Wahconah Athletic Director Bob Powell dies

Here is the story from the Berkshire Eagle.

Pres. Obama honors Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir

Randomly stumbled on this tonight and wanted to share it.

Here's the entire story linked. 

Here's the part of President Obama's speech about Abdul-Qaadir:

Another young woman who has thrived in her school is Bilqis
Abdul-Qaadir. She's not even 5'5 -- where's Bilqis? Right here. Stand
up, Bilqis, just so that we -- (laughter) -- I want everybody to know
-- she's got heels on. She's 5'5 -- Bilqis broke Rebecca Lobo's record
for the most points scored by any high school basketball player in
Massachusetts history. (Applause.) She recently told a reporter, "I'd
like to really inspire a lot of young Muslim girls if they want to play
basketball. Anything is possible. They can do it, too." As an honor
student, as an athlete on her way to Memphis, Bilqis is an inspiration
not simply to Muslim girls -- she's an inspiration to all of us.

Abdul-Qaadir is at Memphis this year. Here's the Memphis Commercial Appeal's story from before the event.

Mass Frenzy rules Northeast Elite College Showcase

Here's a press release from the Mass Frenzy AAU program regarding their performance at the RI Breakers Northeast Elite College Showcase tournament at the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick. This is historically one of the best and deepest tournament fields in the Northeast and it attended by almost every major AAU program and scouted by most college programs in the region.

U16 Team - Northeast Elite College Showcase

The U16 “FIA Forever” Farewell Tour made its first stop of the season at the Notheast Elite College Showcase in Warwick, RI. This is historically one of the best and deepest tournament fields in the Northeast.

In Game #1 the U16 team faced a very solid Mass. Lady Warriors team. The Frenzy girls jumped on their opponents early and never let up with a relentless offensive and defensive attack. They dominated from tip-to-finish, finishing with a convincing 79-43 victory. The offensive attack was led by Jenna Klaes (Amherst Reg.) and Katie Eckert (Lee, 15 points each) and Kaitlyn Veit (Holyoke Catholic, 14 points). The team combined to make 8 three pointers. Kathryn Donnelly (Northampton, 7 points) Abeni Davies (Smith Academy, 8 points) and Mariah Lesure (Amherst Reg., 5 points and double-digit rebounds) played impressive games on both ends of the floor in the victory.

Game #2 had the Frenzy facing the host team the RI Breakers. The game was played at a much slower tempo than Game #1. The FIA crew led by 10 at the half thanks to a strong 14 first-half points from Jenna Klaes. The Frenzy withstood a late charge by the Breakers to hold on for a workman-like 47-42 victory. The team received balanced scoring from Justine King (Ware, 9 points), Abeni Davies (7 points), Kiley Cleveland (Palmer), Mariah Lesure, and Katie Eckert (5 points each) in the win.

Game #3 was against a pesky Team Connecticut squad. The Frenzy forced Team CT into living and dying on the perimeter. Team CT made 5 three-pointers to hang around in a game the Frenzy could never seem to put away despite leading throughout. In the end, the Frenzy won 50-45. The scoring was led by Mariah Lesure (11 points) and Katie Eckert (9 points). Catie Brighenti (Athol) played some terrific hard-nosed defense and contributed 5 key points in her first game of the season.

The tournament concluded with a match-up against the CT Starters. With intense defensive pressure and strong rebounding, led by Katrina Caulfield (Palmer, 6 points) and a relentless fast-break attack the Frenzy jumped out to a 34-16 half-time lead. Although the pace slowed in the second half, the U16’s hung on for a fairly dominant 55-39 win. Justine King led the Frenzy with 11 points. Other scorers of note were Katie Eckert (9 points), Mariah Lesure and Abeni Davies (8 points), and Kaitlyn Veit and Catie Brighenti (5 points each).

Overall a tremendous undefeated weekend for the entire team.

U15 Team - Northeast Elite College Showcase

The U15 Mass Frenzy team enjoyed continued success in its second consecutive 4-0 weekend at the Northeast Elite College Showcase. Outstanding individual and team defensive and offensive performances proved too much for opponents. The Frenzy truly out-toughed their opponents on many different occassions.

In the first game, the Frenzy faced the Providence Exodus team. There was a very balanced offensive attack with all seven players getting into the scoring action. The Frenzy used tough full court defense and a flurry of early offense to lead 37-16 at the half. They also withstood a very strong push by the Exodus at the end of the 2nd half to win 53-40. Sarah Whitestone (Wahconah HS, 15 points) started the surge having 13 of her 15 points in the first half. Kristen Ferola (Amherst HS, 9 points), Nicole Demarchena (Amherst HS, 8 points) and Tara Dooley (Lee HS, 8 points) led the offensive attack for the Frenzy.

