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HOPEDALE – Being the center of attention does not suit Phoebe Carroll.
Hopedale’s junior forward/center prefers to pass to her teammates and help the Blue Raiders win on the basketball court.
She needed 16 points against Dual Valley Conference rival Nipmuc to score 1,000 for her career. There were still at least five games in the regular season plus an additional playoff game at minimum if Carroll didn’t hit the mark Friday. Plus she still has another full year of varsity next season. Yet Carroll still felt pressure to cross the threshold in a packed gym for senior night.
“I knew it was going to be a special night,” Carroll said. “I was nervous for this game, just to see how it was gonna go.”
After she dropped nine points in the first quarter, the milestone seemed in hand. Then came a scoreless second quarter and a trip to the locker room for halftime. Carroll didn’t shoot around during the warmup period before the first half. She sat on the bench and chatted with Hopedale coach Jason Rojee. It was her only break of the game to that point.
Every one of her baskets that went in during the second half ratcheted up the intensity.
Carroll made 1-of-2 free throws in the fourth quarter to reach 998. The Blue Raiders went all in, leaking her out up the court after rebounds and running out of bounds plays to get her a clean look.
With 5 minutes, 20 seconds remaining and Hopedale up more than 20, the Blue Raiders inbounded the ball to Carroll in the corner. She dribbled around one defender on the wing then lofted a floater over another in the lane. It bounced off the rim once and hung in the air a little longer. She watched the ball until it dropped through the net and breathed. Her teammates collapse on her and jumped with her as the game stopped to acknowledge the milestone.
She met her parents at midcourt for quick hugs and flowers. Her mom Cheryl lifted her up and kissed her on the cheek. Now they’re both members of Hopedale’s 1,000-point club. Cheryl, then Daudelin, was the first Blue Raider to reach the milestone for the girls team. She also did it in January of 1989 but was on the road at Douglas.
There wasn’t as much fanfare. They played before the boys team. A friend brought one sign.
“It was pretty rare back then,” Cheryl said. “There weren’t really 1,000-point scorers.”
Phoebe is Hopedale’s second this season after Patrick Madden achieved the feat at the end of December for the boys team. Bri Frongillo, who scored more than 2,000 in her career, was Hoedale’s last girl 1,000-point scorer as a sophomore in 2020. Carroll knows she won’t eclipse that mark, but she has another scoring milestone in her sights now: her mom’s. Cheryl scored 1,100 points for the Blue Raiders and wants her only daughter to go further. She coached Phoebe when she first started playing until eighth grade.
She joined Hopedale’s varsity team as an eighth grader. Phoebe teamed with Frongillo and current senior MacKenzie Reynolds to win a state championship. She grabbed 23 rebounds in the title game.
“She always had it in her,” Hopedale coach Jason Rojee said.
After Frongillo graduated, Carroll needed to become more of a scorer and a leader. She’s grown as both and become the focal point of Hopedale’s offense and defense with her ability to lead a press, guard the open floor and protect the lane before transitioning to bringing the ball up the floor, initiating or finishing an offensive possession.
“It’s been an honor watching Phoebe grow into the person she’s become. We were both like scared little kids coming into the team,” Reynolds said. “It’s crazy seeing her grow into the captain and mentor to all the girls. She went from this quiet to dominant person on the court, and she’s here for every single one of us.”
Contact Kyle Grabowski at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.
