Rams finale, Gigi, and more!

By Steev Riccardo

High school basketball is officially over for the local teams, with the Shepherd Hill Rams girl’s team being the last of the locals to finish its season.

The Lady Rams didn’t go without a fight before bowing out to Holy Name on Thursday night. It was also the end of the Meghan Fornaro era and what we like to call “Fornaro Mania,” as the senior star played her last game in a Shepherd Hill uniform, scoring 26 points in an outstanding losing effort.

Fornaro said after her final game, “I feel sad. I am going to miss them, they are great girls, and we all bonded really good this year and we got close.” On her career in general she said, “It blew by in the blink in the eye. I feel great that I accomplished as much as I did.” Fornaro scored 1000 points in her stellar career at “the Hill.”

Chris D on Fornaro: Bartlett girls’ head basketball coach Chris Delvecchio was at Clark University watching Shepherd Hill play Holy Name and had this to say about the Rams’ star player.  “When she was a sophomore she had the privilege of playing with four seniors who made it all the way to the state tournament. Everything that she has learned from them, she has taken it forward, and she is clearly the leader of this team. She is a very skilled player and combines it with great vision and she makes good decisions on the floor and has great awareness of where her teammates are. She is absolutely the number one reason why they are where they are.”

Gabrielle “Gigi” Guenther: Former Saint Anne’s student and basketball player Gabrielle “Gigi” Guenther, who scored over 1000 points while at the Webster school, has been part of the Holy Name High School’s girls basketball team’s 23-0 (at press time) incredible season. As the back-up point guard, Gigi has had an excellent freshmen year and figures to develop into a star player for the Naps. 

When I caught up to Gigi following the Naps win over Shepherd Hill, she said, “It was a new experience, the transition was really good and my teammates really helped me out and showed me what a team effort is.”  As part of that “team effort,” she found herself guarding Rams’ star Meghan Fornaro and holding her own against the best scorer in Central Mass.  Keep on eye on Gigi Guenther; she has the tools to become a great one!

John Zablocki: I also ran into John Zablocki at the Shepherd Hill game while he was watching his daughter Jordan, who plays for the Rams. The Rams’ “Zab” was with Adam Bonaventura, of Dudley, who told me that his son Pete had a good freshmen year playing for the Holy Name jayvee team and he even saw some time with the varsity squad.

Carla Berube (above): Former Oxford High girl’s basketball star and 1000 career point scorer Carla Berube just completed another successful season as head girl’s basketball coach at Tufts University.  Berube, who is one of the most heralded athletes from the area, also starred for the UCONN Huskies and played in the WNBA. 

Berube’s squad was eliminated from the NCAA tournament on Friday, losing to St. Thomas of Minnesota and ending its season at 23-7.

Kobel College Destination: Bartlett three-sport star Nick Kobel is nearing a decision on where he will be attending college in the fall. The all-star soccer and basketball player has a lot of options and is still weighing them. We think a decision is coming soon.  This writer’s alma mater Framingham State is rumored to be very interested in seeing Kobel play on their soccer field, but they are just one of many possibilities.

Harlem Rockets: Speaking of Kobel, he is part of Webster’s Dream Team, which will be playing against the famous Harlem Rockets on Friday, March 23, at Bartlett High School.  The Dream Team will also include Bartlett players Lindsay Bond and Akeem Belnavis, as well local celebs such as WORC radio personality Adam Webster. The fun starts at 7 p.m. and all proceeds will go the Webster Middle School’s Nature’s Classroom trip. The donation is $10.

Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with any sports news that you would like to see in the View!