In the second game, the Frenzy faced a very tough South Central Sharks team. The matchup was very tight throughout, the Frenzy led 24-23 at the half. Key three point shots by Whitestone (15 points) and Ferola (8 points) along with timely rebounds and steals, led to a 47-44 Frenzy win. Again all seven players scored led by Whitestone, Demarchena (10 points) and Ferola.

The third game of the weekend proved to be the toughest matchup to date in this young season. The Frenzy were pitted against a very talented Bay State Magic Elite team. After facing its first deficit at the half of the season, 22-25, the Frenzy came out with intensity and a new game plan to pull out a 48-46 victory. Led by outstanding pressure defense from Dooley (3 points) and Kristin Calvo (Frontier HS, 2 points), the Frenzy went on a 6-0 run to begin the 2nd half and never let go of the lead from there. Led by pressure defense, balanced scoring, 9 players scored, and a breakaway layup by Whitestone off of an inbounds with under a minute left kept the Frenzy undefeated. Laura Anne Dinan (Monument Mountain HS, 17 points) and Lauren Halla (Frontier HS, 10 points) led the scoring. Dinan kept the Frenzy in the game in the first half scoring 12 of her 17 points.

In the final game, the Frenzy faced a very scrappy CT Shamrocks team. Again, balanced scoring, defensive pressure and a great end of both halves led to a 45-38 victory. The Frenzy had 8 people score and were led by Dooley (11 points), Whitestone (10 points) and Calvo (7 points).

The U15 girls will be back in action April 18-19 at the New England Elite College Showcase.

Press releases for club and AAU teams featuring area high school-age players can be emailed to jpignatiello@gazettenet.com for publication on the high school sports blog.

Girls Basketball Honors

We're starting work on the Winter All-Stars and Spring Sports Preview, but we'll certainly try to keep this site as a place worth checking out until the spring games begin. Final top 10s and some other stuff will be posted next week.

The official "Gazette All-Stars" are only taken from our 13 girls teams (Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, Frontier, Gateway, Granby, Hampshire, Holyoke Catholic, Hopkins, Northampton, Smith Academy, Smith Voke, South Hadley), but for the third year, I've put together five-player all-western Mass. teams as well as all-county ones for each county and ones for each Division, western Mass.-wide. Obviously, I can only go by what I've seen and by the opinions of coaches I've spoken with.

I'll be interested to hear any reactions. They can be emailed to jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.

First-Team All-Western Mass.
F-Krista Ferrentino, East Longmeadow, Jr.
F-Alannah Driscoll-Sbar, Northampton, Sr.
C-Bridget Crowley, Minnechaug, Sr.
G-Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, New Leadership, Sr.
G-Jenny Bell, Northampton, Sr.
MVP-Abdul-Qaadir
Coach of the Year-Erik Maurer, East Longmeadow

Second-Tech All-Western Mass.
F-Bri Malone, Central, Jr.
F-Alyssa Orszulak, Palmer, Jr.
C-Mackenzie Doyle, Agawam, Sr.
G-Alyssa Leonard, Amherst, Jr.
G-Tiaunna Nieves, Commerce, Sr.

Third-Team All-Western Mass.
F-Elisha Homich, Ludlow, Sr.
F-Justine King, Ware, Jr.
C-Annie Siemanowski, West Springfield, Sr.
G-Jenna Williamson, Ludlow, Jr.
G-Taylor DeSanty, Drury, Sr.

All-Junior Class
F-Bri Malone, Central
F-Alyssa Orszulak, Palmer
C-Krista Ferrentino, East Longmeadow
G-Alyssa Leonard, Amherst
G-Jenna Williamson, Ludlow
POY-Ferrentino

All-Sophomore Class
F-Brianna Del Valle, Belchertown
F-Nicole DeMarchena, Amherst
C-Mariah Lesure, Amherst
G-Alexis Chappell, Sabis
G-Alex Young, Lee
POY-Del Valle

All-Defense
F-Allyson Rannikko, Easthampton, Sr.
F-Lia Bass, Central, Jr.
C-Bridget Crowley, Minnechaug, Sr.
G-Jenny Bell, Northampton, Sr.
G-Chelsea Botta, East Longmeadow
DPOY-Crowley

Western Mass. All-Glue
F-Cassy Sicard, Northampton, Sr.
F-Nicole DeMarchena, Amherst, So.
C-Ashley Brodeur, East Longmeadow, Sr
G-Jess Schnepp, East Longmeadow, Sr.
G-Mel Stier, Frontier, So.

