Saturday, February 21, 2009

DIVISION 1

Northampton

Coach: Rey Harp

Record/Seed/Opponent: 18-2, No. 1, will host winner between Westfield and West Springfield on Friday at 7 p.m.

Last tournament appearance: 2008 Western Massachusetts Division 1 first round, lost 66-56 in overtime to Cathedral

Leaders: Ellis Cooper (16.2 points per game), Jesse Coulon (15.2, 68 3-pointers), Declan Wolfe (8.3)

Team statistics: Offense scores 62.2 points per game; defense allows 50.8 points

Key wins: Commerce, Minnechaug, Chicopee, Westfield, West Springfield twice, East Longmeadow

Notable losses: Sci-Tech, East Longmeadow

Outlook: The Blue Devils played and beat every Division 1 tournament team except Central and Sci-Tech. They did not play Central and they lost to Sci-Tech by one. Still, Northampton has to get over the hump of winning in the postseason. The team is 0-3 under Harp. The Blue Devils have a deep and balanced offense (ranked seventh). Cooper is athletic and very active. Coulon is one of the best shooters around. Defense is tied for first in Division 1.

Other contenders: Central (14-6), led by Jarel Njiiri, won the Valley League. Central's offense (63.1) and defense (54.6) are ranked fourth in Division 1. Minnechaug (15-5) won the Valley League and six of its wins were by less than eight points. Sci-Tech (16-4) beat Northampton, Central and Commerce. The Cybercats' offense (66.4) and defense (55.1) are ranked first and fifth, respectively.

DIVISION 2

Belchertown

Coach: Dave Whitehead

Record/Seed/Opponent: 14-6, No. 5, plays at No. 4 Palmer on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Last tournament appearance: 2008 Western Massachusetts Division 2 first round, lost 68-64 to Monument Mountain

Leaders: Ben McCullough (17.7 points per game), Joe Courtney (12.3), Mike Sears (10.0)

Team statistics: Offense scores 63.5 points per game; defense allows 56 points

Key wins: Hampshire, South Hadley, Palmer

Notable losses: Sabis, New Leadership, Taconic, Palmer

Outlook: The Orioles lost four-of-five at the end of January, including two straight to Sabis and Chicopee Comp and then two more in a row to Taconic and New Leadership. They bounced back and have won five straight, including beating Palmer for a share of the league title to close the season. Courtney and McCullough are a great inside-out tandem. Went 8-3 at home, 6-3 on the road. Offense is ranked fourth in Division 2, and defense is ninth.

Hampshire Regional

Coach: Claud Salomao

Record/Seed/Opponent: 11-9, No. 10, plays at No. 7 Wahconah on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Last tournament appearance: 2007 Western Massachusetts Division 2 final, lost 63-60 to South Hadley

Leaders: Branden Labrie (15.7 points per game) and Scott DeLoach (14.7)

Team statistics: Offense scores 64.1 points per game; defense allows 59.5 points

Key wins: Monument, Granby

Notable losses: Sabis twice, New Leadership twice, Belchertown, Drury, Easthampton, Frontier Regional

Outlook: Red Raiders have been inconsistent all season. Had winning streaks of four and three games, and losing streaks of three and two (twice) games. Hampshire will present a matchup problem for opponents with eight players between 6-feet and 6-3 and most can handle the ball on the perimeter or play in the post. Labrie is athletic while DeLoach can shoot from outside or on the move. Offense is first in Division 2. Defense has been a issue, ranked 14th out of 17 Division 2 teams.

South Hadley

Coach: Jeff Guiel

Record/Seed/Opponent: 9-11, No. 8, hosts No. 9 Mahar on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Last tournament appearance: 2008 state Division 2 semifinals, lost 75-63 to Tantasqua

Leaders: Miguel Santiago (10.5 points per game), Ryan Hortsman (10.1), Zach Garbacik (9.2), Greg Daviau (8.4), Roberto Agrait (8.1)

Team statistics: Offense scores 57.3 points per game; defense allows 55.2

Key wins: Cathedral, Amherst Regional, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Agawam

Notable losses: Belchertown, Central, Northampton twice, West Springfield twice, East Longmeadow twice

Outlook: The Tigers had to go at least .500 against its non-Division 1 opponents and went 3-1 against Division 2 teams to qualify. Health has been an issue all year as Chieco (knee), Arnold (foot) and Scott Rainaud (shoulder) have battled injuries. Chieco and Rainaud's return are questionable. South Hadley has won two straight sectional titles and four of the last five. While not the favorites this year, the Tigers are among the contenders and are dangerous. They are 9-0 against Berkshire County schools in the postseason under Guiel. Offense and defense are both ranked eighth in Division 2.

