The St. Mary’s High School girls basketball team will celebrate its Division 3 state championship at an awards banquet May 4 at Danversport.
Reese Matela, a senior captain on the 2024-25 team, was a big reason why the Spartans added another title to their collection. Matela scored nine points in St. Mary’s 46-38 victory over Norwell in the state final at Tsongas Center in Lowell.
More important than her points and rebounds, Matela established her presence early in the game and drew the considerable attention of the Norwel frontcourt, and that opened up the floor for her teammates, including sophomore phenom Bella Owumi, who led all scorers with 19 points. Matela was also highly effective on defense and in the rebounding department as St. Mary’s held a high-scoring Norwell contingent to its lowest point total of the season.
When St. Mary’s needed points in the decisive fourth quarter as Norwell launched a comeback, head coach Jeff Newhall looked to Matela in the low post. In an effort to contain St. Mary’s 6-foot-2-inch center, the Norwell defense committed fouls on Matela, who delivered some key tosses at the free throw line.
“You saw the confidence we have in Reese,” Newhall told several reporters after the state championship game. “She’s our center, and we’re running our full-court out-of-bounds plays to get her the ball or put her on the line. She has had a knack for hitting some big shots in the big games. Reese is certainly a big part of us being one of top teams in the entire state.”
Matela had some big shoes to fill within her own talented family. Her sister, Olivia Matela, who just wrapped up an excellent career at Emmanuel College with 1,226 points, had produced one of the most clutch baskets in St. Mary’s history, draining a three-pointer with eight seconds left that helped the Spartans defeat two-time state champion Archbishop Williams, 62-59, at the TD Garden. Ultimately, that basket led to another state championship for St. Mary’s as the state final was canceled due to COVID-19.
Reese carried on the Matela tradition of winning and overall excellence, emerging as a star player who will now continue her basketball career at Assumption College.
The Lynn Journal posed some questions to Reese Matela for this story. Here are Reese’s responses:
Did it give you confidence in the state championship game that the team was often looking to get the basketball to you for scoring opportunities?
Honestly, going into any big games we’ve had I’ve always had confidence in my teammates looking to get me the ball down low. In this game I think the only thing that was different was my spacing that gave them a clean passing lane.
Was it important to get into the flow of the game in the first quarter and establish your inside game?
Yes. I wanted to set the tone for our team that would open up the outside shooters.
What was it like when the clock was winding down and you knew your team had won a state championship in the final game of your career?
It’s hard to put it into words! There was excitement and so many other emotions going through me. Especially when my teammates ran up to me and we started hugging each other. It was a great way to end my career.
Please describe your basketball experience at St. Mary’s. Was it exciting to play in so many big games and tournaments?
It was a dream come true! When I was younger, I was watching my sister Olivia compete for championships and knew then I wanted the same experience, and it happened.
How instrumental was Coach Jeff Newhall in your improvement and progression as a basketball player?
Coach Newhall had confidence in me and gave me my first meaningful playing time as a sophomore in a playoff game against Fenwick. From there he encouraged me to be the best that I could be. I think more than anything he helped me build my character as a player and a person.
Where were you in the Garden when your sister Olivia hit the game-winning shot for the state championship? Were you inspired by Olivia’s success at St. Mary’s?
I was sitting with my parents when the shot happened! It was very exciting. There is no question that her work ethic and experience inspired me.
Are you looking forward to playing college basketball at Assumption?
I am so excited and looking forward to taking my game to the next level. I know it will be a challenge and I’ll be ready to meet it.