Waltham resident Gillian Lamb helps The Cambridge School of Weston basketball team to league title

Typically when a coach is taking over a team for the first time, it is natural to expect some growing pains.

The Cambridge School of Weston girls basketball coach Madisyn Gomez bucked that trend this season, however, notching a 16-2 record and an Independent Girls Conference championship.

“I just graduated college in May, so I didn’t think I was going to be in the head coach role until the year started,” Gomez said. “I knew they were coming from a rough place going 5-12 last year and they didn’t really have high hopes. I was more focused on going into the year and having it be a mental win for them, maybe breaking .500 and being an even team. I definitely didn’t think after the first week that we were going to win a championship and set a program record for wins. I was really just trying to make this a year of personal growth and development for the girls rather than anything else.”

The Gryphons won every single team game they played, netting a remarkable turnaround from the previous campaign.

“We had really great leadership this year,” Gomez said. “We had a sense of continuity. Coming into this year and seeing the athleticism that we had, I doubled down on the fact that we don’t have to be the most talented and skilled team to put up a fight. That hustle, energy, and effort and playing until the whistle blows, we got a lot of wins under our belt having that mentality.”

This mindset was spearheaded by Gillian Lamb, a junior from Waltham. Lamb returned to the team after taking a year off from hoops and made a considerable difference. 

“We were really pushing for her to come back this year,” Gomez said. “She is a great athlete.”

Lamb entered the school year with her main focus being on varsity volleyball with basketball taking a back seat. This winter allowed Lamb to develop a newfound love for the game.

“She came into the season not saying that basketball was a huge passion of hers,” Gomez said. “She has left the season absolutely loving it and can’t wait to come back next year, putting in work in the offseason. The growth that I saw from her was incredible this year.”

Lamb displayed her grit in the Gryphons championship win over Boston Trinity Academy. After missing a week of practice leading up to the decisive game due to illness, Lamb overcame the adversity to knock down a trio of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to lead her team to victory.

“I went up to her and I was like, ‘Gil, we really need you. Can you go back in?’ And she said, ‘I got this,’” Gomez said.

Throughout the season, Lamb brought a hard-nosed approach to the floor and set a great example for her teammates.

“She takes a backseat vocally,” Gomez said. “But she is the first one in the gym every day and the last one after practice asking for one-on-one help. Offensively, she is a gifted 3-point shooter. Defensively, she is what every coach wants as a hustle player. She is everywhere, all at once with active hands, doing everything she can.”

Typically reserved off the court, Lamb cracked her teammates and coaches up by her shift in approach competitively.

“We laugh because she is kind of a different person when she is playing basketball. She’s screaming on the court when she hits a shot, flexing,” Lamb said. “She has been huge in helping our team — such a consistent producer.”