Other contenders

Berkshire North champ Hoosac (17-3) is led by 6-foot-4 junior Robbie Burke, one of the top players in all divisions. Taconic (15-5) beat Commerce, Westfield and Boston English, all Division 1 tournament teams. Drury (15-5) lost twice to Hoosac by a total of seven points. Wahconah (12-8) has the top-ranked defense (46.9) in Division 2.

DIVISION 3

Easthampton

Coach: Brian Miller

Record/Seed/Opponent: 13-7, No. 6, hosts No. 11 Franklin Tech on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Last tournament appearance: 2008 Western Massachusetts Division 3 quarterfinals, lost 69-60 to Pioneer Regional

Leaders: Brendan Rios (17.7 points per game), Pat Ramsey (13.8), Drew Sharp (12.7)

Team statistics: Offense scores 59.5 points per game; defense allows 55

Key wins: Pioneer Regional, Frontier Regional, Turners Falls, Hampshire Regional and Mahar

Notable losses: Mohawk twice, Turners Falls, Frontier, Pioneer Regional

Outlook: The Eagles are entering the postseason having lost three straight to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket as well as Pioneer Regional to end the season. While the Vineyard loss did not count toward its record, Easthampton still lost by 39. The Eagles are 8-2 at home and 5-5 on the road. Rios, Sharp and Ramsey have carried the offense and others need to step up in the postseason. Offense is ranked ninth while defense is seventh in Division 3.

Frontier Regional

Coach: Marty Sanderson

Record/Seed/Opponent: 14-6, No. 4, hosts No. 13 Dean Tech on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Last tournament appearance: 2008 state Division 3 final, defeated Scituate 79-65

Leaders: Gary Grandonico (17.5 points per game, 61 3-pointers), Matt Chamberlin (12.8), Erik Abramson (12.5)

Team statistics: Offense scores 58.5 points per game; defense allows 46.3

Key wins: Wahconah, Hampshire, Easthampton, Pioneer Regional, Turners Falls, Mahar

Notable losses: Mohawk twice, Easthampton, Turners Falls, Pioneer Regional, Mahar

Outlook: The Red Hawks' defense is ranked first in western Massachusetts. Offense though is ranked 10th in Division 3. Frontier lost by seven in overtime and by two at the buzzer to Mohawk Trail, and by one to Pioneer Regional. The Six losses were by a total of 37 points. The Red Hawks are seeking their second straight sectional title, and have not repeated since the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons. Frontier has had a three-game winning streak snapped three times this season.

Granby

Coach: Tim Sheehan

Record/Seed/Opponent: 12-8, No. 9, plays at No. 8 St. Joseph on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Last tournament appearance: 2008 Western Massachusetts Division 3 first round, lost 65-63 to Easthampton

Leaders: Dana Light (12.9 points per game), Brian Boudreau (11.7), Clinton Sapowsky (11.4)

Team statistics: Offense scores 56.8 per game; defense allows 51.6

Key wins: Monson twice, Holyoke Catholic

Notable losses: Sabis, New Leadership, Hampshire Regional, Belchertown twice, Palmer twice

Outlook: The Rams, who have won four straight, have played one of the toughest schedules around. Seven of their eight losses came to tournament teams, including five in Division 2. Defense is ranked fourth in Division 3 and has kept Granby in games. Offense is ranked 12th. Light does everything from the point guard position. Sapowsky is an active post player.

Other contenders: Sabis (19-1) and New Leadership (18-2) are the clear favorites. Sabis averages 74.1 points per game and allows 48.1, ranking first and second, respectively, in Division 3. New Leadership averages 74 and 53.4, ranked second and fifth, respectively. Turners Falls (15-4) and Pioneer Regional (13-6) split with each other as well as with Easthampton and Frontier. The Indians' offense (63.2 points per game) is ranked fifth and defense (49.5) third in Division 3.