensive club.

“These girls know how to run, they pass well and they look for each other so well,” Houlihan said. “They’re great kids.”

While emphasizing that the Eagles adhered to the team concept all season, Houlihan also said that Turcotte was the team’s best shooter; Gallagher “knows how to take the ball to the hole and finish;” Oliveira is a quality shooter; and Alves was the squad’s leading rebounder.

A graduate of Rogers High of Newport (where she still ranks as the all-time leading girls’ basketball scorer in school annals) and Keene State College of Keene, N.H., Houlihan said this year’s team exceeded her expectations.

“We played a tougher schedule this year and it was the first time we played in the Rocky Hill/Pennfield tournament,” Houlihan said. “All these girls were a joy to coach and many have the ability to keep playing the game for many years.”