All-Division 1
F-Krista Ferrentino, East Longmeadow, Jr.
F-Alannah Driscoll-Sbar, Northampton, Sr.
C-Bridget Crowley, Minnechaug, Sr.
G-Jenny Bell, Northampton, Sr.
G-Alyssa Leonard, Amherst, Jr.
MVP-Crowley
Coach of the Year-Erik Maurer, East Longmeadow

All-Division 2
F-Alyssa Orszulak, Palmer, Jr.
F-Mare McCormick, Monument, Sr.
C-Allyson Rannikko, Easthampton, Sr.
G-Tiaunna Nieves, Commerce, Sr.
G-Taylor DeSanty, Drury, Sr.
MVP-Orszulak
Coach of the Year-Tom Kinne, Monument

All-Division 3
F-Becca Webb, Lee, Sr.
F-Justine King, Ware, Jr.
C-Abeni Davies, Smith Academy, Jr.
G-Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, New Leadership, Sr.
G-Katie Eckart, Lee, Jr.
MVP-Abdul-Qaadir
Coach of the Year-Gary Wellington, Lee

All Hampshire County
F-Alannah Driscoll-Sbar, Northampton, Sr.
F-Brianna Del Valle, Belchertown, So.
C-Allyson Rannikko, Easthampton, Sr.
G-Jenny Bell, Northampton, Sr.
G-Alyssa Leonard, Amherst, Jr.
MVP-Driscoll-Sbar
Coach of the Year-Jason Woodcock, Belchertown

All-Franklin County
F-Ginny Averill, Mahar, Sr.
F-April Sheldon, Mohawk, Sr.
C-Madeline Hoeppner, Mohawk, Sr.
G-Catie Brighenti, Athol, Jr.
G-Mary Kovacevic, Mahar, Sr.
MVP-Averill
Coach of the Year-Ralph Loos, Frontier

All-Berkshire County
F-Darcey Sullivan, Wahconah, Jr.
F-Kayla McNiece, Pittsfield, Jr.
F-Mare McCormick, Monument, Sr.
G-Taylor DeSanty, Drury, Sr.
G-Katie Eckart, Lee, Jr.
MVP-DeSanty
Coach of the Year-Tom Kinne, Monument

All-Hampden County
F-Krista Ferrentino, East Longmeadow, Jr.
F-Alyssa Orszulak, Palmer, Jr.
C-Bridget Crowley, Minnechaug, Sr.
G-Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, New Leadership, Sr.
G-Bri Malone, Central, Jr.
MVP-Abdul-Qaadir
Coach of the Year-Erik Maurer, East Longmeadow

All-Honorable Mention
Five players I can't believe aren't on any team above
F-Briana Kelly, Minnechaug, Sr.
F-Katrina Caulfield, Palmer, Jr.
G-Ashlee Moussette, Hampshire, Jr.
G-Kelsey Schmidt, Mohawk, Sr.
G-A'Lece Mark, Central, Jr.

Girls Hoop Championship Previews

CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY
at Curry Hicks Cage, UMass
Division 1
No. 2 East Longmeadow (20-2) vs. No. 5 Central (16-6), 5:45 p.m.
Championship history: East Longmeadow has never won a western Mass. title and last reached the championship game in 2002, when it lost to Pittsfield. Central won three straight sectional titles from 2005 through 2007 and lost to Northampton in last year's championship game.
Head to head: Did not play this year
How they got here: East Longmeadow beat No. 7 Agawam (50-33) and No. 3 Northampton (56-39); Central beat No. 4 Ludlow (58-54) and No. 1 Minnechaug (56-55)
Players to watch: East Longmeadow: Krista Ferrentino (junior, forward), Ashley Brodeur (senior, center), Laurie Bonano (junior, guard), Jess Schnepp (senior, guard); Central: Brisje Malone (junior, guard), A'lece Mark (junior, guard), Aleisha Hawley (senior, center), Lia Bass (junior forward).
Notes: The Spartans have been consistent all season, using an aggressive defense to win 17 of their last 18 games heading into the title game. Ferrentino is the main offensive threat, but the rest of squad can take advantage if the opponents are too focused on the junior. Pair of 6-footers Ferrentino and Brodeur dominate the glass. Central, meanwhile, took some time to hit its stride under first-year coach Jay Fenalson. But the Golden Eagles have been fantastic lately, winning 9 of 10 games and knocking off top-seeded Minnechaug twice over that time. Malone and Mark bring athleticism to the backcourt and Bass is a shutdown defender on the wing.
Pick: East Longmeadow

