Meet Spaulding High School girls basketball's 4 senior leaders: 'We all want to win'

ROCHESTER — One by one, they trickled out of the gymnasium, and walked into the foyer at the Community Center.

First it was Jenna Philbrook, Mackenzie Brochu was next, Jade Trueman followed, and lastly, it was Hannah Drew.

The one common theme each senior brought up was the chemistry of this year’s Spaulding High School girls basketball team, how it’s better than last year, and how it’s leading to wins early this season.

Head coach Scott Blake agreed. He said team chemistry, led by these four players, has sparked the Red Raiders through the first six games of this Division I regular season. Spaulding’s 4-2 record leaves it one win from matching last year’s win total, and currently in a two-way deadlock for eighth place in the 21-team Division I.

“Absolutely, I see the team chemistry this season,” said Blake, entering his third year as Spaulding’s head coach. “We really didn’t have any senior leadership last year. We had a couple of good players, but no real leaders. We struggled with that last year; we won five games and probably should've won eight or nine games. This year, the girls are doing a lot more things together and that really has brought them together more than they were last year.”

Success is years in making

Philbrook, Brochu and Trueman were all freshmen playing varsity in the 2019-20 season, when the Red Raiders were declared Division II co-champions were Lebanon. Drew joined Spaulding the following year as a sophomore, having spent her freshman season at Noble High School.

The three holdovers from the championship season valued the team chemistry they were part of as freshmen. After not seeing that last year, they vowed to instill that much-needed team attribute this year.

“I remember having a lot of fun freshman year,” said Brochu. “It was laid back, but a competitive (environment), and it helped us in games. Last year, I didn’t think we had that, but we’re getting it back and I think that’s helping us win some games this season.”

Trueman said there was pressure on herself, Philbrook and Brochu being freshman on that team with upperclassmen such as Mary Paradis, Abby Ward and Ambra Breakfield.

“It was a lot of pressure, but our teammates were there to help us, especially the upperclassmen who built you up and made you have better confidence in yourself,” Trueman said. “We have that chemistry back this year, and (us seniors) are doing our best to keep building the program.”

“The upperclassmen believed in us,” said Philbrook, who started as a freshman. “They helped me get my confidence.”

More:Spaulding boys hockey team raises funds honoring classmate Averie Marcotte, battling leukemia

Brochu was the first one off the bench as a freshman.

“That year was really fun,” she said. “The upperclassmen were funny, they really helped us as freshmen. They welcomed us on the team, but they reminded us we were freshmen.”

Drake was anxious to play at Spaulding when she arrived as a sophomore, and has “high hopes” for the Red Raiders this season. She agreed that this year has been more enjoyable than last.

“I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s more team bonding, but our team chemistry is so much better this year,” she said. “We play so well as a team. The chemistry is great, and it helps us a lot. When the game is getting tough and instead of getting on each other, we’re working together and bringing each other; it’s good energy on the team.”

Unselfishness breeds success

Another thing that Blake loves about this year’s Spaulding team is the unselfish play from these four seniors.

“One night it might be (Trueman), the next game it might be (Philbrook) and it could be (Drew or Brochu) the next,” Blake said. “It’s like who is going to hot this game. They figure it out and say ‘you have the hot hand; I am going to give the ball to you. Last year, that wasn’t the case at all, and you can see the difference.”

More:Fifteen Seacoast girls basketball players to watch from 10 high schools in 2022-23

The unselfishness of the four seniors can be seen in the team statistics through the six games. The quartet is collectively averaging 39.6 points and 27.4 rebounds, and there was no giant disparity between the category leader, and the fourth.

Case in point, Trueman leads Spaulding in both scoring (10.5 points a game) and rebounds (8.8). Drew is averaging 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds, Brochu averages 9.6 points and 6 rebounds, and Philbrook averages 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds.

All that has translated into four wins, and a pair of single-digit losses.

“I really think this group can win double-digit games in the regular season, anywhere from 10 to 14 games,” Blake said. “The league is dealing with Bishop Guertin and Bedford, they are above everybody else. Portsmouth is very good and BG beat them by 25 (60-35). You look and you’re like ‘OMG.’” If we can avoid BG or Bedford in the first round, I think we could be a final four team if things go well.”

The seniors also like the potential of this year’s group, and say a run to the semifinals is definitely within reach.

“I believe we can go far if we keep working hard and working as a team,” Philbrook said. “The final four game (freshman year) was a lot of fun. It’s gone by really quickly. I look back at the photos (from freshman year) and go ‘wow, that was three years ago,’ it’s crazy.”

“I see us going pretty far,” Brochu said. “We have great chemistry and a lot of skill, so, we’ll see. We have all progressed since freshman year, especially (Trueman), she’s a big part of our team this year.”

Trueman believes the Red Raiders have the “potential to go far” in this year’s tournament, and Drew said the team is ready to “grind and work hard in the gym.”

“We all want to win,” Drew said.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Spaulding High School girls basketball: Four seniors tout chemistry