Girls basketball tournament capsules
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DIVISION 1 Amherst Regional
Record: 20-0, 10-0 Suburban
Last tournament appearance: Lost to Minnechaug 58-43 in 2009 western Mass. Division 1 quarterfinals
Leaders: Alyssa Leonard (14.3 points per game), Mariah Lesure (11.1), Jenna Klaes (9.2), Brianna Leonard (7), Nicole DeMarchena (5.5)
Key wins: Chicopee Comp twice, Pittsfield, Ludlow, East Longmeadow, Lee, Athol, Minnechaug, Holyoke, Central
Notable losses: None
Outlook: The Hurricanes have cruised through the regular season with a balanced scoring attack and terrific defense. ... Alyssa Leonard is a 1,000-point scorer who is dangerous everywhere on the court, while younger sister Brianna is a defensive stopper. ... Klaes is the floor general and emotional leader. She's also a shut-down defender and 3-point threat. ... Lesure is an 6-footer in the post who can take over on both sides of the court and combines with DeMarchena to give Amherst arguably the best 1-2 post combination, especially on defense, in western Massachusetts.
Other contenders
Holyoke (18-2) won the Valley Wheel and has one of the top sophomores in the region in guard Monique Heard. ... Defending champion East Longmeadow (16-4) has arguably the best player in western Massachusetts in center Krista Ferrentino. ... Pittsfield (15-5) has enjoyed a terrific year in Berkshire County. ... Chicopee Comp (12-8) has improved all season, taking on the toughness of first-year coach and South Hadley 2,000-point scorer Jes Hambley.
DIVISION 2 Belchertown
Record: 13-7, 5-3 Bi-County East
Last tournament appearance: Lost to Wahconah 44-43 in 2009 western Mass. Division 2 semifinals
Leaders: Brianna DelValle (15 points per game), Olivia Pare (9.4), Katherine Goodale, (4.5)
Key wins: Cathedral twice, Hampshire, Monson, Holyoke Catholic
Notable losses: Palmer twice, Hampshire, Lee, Sabis, Ware, Monument Mountain
Outlook: The Orioles won four of their last six, including victories against Cathedral and Hampshire, to finish second behind unbeaten Palmer in the league. ... DelValle, the team's top post player, is extremely consistent with 19 double-digit scoring performances, including a career-high 26 in loss at defending sectional champion Monument Mountain (14-6). ... Pare is a versatile, lockdown defender and can handle the ball. ... Play by inexperienced backcourt will be key, especially against tourney's top guards.
Frontier Regional
Record: 18-2, 17-1 Franklin South
Last tournament appearance: Lost to Mahar Regional 57-45 in 2009 western Mass. Division 2 first round
Leaders: Kristin Calvo (10 points per game), Lauren Halla (8.4), Mel Stier (7.5)
Key wins: Hopkins Academy twice, Smith Academy, Mahar twice, Athol twice
Notable losses: Cathedral, Smith Academy
Outlook: The Red Hawks have used a stifling defense all season to dominate play en route to a share of the Franklin South title with Smith Academy. ... Frontier has allowed 36 or fewer points 17 times. ... Calvo, the point guard, can score from the outside or driving the lane. ... Lacie Judge and Halla bring size and intensity to the post. ... Stier is a dominant defender on the outside. She also averaged nearly 12 points in the final four games.
Hampshire Regional
Record: 12-8, 3-5 Bi-County East
Last tournament appearance: Lost to Monument Mountain 55-36 in 2009 western Mass. Division 2 first round
Leaders: Ashlee Moussette (13.8 points per game), Sarah Kober (8 points per game, 10.2 rebounds), Lauren McGrath (7.8 points per game)
Key wins: Belchertown, Holyoke Catholic, Ware, Monson
Notable losses: Palmer twice, Cathedral twice, Belchertown, Sabis
Outlook: The Red Raiders moved down from a Division 1 schedule and took advantage, jumping out to an 11-4 record before losing four of their last five games. ... Moussette shook off an early-season knee injury to lead the team. ... Kober, a freshman, has been an impact player in the post and has a knack for rebounding. ... Hampshire can beat anyone if 3-point shots are falling.