Division 2
No. 4 Monument Mountain (19-4) vs. No. 6 Wahconah (17-6), 2:15 p.m.
Championship history: Monument is playing in its 18th D-2 final and has won 10, the last one coming in 2000; Wahconah is 3-0 in title games with wins in 2002, 1995 and 1979
Head to head: Teams split during the season with home team winning each.
How they got here: Monument beat No. 13 Hampshire (55-36), No. 5 Mahar (63-56) and No. 1 Palmer (69-57, OT); Wahconah beat No. 11 Mount Greylock (58-36), No. 3 Mohawk (58-54) and No. 10 Belchertown (44-43)
Players to watch: Monument: Alyssa Nejaime (junior, guard), Keelyn Harris (senior, forward), Laura Ann Dinan (sophomore, guard), Sarah Mills (sophomore, forward); Wahconah: Darcey Sullivan (junior, guard), Aliah Curry (sophomore, guard), Jamy Ferris (senior, forward), Michaela Rivers (junior, guard)
Notes: The Cage will be rocking and rolling during this rivalry match for the sectional title. Monument pulled off a fantastic overtime win over previously-unbeaten Palmer in the semifinals despite losing star senior forward Mare McCormick to a knee injury in the quarters. Wahconah, meanwhile, won its semifinal in controversial style when Rivers drew a foul on a 3-point attempt with no time left in a tie game. She knocked out Belchertown with a free throw. Wahconah beat Monument in the regular season finale to earn a tie for the Berkshire North championship. Is there a better time and place for the rubber match?
Pick: Wahconah

Division 3
No. 1 Lee (17-5) vs. No. 2 Monson (18-4), 10:45 a.m.
Championship history: Lee has won 16 of the last 20 championships; Monson is in its first final since 1974, when it lost to Westfield in the one-division tourney.
Head to head: Did not play this year
How they got here: Lee beat No. 9 Lenox (52-33) and No. 4 Sabis (65-40); Monson beat No. 7 McCann (64-33) and No. 3 Ware (46-30)
Players to watch: Lee: Becca Webb (senior, guard), Megan Gangell (senior, guard), Katie Eckert (junior, guard), Alex Young, (sophomore, guard), Julia Warner (junior, center), Tara Dooley (sophomore, forward); Monson: Martine Turgeon (senior, guard), Danielle Muirhead (sophomore, center); Meghan Boyle (junior, forward)
Notes: Lee has a new head coach in long-time assistant Gary Wellington, but looked like the same old Wildcats dominating at the Cage on Tuesday against Sabis. The team is deep and talented without one standout player, but with six or seven players who can cause damage on both ends of the court. Monson, meanwhile, crushed co-Bi-County West champion Ware in their semifinal. Turgeon is a strong ball-handler, which will be key against Lee's pressure and Boyle can score in bunches.
Pick: Lee

Hampshire-Franklin All Star Game announced

The Hampshire County vs. Franklin County All-Star games will be played on Friday, March 13 at Hopkins Academy. The girls game will start at 6 p.m. followed by the boys game.

Hampshire County Boys All-Stars   
Coaches - Brian Miller - Easthampton & Jim Matuszko - Amherst
Chris Haake, Amherst
Joe Courtney, Belchertown
Patrick Ramsey, Easthampton
Drew Sharp, Easthampton
Ethan Cooke, Gateway
Brian Boudreau, Granby
Dana Light, Granby
Scott DeLoach, Hampshire
Mike Seklecki, Hampshire
Declan Wolfe, Northampton
Chris Osepowicz, Northampton
Brody Ryan, Northampton
Miguel Santiago, South Hadley
Joe Tanguay, SmithVoke
B.J. Robidoux, Ware

Franklin County Boys All-Stars
Coaches - Kevin O’Connell - FCTS & Matt Zerneri - Smith Academy   
Justin Cascone, Athol
Tom Glabach, Fraklin Tech
Gary Grandonico, Frontier
Jon Pepyne, Frontier
Alex Chown, Greenfield
Zach Hunter, Hopkins
Billy Hahn, Hopkins
Tory Buck, Mohawk
Devin Reid, Mohawk
Erik LaCoy, Pioneer
Tyler Lenox, Pioneer
Mark Vollinger, Smith Academy
Jake Field, Turners Falls
Tom Field, Turners Falls

