As the MIAA State Tournament gets underway, St. Mary’s finds itself once again the team to beat in Division 3.
The six-time state champion Spartans enter the tournament as the top overall seed and the clear-cut favorite to win the title once again. St. Mary’s lone two losses this year came to out-of-state power Saint Joseph’s Academy and Division 2 front-runner Medfield.
“We benefit from playing in the Catholic Central League where night in and night out you are playing some of the top girls teams in the state,” St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newhall said. “To me, we play the best schedule in the state and that prepares us for this time.”
Fourth-seeded Medway looks like St. Mary’s most probable state semifinal opponent but that is no guarantee. North Reading enters the field as a dangerous No. 12 seed while No. 5 Pittsfield went 20-1 with a marquee win over Division 1 power Springfield Central. On the other side, No. 2 Foxborough is on a quest to win a third straight title and has the pieces to do so. A round of eight matchup with No. 7 Pentucket would be of interest. Norwell, which has not lost since Dec. 27, looks poised to be waiting for Foxboro or Pentucket in the state semifinals.
“There is a lot of unfamiliarity I think for all teams in the Division 3 bracket,” Newhall said. “I think that’s a good thing. The story for us though is the same as it’s been all year. We have to play at our highest level to accomplish our ultimate goal.”
The Division 1 tournament is shaping up to be a doozy. Wachusett, fresh off wins over No. 8 Central Catholic and No. 9 Franklin to end the regular season, enters the postseason as the top dog. There are plenty of landmines for the Mountaineers. Either the Panthers or Raiders are likely set for a rematch with the Mountaineers in the Round of 8. Fourth-seeded Braintree had a hiccup down the stretch but nevertheless held opponents to fewer than 40 points six times in its final eight games. A second round matchup for the Wamps with either No. 13 Needham or No. 20 Andover will not be a breeze.
Amy Dolores’ group at Bishop Feehan is poised to make another run. If chalk holds, the second-seeded Shamrocks will face an intriguing battle against No. 7 Quincy who possesses a size advantage in forwards Niamh Gendron and Alyssa Hopps.
Sixth-seeded Natick drew attention by capturing the Mansfield Roundball Tournament with wins over Braintree and Westford Academy. The second round for the Redhawks, however, promises to be one versus a Bay State Conference foe in either No. 11 Framingham or No. 22 Brookline.
The Tri-Valley League has its fingerprints all over the Division 2 bracket as No. 1 Medfield and third-seeded Norwood enter as the early favorites to reach the final. Medfield is led by sophomore star Naya Annigeri who is averaging 16.7 points per game. Medfield’s potential final four opponent is up for grabs.
Fourth-seeded Notre Dame (Hingham) has plenty of offensive firepower but a Round of 16 matchup between either No. 13 Mansfield or No. 20 Masconomet would be no blowout. North Quincy holds a season sweep over Quincy and a win over Patriot League Keenan champion Whitman-Hanson. Speaking of the Panthers, despite being a No. 7 seed they find themselves as a threat to make a run. In order to do so, however, they will likely have to beat Duxbury for a third time in a Round of 16 matchup.
Dartmouth is the No. 2 seed and has the best overall player in the bracket in super scorer Kat Cheesebro.
Cathedral is searching for a third straight Division 4 championship and is the odds-on favorite as the tournament begins. Second-seeded Millis is battle tested having gone up against the likes of Norwood, Medway, Westwood, and Medfield during the regular season. South Hadley fell to the Panthers in last year’s championship game and would love another bite at the apple. The No. 3 Tigers are led by the Dean sisters, Cara and Caitlin.
Georgetown is a sneaky No. 11 seed as evidenced by its road regular season win over No. 5 Cohasset.
Division 5 goes through Hopedale behind 1,000-point scorer Phoebe Carroll. Second-seeded Hoosac Valley has the makings of a state title contender as shown by its win over South Hadley. Saint John Paul II won its final 14 games surrendering over 40 points on just one occasion. Fifth-seeded Renaissance closed its regular season with a dominant win over No. 8 Drury.
CHAMPION: Wachusett
RUNNER-UP: Springfield Central
SLEEPER: Quincy
FINAL FOUR: Wachusett, Bishop Feehan, Springfield Central, Woburn
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCH: Marshfield at Quincy
POTENTIAL UPSET: Chelmsford over Westford Academy
CHAMPION: Medfield
RUNNER-UP: Dartmouth
SLEEPER: Archbishop Williams
FINAL FOUR: Medfield, Dartmouth, Norwood, North Quincy
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCH: Leominster at Oliver Ames
POTENTIAL UPSET: Archbishop Williams over Nashoba Regional
CHAMPION: Foxborough
RUNNER-UP: St. Mary’s
SLEEPER: North Reading
FINAL FOUR: St. Mary’s, Foxborough, Norwell, North Reading
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCH: Arlington Catholic at Old Rochester
POTENTIAL UPSET: Sandwich over Hanover
CHAMPION: Cathedral
RUNNER-UP: Millis
SLEEPER: Georgetown
FINAL FOUR: Cathedral, Millis, South Hadley, Bourne
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCH: Falmouth Academy/Sutton at Carver
POTENTIAL UPSET: None
CHAMPION: Hopedale
RUNNER-UP: Hoosac Valley
SLEEPER: Westport
FINAL FOUR: Hopedale, Hoosac Valley, Maynard, Lenox
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCH: Norfolk Aggie at Hull
POTENTIAL UPSET: None