Other contenders
Palmer (20-0) enters is second straight postseason with a perfect record and is led by standout forward Alyssa Orszulak. ... Defending champion Monument Mountain (14-6) lost its last two games of the season but can never be overlooked once the postseason begins. ... Wahconah (14-6) tied Monument for second in the Berkshire North and returned plenty of talent from last year's run to the sectional final. ... Drury (14-6) won the Berkshire South and hopes to get back on the roll that saw it open the season 9-0. ... Cathedral (14-6) dropped down from Division 1 and has excelled in the Bi-County East with wins over Frontier Regional, Hampshire (twice), Monson and West Springfield.
DIVISION 3 Gateway Regional
Record: 16-2, 15-1 Tri-County
Last tournament appearance: Lost to Mohawk Trail 55-8 in 2009 western Mass. Division 2 first round
Leaders: Chelsea Merritt (10.3 points per game), Brooke Fairman (7.1)
Key wins: Franklin Tech twice, Pathfinder, Dean Tech twice
Notable losses: Pathfinder, Southwick
Outlook: The Gators are playing in the Division 3 tournament after two years as a Tri-County team in the Division 2 field. ... They won the Tri-County League outright in their third year since dropping down from the Bi-County. ... Merritt has averaged 13.1 points per game in the second half of the season.
Holyoke Catholic
Record: 11-9, 8-0 Bi-County West
Last tournament appearance: Lost to South Hadley 61-40 in 2007 western Mass. Division 2 first round
Leaders: Kaitlyn Veit (14.7 points per game); Annie Broda (9); Sarah Dingee (5.4)
Key wins: McCann Tech twice, Lenox, Putnam twice
Notable losses: Palmer, Hampshire, Cathedral, Ware, Sabis, Monson, Belchertown
Outlook: The team's notable losses shows that the Gaels are battle-tested. ... Loss to Cathedral was in overtime. ... Veit can carry the team offensively for stretches, having put together a four-game run averaging 24 points per game earlier in the season. ... Broda finished the season hot with 52 points in the team's last three games, including league-clinching win over McCann in finale. ... Dingee had 28 points total in last two games. ... The undersized Gaels struggled against teams with strong post players early in the year, but finished the regular season by winning eight of their last nine.
Hopkins Academy
Record: 15-5, 13-5 Franklin South
Last tournament appearance: Lost to Granby 52-25 in 2008 western Massachusetts Division 3 quarterfinals
Leaders: Olivia Mathieu (10 points per game); Stephanie Delue (9.9); Gabrielle Pelissier (8.7)
Key wins: Mahar twice, Athol twice
Notable losses: Frontier twice, Smith Academy twice
Outlook: The Golden Hawks bounced back from a rare missed postseason last year to pile up 15 wins this season and finish third in the league. ... The team's young players have been key in supporting seniors Delue and Pelissier. ... Mathieu, a freshman, is a terrific defender who can score in transition and is aggressive with the ball. ... Sophomore point guard Emma Konieczny missed three games with an ankle injury but returned for the final two games of the regular season and should be good to go in the tournament.
Smith Academy
Record: 18-2, 17-1 Franklin South
Last tournament appearance: Lost to Ware 65-54 in 2009 western Massachusetts Division 3 quarterfinals
Leaders: Abeni Davies (11.3 points per game); Lindsay Gondek (11.2); Allison Slysz (8.3); Alyssa Klepacki (7.7)
Key wins: Athol twice, Mahar twice, Hopkins twice, Frontier
Notable losses: Frontier, Monson
Outlook: The Falcons hope for the No. 2 seed behind perennial superpower Lee (19-1) after winning a share of their second straight league title. ... Finished the regular season with 10 straight wins, including key 41-28 victor over Frontier Regional. ... Deep team has plenty of scoring punch when it gets rolling and inside tandem of Davies and Klepacki is tough to match.
Other contenders
Lee (19-1) is always a top contender, but it enjoyed one of its greatest regular seasons ever this year with its first-ever outright Berkshire North title. The Wildcats' lone loss was a four-point defeat to Amherst Regional. ... Sabis (17-3) lost two of its final three games, but has flashed enough brilliance to concern any opposing coach. ... Monson (14-6) went 5-2 against Division 3 tourney teams, with both losses coming to Sabis. ... Ware (15-5) has arguably the best player in the Division 3 field in senior Justine King, who gives the Warriors a chance against anyone.
