Rhode Island's greatest high school girls basketball players

Rhode Island and basketball seem to go hand-in-hand.

Today, we're focusing on the 10 best high school girls basketball athletes to come out of Rhode Island high schools. Lists like this always have the inherent danger of excluding several deserving names, but it would be hard to exclude any of these choices for Top 10 high school girls basketball players to ever play in Rhode Island.

This is part of USA TODAY Sports' initiative to celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time — part of which is to spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture — including the high school athletes.

We started by looking at the local heroes of the gridiron, and last week we looked at the boys basketball players who helped define the sport in Rhode Island. This week, it's the girls basketball stars. Here are our selections for the players who defined Rhode Island high school school girls basketball. The rankings here are less important than simply being included on the list. And be sure to take the poll at the end of the story to tell us who you think is No. 1!

Christina Batastini in a 2006 photo.

1. Christina Batastini, Classical

Team success didn’t find Batastini with the Purple but everyone in that era could quickly point out the state’s best talent. Batastini was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in 1994-95 and 1995-96 before joining a Stanford program that reached the Final Four in her first season. Batastini played in 116 games at guard over four seasons with the Cardinal, a national power under coach Tara VanDerveer. Batastini moved into coaching after her playing career, currently leading St. Andrew’s and a possible staff selection with the Team USA 3x3 program for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Moses Brown's Lauren Bousquet celebrates 3-pointer during the girls state basketball championship game against Barrington at the Ryan Center on March 17, 2024.

2. Lauren Bousquet, Moses Brown

Bousquet was one of the most unique players in state history, with size, strength and guard skills Rhode Island girls basketball had never seen. She wasted little time to become a star for the Quakers and guided the team to the state championship in 2024. Bousquet had one of the most impressive games in state history in a loss in the 2025 state title game, scoring 42 points to go with 23 rebounds. She finished her career at Moses Brown with more than 2,000 career points and will play collegiately at Marist University.

Bryant women's basketball head coach Mary Burke gives her team some direction from the sidelines during a game at the Chace Athletic Center at Bryant in December 2014.

3. Mary Burke, Toll Gate

A multisport star for the Titans, Burke was a three-time All-State basketball pick and named Rhode Island’s Schoolgirl Athlete of the year. She went on to star at Providence College, helping the Friars earn an NCAA Tournament bid, and graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer. Burke went on to become the head coach for the Bryant University women’s team, and in 2007, was inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame.

Davida Dale playing for Juanita Sanchez in 2015.

4. Davida Dale, La Salle, St. Andrew’s, Juanita Sanchez

She was a star the second she stepped on the court for the Rams. The Providence native transferred to St. Andrew’s and finished her high school basketball career at Juanita Sanchez, where she was ranked as one of the country’s top 100 players. Dale went on to play collegiately at Syracuse University before transferring to the University of Rhode Island and went on to play professionally overseas.

5. Andrea Mangum, St. Raphael

Mangum was the state’s first girls Gatorade Player of the Year in 1985-86 while leading the unbeaten Saints to a Class B championship. She followed with four strong seasons at Providence College, the dominant program in the Big East at the time. Mangum helped power the Friars to a conference tournament championship in 1990 and became the third women’s player in program history to have her number retired. She finished with 1,679 points and more than 1,000 rebounds with Providence.

Chelsea Marandola on the court for Johnston in 2004.

6. Chelsea Marandola, Johnston

No one in Rhode Island high school basketball — boy or girl — scored more points than Marandola, who amassed 2,632 in her four-year career for the Panthers. She was a four-time First Team All-State selection and was twice named Gatorade Player of the Year. Marandola went on to star at Providence College and graduated as the third-leading scorer in program history.

Lincoln's Bethany O'Dell scored more than 2,400 points during her high school basketball career.

7. Bethany O’Dell, Lincoln

O’Dell was a walking bucket for the Lions, scoring more than 2,400 points in her career that saw her guide the team to two state championships. A two-time First Team All-State selection and Gatorade Player of the Year, O’Dell went on to play collegiately at Holy Cross and was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and conference tournament Most Valuable Player on a Crusaders team that made the NCAA Tournament in 2007.

La Salle's Shannon Perry and her mother, Robin, celebrate after she had scored her 2000th career point during a game against Classical.

8. Shannon Perry, La Salle

Perry was one of the most feared players in Rhode Island high school basketball history. The talented guard scored more than 2,200 points during her career at La Salle that saw her earn four All-State spots and named Gatorade Player of the Year three times. Perry went on to play at Syracuse University, where she had the second-best field goal percentage in program history, before wrapping up her college career at Bryant University.

9. Stephanie Perry, Central

Perry graduated from Central as the all-time leading scorer with 2,364 points in three seasons, an average of about 32 points per game for her career. Perry led the Knights to the Class B title her first year and the Class A championship as a senior. She then committed to play basketball at the University of Maryland.

Julie Stockwell, Ponaganset

An integral part of the Chieftains’ dynasty that ruled the hardwood in the late 1990s, Stockwell was a three-time All-State pick and graduated as the best scorer in school history. She went on to play collegiately at Stonehill College, for which she scored 1,430 points and grabbed 869 rebounds, ranking her top 11 in both stats in program history. Stockwell was inducted into the Stonehill Hall of Fame in 2015.

Honorable Mentions

Kasey Devine, North Kingstown; Trinity Hull, Cranston East; Oluchi Ezemma, Moses Brown; Kate Lynch, La Salle; Allegra Schell, Central; Joanna Skiba, Classical

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island's greatest high school girls basketball players