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| Fresh off a Boston City League title, Tech Boston enters the D2 South bracket as a prohibitive favorite. |
On Friday morning, the MIAA released the basketball pairings
for the 2018 State Tournament for the North, South, and Central Sectionals.
Upon first glance, a number of noteworthy matchups have the
potential to take place. In Division 1 South, No. 5 Catholic Memorial could
take a trip to No. 4 Newton North in the quarterfinal, while up North, No. 2
Lawrence would certainly love a shot to avenge a regular season overtime loss
to No. 7 St. John’s Prep
Division 2 North is wide open, with No. 4 Belmont playing terrific
down the stretch, and a rematch of last year’s sectional semi-final set to take
place between No. 2 Arlington and No. 7 Brighton, if both can take care of
business in the opening round.
No. 1 Apponequet and No. 2 Bishop Stang finished the regular
season against one another, and could meet up again in the Division 3 South
Sectional Final.
It will certainly be interesting to see if either No. 8 Newburyport or No. 9 Lynn Tech can challenge St. Mary’s in Division 3 North now
that the Spartans have to travel for the Quarter Final.
With the dissection of the brackets complete, here are SuiteSports' picks for this year’s 2018 MIAA Boys Basketball North and South Sectionals.
Division 1 North
Pick: Everett
over St. John’s Prep
Sleeper: Lynn
Classical
Upset: Lynn
Classical over Lowell
Overview: Division 1 North is
one of the more talented brackets in the state, with five to six teams good
enough to make sustained runs. St. John’s Prep enters the tournament talented
and battle tested after a tough regular season schedule, and No. 2 Lawrence has
one of the top scorers in the state in Luis Reynoso. Two time-defending
champion Cambridge has just as much size as anyone, and No. 6 Central Catholic
has proven they can beat just about any of the north contenders. Still, this
seems like the year for Everett to break through in Division 1 North.
Division 1 South
Pick: Needham
over Newton North
Sleeper: Brookline
Upset: Brookline
over New Bedford
Overview: The
toughest bracket to pick, Division 1 South carries it with four teams that have
a legitimate shot to make it to the TD Garden. Three of those teams are on one
side, with Mansfield, Newton North, and Catholic Memorial all slated to
potentially face one another before the sectional final. BC High, Brockton and
Brookline, meanwhile, have the ability to make a run of their own. Due to the
way bracket shakes up, as well as the core pieces of Thomas Shaughnessy, Will
Dorion, and Michael Klemm, we’re going with Needham to claim its second
straight south sectional championship.
Division 2 North
Pick: Belmont
over Arlington
Sleeper: Woburn
Upset: Melrose
over Masconomet
Overview: Three
of the top six teams in this section come from the Middlesex League, with
Arlington, Belmont, and Winchester all having terrific seasons. The Spy Ponders
started the season 15-1, but dropped their last four to finish the season 15-5.
Belmont, meanwhile, found itself playing its best basketball at end of the
season, highlighted by its Division 2 Dvinci Comcast Tournament title. Defending
Division 2 state champion Brighton sits dangerously at the seven spot. With the
way they closed the season, we’re picking the Marauders, behind star junior
guard Danny Yardemian to claim the sectional tite.
Division 2 South
Pick: Tech Boston
over Hingham
Sleeper: O’Bryant
Upset: New
Mission over Foxboro
Overview:
Tech Boston enters the tournament as the clear favorite in Division 2 South
behind Maurice Works and Walter Dew-Hollis. There are plenty of teams, however,
who would like to give the Bears a run for their money. No. 2 Hingham has had a
terrific season led by John Gates and John Lowther, Hanover is experienced with
14 players back from last year’s state championship team, and Whitman-Hanson
has won back-to-back sectional titles. Canton, for its part, played Mansfield to the wire earlier in the season and knocked off Foxboro. Still, the Bears
are too quick, too athletic, and too explosive not to end up at the Garden.
Division 3 North
Pick: St. Mary’s
over Hamilton-Wenham
Sleeper: Watertown
Upset: None
Overview: This
section carries with it all sorts of variables, starting with the elephant in
the room in St. Mary’s requirement to go on the road in the quarterfinals.
Watertown has the potential to make a run due to the mismatch that John Korte
presents. St. Mary’s, however, has been one of top teams in the state all
season long, and with guard Jalen Echevarria to turn to in crunch time the
Spartans seem poised to head back to the state semi-finals.
Division 3 South
Pick: Bishop
Stang over Apponequet
Sleeper: Cardinal
Spellman
Upset: Wareham
over Case
Overview: The two
seeds at the top of Division 3 South finished the regular season against one
another, with a shot at a perfect regular season on the line. Apponequet
emerged victorious, pulling away in the game's closing moments. Cardinal
Spellman has the advantage of being a senior-laden team, while Burke raised
eyebrows with an impressive 20-2 regular season. We’re going to roll with Stang
here, though, as it gets revenge in what will be a highly anticipated sectional
final.
Division 4 North
Pick: Pope John
over Austin Prep
Sleeper: Snowden
Upset: None
Overview: Pope John has been dominant wire-to-wire, so in a shortened bracket there is no reason to believe it cannot add to an already terrific season with three south sectional wins.
Division 4 South
Pick: Nantucket
over Mashpee
Sleeper: Saint
John Paul II
Upset: Avon over
Holbrook
Overview: We're expecting a rubber match between Nantucket and Mashpee for the South Sectional Final. The two sides split during the regular season with Nantucket taking the first matchup, 64-61, before the Falcons responded with a 70-65 victory of their own. DeVaun Ford has been terrific this season for Mashpee, and freshman Will Baker has stepped up in key moments. Nantucket's quickness, and scoring bursts come at the right time, however, and the Whalers pull out the sectional title.
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