Hampshire County Girls All-Stars   
Coaches - Dave Dubuc - So. Hadley   
Katelyn Cavanaugh, Belchertown
Kiersten Del Valle, Belchertown
Allyson Ranniko, Easthampton
Miranda Jasienowski, Easthampton
Kaila Arsenault, Gateway
Brianna Ransford, Granby
Caitlin Mitchell, Hampshire
Stephanie Provo, Hampshire
Jenny Bell, Northampton
Sara Diemond, Northampton
Alannah Driscoll-Sbar, Northampton
Cassy Sicard, Northampton
Alexa O’Connell, South Hadley
Katie Baumann, Smith Voke
Danielle Del Valley, Ware

Franklin County Girls All-Stars   
Coaches - Steve Call - Greenfield & Bill Buck - Mohawk
Sofia Brighenti, Athol
Marissa Kellner, Athol
Ashley Podlesney, Franklin Tech
Amanda Koldy, Frontier
Molly Wickline, Frontier
Meghan McHugh, Greenfield
Brianna Yusko, Hopkins
Ginny Averill, Mahar
Mary Kovacevic, Mahar
Jill Waters, Mahar
Johanna Miner, Mohawk
Madeline Hoeppner, Mohawk
Kelsey Schmidt, Mohawk
April Sheldon, Mohawk
Kim Arsenault, Turners Falls
Angi Marguet, Turners Falls

Girls D1/D2 Semifinal Previews

Here's a game-by-game look at the four western Mass. girls Division semifinals set for Wednesday at the Curry Hicks Cage and AIC.

D-3 semi record: 1-1
Overall record: 19-6

SEMIFINALS
Division 1 at AIC
No. 3 Northampton (16-5) vs. No. 2 East Longmeadow (19-2), 5:30
Head to head: EL beat Hamp 53-40 in Northampton on Feb. 12.
How they got here: Northampton beat Holyoke; East Longmeadow beat Agawam
Players to watch: Northampton: forwards Alannah Driscoll-Sbar and Cassy Sicard, guard Jenny Bell; East Longmeadow: forward/center Krista Ferrentino;
Winners gets: Trip to the finals Saturday at 5:45 p.m. at the Cage
Notes: *See preview in Wednesday's Gazette* -- The first matchup was an incredibly ugly performance from Northampton and at least some of that has to be credited to the Spartans. The Blue Devils have to come out stronger this time and hope to take control early.
Pick: Northampton

No. 1 Minnechaug (18-2) vs. No. 5 Central (15-6), 7:30
Head to head: Split the season, with Minnechaug winning at the Hoophall (65-60) and Central winning in Wilbraham (64-62)
How they got here: Minnechaug beat Amherst; Central beat Ludlow
Players to watch: Minnechaug: center Bridget Crowley, forward, Briana Kelly, guard Bre Dufault; Central: guards Brisje Malone and A'Lece Mark and Center Aleisha Hawley
Winners gets: Trip to the finals Saturday at 5:45 p.m. at the Cage
Notes: Two of the region's top programs square off once again with the season on the line. The teams played two terrific regular season games and this one should be worth the (admittedly expensive) price of admission. Minnechaug's group is more seasoned in the tournament and the Falcons' defense could be the difference-maker, especially with Crowley patrolling the middle. Mark, meanwhile, could be a matchup challenge with her quickness and can drive and dish to get Malone open 18-footers.
Pick: Minnechaug

Division 2 at Curry Hicks Cage
No. 1 Palmer (21-0) vs. No. 4 Monument Mountain (18-4), 5
Head to head: Did not play this season
How they got here: Palmer beat Drury; Monument beat Hampshire Regional and Mahar Regional
Players to watch: Palmer: junior guard/forward Alyssa Orszulak, junior forward Katrina Caulfield; Monument: guards Mare McCormick and Keelyn Harris
Winners gets: Trip to the finals Saturday at 2:15 p.m.
Notes: McCormick, the Spartans top scorer, was called "very doubtful" after dislocating her kneecap early in the win over Mahar in the quarterfinals. This was a tough matchup for the Spartans -- last year's runner-up -- even with a full roster, but this turn of events makes it extremely difficult. Still, the Spartans were deep enough against Mahar and will bring an outstanding defensive effort to the Cage. The Panthers, meanwhile, survived a scare against Drury and will need a better performance to get by MM.
Pick: Palmer

