In Peabody, it’s a party of five
Bettencourt sisters and cousins account for half the Tanners’ roster
When Peabody girls’ basketball coach Stan McKeen and his friend, Eddie Bettencourt, spoke this past summer, they chuckled about the possibility of five of Bettencourts — including two of Eddie’s granddaughters — sharing the court together one day.
“Wouldn’t it be something?” Bettencourt said.
“Well, you never know,” McKeen responded.
Sure enough, against Beverly early this season, five Bettencourts played simultaneously for the Tanners (3-0). On a roster of 10 players, half share the same surname.
Senior captain Taylor Bettencourt and her sister, Ally, a sophomore, plus their cousins: Isabel, a senior captain, and her sisters, Abby ( junior) and Lizzy (freshman), made history together. The Beverly announcer tried to keep up, but it wasn’t easy. Taylor said it was an indescribable feeling to collectively experience such a unique adrenaline rush.
The Bettencourts are well known on the North Shore — Taylor and Ally’s father, Ted, is the mayor of Peabody, and Isabel, Abby, and Lizzy’s father, Mark ,is the school’s football and baseball coach. First cousins Ted and Mark played basketball together at Peabody High in the early 1990s, and they’ve passed their love of the sport to their children.
“There’s probably more pressure on them than most kids because of the situation, but they handle it very well,” McKeen said. “They’re a unique bunch. They’re just sweethearts.”
This isn’t a random occurrence. Far from it. When Taylor and Isabel were around 10, all five cousins made the short trip to Danvers Indoor Sports for private lessons.
They also learned from their fathers, who coached their youth teams. They often stayed at the local courts all day to watch one another play.
As freshmen, it hit Taylor and Isabel that as long as everyone made varsity, they would get the chance to play together during the 2022-23 season.
“We all made it,” Taylor Bettencourt said. “It’s just a really happy experience.”
When they’re on the floor, it’s a natural five without any tinkering necessary: starting point guard Taylor (11.6 points per game), starting shooting guard Abby (13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds), reserve guard/forward Ally, starting small forward Isabel, and reserve center Lizzy.
The Tanners have seven full-time varsity players and three swings, including Lizzy.
“We joke about that at practice,” Isabel Bettencourt said. “If you’re ever in doubt, say, ‘Hey, Bettencourt!’”
Their familiarity with one another pays dividends on and off the court. When the pressure of games hits, they turn to one another for comic relief and support. When the defense collapses, they often know where the other Bettencourts will be without looking.
They celebrated Christmas Eve with close to 60 family members, as they do every year, and exchanged gifts. For Isabel and Taylor, that gift is almost always a picture of the two together from basketball.
“Obviously all of us on the team are family, but to have your real family by your side, on the bench and on the court, is so fun,” Taylor said.
McKeen said he’s never witnessed any disagreement or animosity from the group.
He’s seen Taylor and Isabel organically mentor their younger siblings and help them adjust to the rigors of varsity basketball.
“They feed off of each other,” McKeen said. “They’re very unselfish players and unselfish kids and are very team oriented. I think that comes from their parents. I couldn’t ask for better kids.”
He’s also never observed them flaunting their status as the mayor’s and football/baseball coach’s daughters.
Isabel acknowledged the pressure can be tough at times, with everyone watching, but they’re grateful for the perks that their situation brings.
“Everyone’s looking out for you and wants you to succeed,” Isabel said. “There’s always someone there for you, whether it’s someone in the community or one of the other coaches. Everyone is looking to help you.”
They also realize they’re far from alone on the court. Logan Lomasney, the reigning Northeast Conference Most Valuable Player, and Lauryn Mendonca, among others, complement the Bettencourts well.
Once this season is over, and Isabel and Taylor graduate, opposing teams can breathe a bit easier — for the time being.
The only catch? There’s another Bettencourt on the way: Taylor and Ally’s sister, eighth-grader Avery, is next in line.
Courtside chatter
▪ Mansfield needed a fourth team for this week’s Hearts for Hope Tournament. The Hornets posted the opening, and in a stroke of luck, Carlsbad, a public high school with an enrollment of 2,300-plus in California, had just had its tournament in New Jersey cancelled.
Carlsbad defeated Mansfield, 46-37, in the first round Tuesday night, played Franklin, another Hockomock League team Wednesday night, and will play Westwood in Thursday’s final.
To Mansfield coach Heather McPherson, this was a unique chance for local teams to experience a different style of play.
“It kind of just shows that basketball is so much more than just a sport, it’s about just the community,” she said. “And not only just for the Hearts for Hope Tournament, but to bring teams from different states in on it is just a really cool thing to do.”
▪ Dennis-Yarmouth (3-0) is out to back up its run to the Division 3 second round last season, which included the program’s first state tournament win in 27 years. But the Dolphins have plenty of state championship experience.
One leader is Grace Presswood, who starred on this fall’s Division 3 finalbound volleyball team, as well as crosscountry runners Siena Lauze and Chloe Azoff, who spearheaded a third-place team finish in the Division 2 All-State race. They help lead a balanced team that likes to play fast.
“We essentially play with five guards on the floor at all times,” coach Mike Freeman said. “So far on the season, we have seven girls averaging 7 points per game. So they’re spreading the ball around and that’s what’s going to make us successful.”
▪ Winchester (5-0) only has 10 players on the varsity team. The Red & Black have been unfazed by a bout with the flu, beating Belmont with seven players, and absent three starters, last week.
Junior Emily Collins is one of the early stars, averaging 24 points and nearly 16 rebounds per game.
“She’s stepped up as a leader this year, both on and off the court, and has been doing a lot of things for the team,” coach Sam Mosley said. “Some days, she’ll play the point guard, and some days she’ll be playing in the center.” Along with Collins, senior Claire English is averaging 12.6 points and 16.5 rebounds.