Tuesday, February 14, 2017

MIAA Top 25 Boys Basketball Poll: 2/14/17

Mansfield has won 9 in a row and the Hockomock Kelley-Rex.
Our rankings of the best teams in the state during the 2016-17 basketball season, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 2/13)

1. Cambridge (15-0; Last Ranking  –  1): The defending D1 champs have defeated every in-state opponent they faced by at least 25 points since edging Concord-Carlisle, 71-63, in their season opener.    

2. BC High (15-1; Last Ranking  –  2):  Eagles will look to avenge their first loss of the season when they travel to Catholic Memorial this Tuesday. 

3. Mansfield (16-2; Last Ranking  –  4): Hornets avenged a home loss to Franklin by defeating the Panthers in convincing fashion for their ninth consecutive victory and another Hockomock Kelley-Rex Division League Title.

4. Everett (13-1; Last Ranking  –  3): The Tide continued to roll with a Saturday morning victory over rival Malden. Up next is a home tilt against western power Springfield Central.

5. St. John’s Prep (13-4; Last Ranking  –  5): These Eagles aren’t going to blow the doors off many opponents, as they barely got past Hamilton-Wenham in a 59-53 victory last Wednesday. 

6. New Mission (12-5; Last Ranking  –  6):  Cory McCarthy’s squad is the favorite in the upcoming Boston City League and D2 State Tournaments, but O’Bryant will look to challenge them in a clash this Valentine’s Day.   

7. Needham (16-2; Last Ranking  –  5): The Rockets rolled past Dedham and Brookline to clinch the Bay State Conference regular season title. They’ll look to ramp up before the postseason against a stacked field at the Comcast/Arbella Classic beginning next Sunday. 

8. Newton North (14-4; Last Ranking  –  12): Ethan Wright returned from a six-game absence and led the Tigers an impressive road win at Braintree last Friday. 

9. Franklin (14-4; Last Ranking  –  7): They dropped a rematch with Mansfield, but the Panthers are still one of the favorites to navigate a weaker D1 Central bracket. 

10. St. John’s (Shrewsbury) (14-2; Last Ranking  –  11):  The Pioneers have won 11 straight and avenged their last loss with a 59-44 win over Marlboro last Friday. 

11. O’Bryant (14-3; Last Ranking  –  10): Tigers ride an eight-game winning streak into Tuesday’s tilt at New Mission. 

12. Brighton (12-4; Last Ranking  –  16): After dropping a stunner to Ryan Reagan and Duxbury, the Bengals crushed Burke, Dorchester and Brockton in convincing fashion.

13. Springfield Central (14-1; Last Ranking  –  13): Still the class of Western Mass., Jorge Torres and the Golden Eagles will look to show that they can hang with anyone by traveling to Everett this Tuesday.

14. Catholic Memorial (10-5; Last Ranking  –  14): While the Knights shocked the state with a beatdown of BC High on the road, they’ll be hard pressed to defeat the Eagles twice in a row. 

15. Lowell (12-3; Last Ranking  –  15): Junior guard Alex Rivera led the Red Raiders to a 70-61 win over Methuen with 33 points, 12 rebounds and six assists last Friday.

16. Central Catholic (14-4; Last Ranking  –  9): On any given night anything can happen in the Merrimack Valley Conference, and for the Raiders, that meant a stunning 48-42 home loss to Lawrence at home last Saturday. 

17. Braintree (10-6; Last Ranking  –  17): The Wamps hung with Newton North for 32 minutes and Nick Timberlake seemed like an all-state player last Friday, so they’re not going anywhere in our rankings.  

18. Boston Cathedral (12-5; Last Ranking  –  22): Calvin Cheek and the Panthers moved into a tie atop the Catholic Central Conference Large Division with a 56-46 win over St. Mary’s (Lynn) last week.  

19. Bridgewater-Raynham (12-3; Last Ranking  –  19): Trojans continue to roll over regional competition, but will they be able to navigate a stacked D1 South field during the state tournament? 

20. Weston (15-2; Last Ranking  –  24): Wildcats head coach Dave First earned his 300th career win by leading his team to a 68-61 victory over Xaverian last Saturday.

21. Marblehead (15-2; Last Ranking  –  21): The Magicians aren’t finding much competition in the Northeasern Conference South Division, but they’ll clash with North Division leader Lynn Classical at the end of this week.

22. Malden Catholic (10-6; Last Ranking  –  NA): Despite their struggles, the Lancers are a legitimate threat in the D2 North field and they now have a 1,000-point scorer in Michael Boyd.

23. Lynn Classical (15-3; Last Ranking  –  23): A narrow win over struggling Danvers is not a great sign for the Rams, but they’ll have the opportunity to finish strong.  

24. Arlington (15-0; Last Ranking  –  NA): The Spy Ponders remain a great home team and they took their show on the road in a 79-55 thrashing of Woburn last week. 

25. Concord-Carlisle (11-5; Last Ranking  –  NA): Patriots have won five straight and can make a run at the Dual County League Small Division title if Weston stumbles. 

Last 10 out:  Amherst (14-3), Andover (10-6), Bedford (12-5), Cardinal Spellman (10-4), Concord-Carlisle (11-5), Dorchester (11-3), Marlborough (12-5), Metheun (13-5), Nashoba (14-2), St. Mary’s (Lynn) (11-6)

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