No. 10 Belchertown (14-8) vs. No. 6 Wahconah (16-6), 6:30
Head to head: Did not play this season
How they got here: Belchertown beat Athol and Commerce; Wahconah beat Mount Greylock and Wahconah
Players to watch: Belchertown: senior guard Katelyn Cavanaugh, senior center Kierstin Del Valle, junior forward Briana Del Valle; Wahconah: Darcey Sullivan and Sara Hamilton
Winners gets: Trip to the finals Saturday at 2:15 p.m.
Notes: *See preview in Wednesday's Gazette* -- As with their last two games, this one will come down to whether Belchertown can avoid turnovers and then dominate on the boards. I'd love to take them here, but I'm not going to jinx the Orioles at this point.
Pick: Wahconah

Girls Hoop D3 Semifinal Previews

Here's a game-by-game look at the two western Mass. girls Division semifinals set for Tuesday at the Curry Hicks Cage. I'll have the Division 1 and 2 semifinal previews for Wednesday posted on Tuesday night.

Quarterfinals record: 8-4
Overall record: 18-5

SEMIFINALS
Division 3
No. 1 Lee (16-5) vs. No. 4 Sabis (15-6), 5 p.m.
Head to head: Did not play
How they got here: Lee beat Lenox 52-33; Sabis beat New Leadership 78-57
Players to watch: Lee: Katie Eckert, Megan Gangell, Rebecca Webb, Tara Dooley; Sabis: Alexis Chappell, Jaimee Collins, Olivia Schnorf, Jazmine Collins,
Winner gets: A trip to the finals on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
Notes: Lee at the Cage? You're kidding! The Wildcats return once again to the semifinals and look to reach the championship game for the 20th time in the last 22 years. These teams were 1-2 in our rankings for a while during the midseason until Sabis struggled down the stretch, but the Bulldogs' quarterfinal win over New Leadership, which ended the career of the state's all-time leading scorer (Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir) showed that they were back on track. Lee will certainly bring the defense and fundamentals that has lead to its utter dominance of the Division 3 field for all these years. Sabis needs a near-perfect performance to knock the Wildcats off here.
Pick: Lee

No. 2. Monson (17-4) vs. No. 3 Ware (15-4), 6:30 p.m.
Head to head: Split the season with home team winning each
How they got here: Monson beat McCann 64-33; Ware beat Smith Academy 65-54
Players to watch: Monson: senior guard Martine Turgeon, junior forward Meghan Boyle; Ware: junior guard/forward Justine King and senior guard Danielle Lavalley
Winner gets: A trip to the finals on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
Notes: Big-time Bi-County West rivals meet up in their biggest game ever. Ware is seeking its first trip to the finals since 2001, while Monson has never been the title game. After the home teams won each of this year's two games, it seems only fitting that the rubber match is on neutral ground, at the Cage. Monson takes the size advantage with Boyle, who scored 32 points in the second game (which Ware won), while King (coming off a 38-point performance in the quarters) may be the best player remaining in the D-3 field. If the two prior games are any indication, Ware won 62-58, Monson won 58-55 in OT, this could be one heck of a game.
Pick: Ware

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Girls Hoop Quarterfinal previews

Here's a game-by-game look at all 12 western Mass. quarterfinal matchups set for Thursday at 7 p.m. I went 10-1 with my picks during the first round (good job by Belchertown to knock off Athol) and will begin the quest to fall back toward .500 here.

There are a ton of good games in the mix. If you told me before the year at Amherst-Minnechaug was playing in the tourney, I would have assumed it was at least the semifinals, same with Mahar-Monument Mountain. In Division 3, I love the Sabis-New Leadership and Smith-Ware games. Plus, I think we learn a lot about defending state champion Northampton (win or lose) in Thursday's game against Holyoke.

QUARTERFINALS
Division 1
No. 9 Amherst Regional (11-10) at No. 1 Minnechaug (17-2)
Head to head: Minnechaug won 51-32 at home on Dec. 30
How they got here: Amherst beat West Springfield 51-43 in the quarterfinals; Minnechaug had a bye
Players to watch: Amherst: guards Alyssa Leonard and Jenna Klaes, center Mariah Lesure; Minnechaug: center Bridget Crowley, forward, Briana Kelly, guard Bre Dufault
Winner gets: winner of Central-Ludlow
Notes: Amherst third-year coach Christal Murphy returns to her alma mater for the second time hoping to get a win and earn her first trip to the semifinals as Hurricanes coach. It certainly won't be easy, as the Falcons have had plenty of rest and will be well prepared to take on the Hurricanes. The biggest question is whether Amherst can play at a quick enough offensive tempo to keep Minnechaug from setting up its zone. Klaes, Leonard and company love to run and that could help a lot here. Otherwise, it will take a lot of ball-control and some hot-shooting from behind the arc for Amherst to pull off the upset. Minnechaug, meanwhile, has to rebound against an Amherst team that has cleaned the glass extremely well since getting everyone back from injury. This one could definitely be close and is a very tough matchup for the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals. Still, Chaug coach Dave Yelle isn't going to let his team overlook the Hurricanes simply because of their overall record.
Pick: Minnechaug

