Scarlet Hawks match 2024 win total in just 5 games

By Chris Villani

Last season, it took Milford High’s girls' basketball team the entire season to win four games. This year, they got it done before the New Year. Milford won four of its first five contests to match last year’s win total and show significant strides under second-year head coach Austin Costa.

“It definitely feels good,” Costa said. “We have a lot of younger girls who are picking up a bigger role on the team. Practices have been very competitive. It’s been a great second year in the program for myself and the girls are building that culture, it’s been great to see.”

Katelyn Kearnan has led the team in scoring through the early part of the season at around 16 points per game, but she has not been the only Scarlet Hawk to turn in top performances. TJ Downing turned in a 25-point effort against Stoughton, helping MHS to a huge Hockomock League win against one of the teams Costa considers to be an even matchup with his squad.

“You have Franklin, Foxboro, Oliver Ames, those are the big dogs,” he said. “Our big games are against teams like Stoughton, Canton, North Attleboro, Taunton. These are all teams we should be looking to compete with.”

Costa said the team’s success has been driven, in part, by its ability to take care of the ball despite playing an up-tempo game. Ava and Olivia Baglione are key cogs in that aspect of MHS’s game.

“They are keeping up the fast breaks and the high pace of play that we want,” Costa said. “We are continuing to build on some of our defenses and we have incorporated more pressing, just trying to speed up the game for ourselves.”

Milford managed just a single Hockomock League win last year, but Costa’s team exceeded that total before Christmas this year.

“If we can steal a few more, that would be great,” the coach said, “and can edge us up towards the top of the Kelley-Rex Division.”

Playing aggressively while also taking care of the basketball will be crucial for Milford to continue its early success.

“I think it’s definitely going to come down to controlling turnovers and being more efficient when we get the ball,” Costa said. “We want to make sure we are playing under control. If we can do that, we will give ourselves a chance in every game.”