May 20, 2020
In her first season with the St. Mary’s girls basketball team, Maiya Bergdorf made a huge impact on the Spartans’ success. After helping lead St. Mary’s to the Division 3 state title this year, Bergdorf has been named the 2019-2020 Item Player of the Year for girls basketball.
A junior forward, Bergdorf led the Spartans in several categories — including points (15.2), rebounds (8.8) and blocks (2.3). Bergdorf was named a Catholic Central League All-Star and a Boston Herald All-Scholastic player, and she is the third player in school history to score at least 400 points in a single season.
Five players were also named to the 2019-2020 All-Item team, with Amber Kiricoples (Peabody), Emily Clough (Marblehead), Niya Morgen (Swampscott), Annie Murphy (Bishop Fenwick) and Mashayla Johnson (English) all earning All-Item honors.
Kiricoples was a team captain for the Tanners as a junior, averaging 8.9 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Her 244 total rebounds were second-most in the Northeastern Conference, and she led Peabody in scoring with 177 total points. A three-sport athlete who also plays soccer and lacrosse, Kiricoples was named team MVP for the Tanners basketball team.
Clough, who was a NEC All-Conference pick, averaged a double-double with 15.2 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in her junior season at Marblehead. She was also a force on the defensive end with 4.1 blocks per game. Her biggest performance of the season came in a win over Danvers, when she put up a huge double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Morgen made an immediate impact on the Big Blue as a freshman, earning NEC All-Conference honors in her first year with the team. Morgen put up an impressive 26-point performance in a win over Classical and was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Murphy caught a tough break at the end of her junior season with an injury that forced her to miss the state tournament, but her impact on the Fenwick girls basketball team was hard to ignore. A CCL All-Star and MVP of the Fenwick Christmas Tournament, Murphy averaged a double-double this past season with 13.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. She also showed off her defensive prowess with 2.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
Johnson earned NEC All-Star honors in her final season with the Bulldogs, capping off a career that helped English get back to the state tournament with a 14-6 record. She has committed to continue her basketball career in college, with plans to play at Massasoit Community College next season.
Also getting named to the Item All-Star team for the 2019-2020 season were Nicolette D’Itria, Olivia Matela, Gabby Torres and Yirsy Queliz (St. Mary’s); Kylia Reynoso and Jessica Ruiz (English); Jean Gupton-Morrison and Ava Thurman (Classical); Alondra Sanchez and Iranis Julio (Tech); Taylor Bogdanski, Jillian Ricupero, Kiley Ronan and Molly Granara (Saugus); Liz Gonzalez and Veronica Tache (Bishop Fenwick); Tori Morelli and Grace Klonsky (Lynnfield); Maddy Lowy, Maddie Erskine and Leila Walton (Marblehead); Georgia Leon and Emma Bloom (Peabody); Maddie Hudson and Brooke Matela (Swampscott); Maura Dorr (Winthrop).
By Mike Along