No. 5 Central (14-6) at No. 4 Ludlow (15-5)
Head to head: Central won 69-52 at home on Feb. 12
How they got here: Both teams had byes
Players to watch: Central: guards Brisje Malone and A'Lece Mark and Center Aleisha Hawley; Ludlow: guards Jenna Williamson and Elish Homich
Winner gets: winner of Amherst-Minnechaug
Notes: The seeds were flipped after the meeting to give the home game to Ludlow, which was clearly the right move via the way the Walker worked out. I'm just not convinced that Ludlow is athletic enough to pull this one off and if the Golden Eagles are focused they can play with anyone. For example, they looked completely disheveled at the Hoophall and lost to Minnechaug, but came back and beat the Falcons later in the season. The key questions for the Lions, meanwhile, is whether they can rebound with Central and whether they can get either Williamson or Homich (the program's first-ever 1,000-point scorer) going early.
Pick: Central

No. 7 Agawam (13-8) at No. 2 East Longmeadow (18-2)
Head to head: Split the season with the road teams winning each. Agawam won by two (12/30), EL by 16 (1/12)
How they got here: Agawam beat Chicopee Comp 50-42 in quarterfinals; EL had a bye
Players to watch: Agawam: center Mackenzie Doyle; East Longmeadow: forward/center Krista Ferrentino
Winner gets: winner of Holyoke-Northampton
Notes: Doyle was the hero against Comp, but this is a much bigger fish (or Spartan, in this case) to fry. The inside matchup of Doyle and Ferrentino is one not to be missed, but the game will likely be decided by the supporting cast, which favors EL.
Pick: East Longmeadow

No. 6 Holyoke (14-6) at No. 3 Northampton (15-5)
Head to head: Northampton swept series, winning by 37 at home (1/26) and by 8 in Holyoke (2/12)
How they got here: Both teams had byes
Players to watch: Holyoke: center Natasha Colon-Ortiz, guard Monique Heard; Northampton: forwards Alannah Driscoll-Sbar and Cassy Sicard, guard Jenny Bell
Winner gets: winner of Agawam-East Longmeadow
Notes: I think we'll know by the third quarter if Northampton has a shot to repeat. If the Blue Devils are flopping on the floor, complaining to the refs and not pushing the ball at every opportunity, their season will probably be over at AIC at best (if not here). If they are playing overwhelming defense, beating Holyoke down the floor, rebounding and letting a bad call or two slide off their backs, they could be headed back to the DCU Center. I'm betting that the senior class will kick it up a notch now that they are in a one-and-done situation.
Pick: Northampton

Division 2
No. 8 Drury (15-6) at No. 1 Palmer (20-0)
Head to head: Did not play this season
How they got here: Drury beat Hoosac Valley, 34-28; Palmer had a bye
Players to watch: Drury: senior guard Taylor DeSanty; Palmer: junior guard/forward Alyssa Orszulak, junior forward Katrina Caulfield
Winner gets: winner of Mahar-Monument
Notes: Interesting matchup in that DeSanty is the kind of player that could cause an upset, but this is a very tall task indeed. DeSanty, the program's all-time leading scorer, averages 22 points per game and is capable of much more if she gets going. But the Panthers are so good and so poised that it's hard to see them losing this early. You can be sure that Orszulak, Caulfield and company will be entirely composed here and the team's depth will likely be too much for the well-coached Blue Devils.
Pick: Palmer

No. 10 Belchertown (13-8) at No. 2 Commerce (18-2)
Head to head: Did not play this season
How they got here: Belchertown beat Athol 58-56; Commerce had a bye
Players to watch: Belchertown: senior guard Katelyn Cavanaugh, senior center Kierstin Del Valle, junior forward Briana Del Valle; Commerce: senior guard Tiaunna Nieves, senior forward Angie Couyoute
Winner gets: winner of Wahconah-Mohawk
Notes: Great job by the Orioles to hand me my one quarterfinal loss, knocking off a very hot Athol team on the road. In that game, they neutralized any issues around the perimeter and took advantage of their size inside. Commerce is more well-balanced than Athol and Nieves may be the most underrated player in Division 2. She could be a real handful here for Belchertown. Hate to be a non-believer in the local team here. This pick is more about Commerce than Belchertown.
Pick: Commerce

No. 6 Wahconah (15-6) at No. 3 Mohawk (19-2)
Head to head: Did not play this season
How they got here: Wahconah beat Mount Greylock 58-36; Mohawk beat Gateway 55-8
Players to watch: Wahconah: Darcey Sullivan and Sara Hamilton; Mohawk: senior guards Johanna Miner and Kelsey Schmidt, senior forward April Sheldon and senior center Madeline Hoeppner
Winner gets: winner of Belchertown-Commerce
Notes: It's hard to look at Mohawk's game-by-game result and not be concerned here. Losing two of their last three in games that could have clinched the Franklin North outright doesn't make me confident in their game of late and beating up on Gateway just isn't enough to cure that feeling. Wahconah, meanwhile, did just the opposite, getting healthy and then winning five straight, including a big-time win over Monument at home to end the regular season. The Warriors are deep enough to deal with Mohawk's greatest strength -- it's own depth -- and I just have a feeling that the Berkshire team is going to score the upset here.
Pick: Wahconah

No. 5 Mahar (18-3) at No. 4 Monument Mountain (17-4)
Head to head: Did not play this season
How they got here: Mahar beat Frontier 57-45; Monument beat Hampshire 55-36
Players to watch: Mahar: senior guard Mary Kovacevic and senior forward Ginny Averill; Monument: guards Mare McCormick and Keelyn Harris
Winner gets: winner of Drury-Palmer
Notes: I actually think this is going to be the game of the day in Division 2, as Mahar matches up well here with a standout point guard (Kovacevic) and a strong inside presence (Averill) -- both are 1,000-point scorers. Monument will undoubtedly bring on the defense here and the game will likely come down to whether Kovacevic and company can take care of the ball. Otherwise, the Spartans will start the layup line and we'll be seeing Tom Kinne back at the Cage once again. The only thing really holding me back here is Mahar's long, long trip West, but I'm going to go with Franklin County here after going with the Berkshire upset above.
Pick: Mahar

Division 3
No. 9 Lenox (7-14) at No. 1 Lee (15-5)
Head to head: Lee beat Lenox twice by 28 points each time
How they got here: Lenox beat Putnam 46-43; Lee had a bye
Players to watch: Lenox: Natalie Allen, Emma Poore; Lee: Katie Eckert, Megan Gangell, Rebecca Webb, Tara Dooley
Winner gets: winner of New Leadership-Sabis
Notes: Two new coaches, same old rivalry. The Wildcats are almost surely headed back where they belong -- back to the Cage -- under first-year head coach (and long-time assistant) Gary Wellington. Nicole Patella's crew, meanwhile, got a tough draw here. I would have liked to see what they could have done against a McCann, Smith or New Leadership (lost by eight in Springfield the first time).
Pick: Lee

No. 5 New Leadership (14-6) at No. 4 Sabis (14-6)
Head to head: Split the season with home team winning each game.
How they got here: Both teams had byes
Players to watch: New Leadership: senior guard Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir; Sabis: sophomore guard Alexis Chappell, junior guard/forward Jaimee Collins
Winner gets: winner of Lenox-Lee
Notes: The Wildcats' last loss was Jan. 26 to Commerce, the night Abdul-Qaadir broke Rebecca Lobo's state scoring record. Since then, they've won seven straight including wins over Monson and Sabis. This should be a great game, as Sabis has a bit more depth, but can they possibly slow Bilqis down enough after she dropped 43 and 51 against them in the past two matchups this season? I think we'd all like to see Lee vs. Bilqis at the Cage.
Pick: New Leadership

No. 6 Smith Academy (14-7) at No. 3 Ware (14-4)
Head to head: Did not play this year
How they got here: Smith beat Pathfinder 57-13; Ware had a bye
Players to watch: Smith: Junior forward Abeni Davies, sophomore guard Allison Slysz, freshman forward Alyssa Klepacki; Ware: junior guard/forward Justine King and senior guard Danielle Lavalley.
Winner gets: winner of McCann-Monson
Notes: It's either this or NLCS/Sabis as the game of the day in D-3. The big question here is whether Smith can slow down Ware's talented backcourt (King averages 19.2 points per game) enough to make it's advantage inside felt. I've had coaches tell me King (who is one of the top players I haven't gotten to see this year) is one of the five best players in western Mass. Can the Falcons' defense hold her at or below her average while also keeping Lavalley from going off? If so, Davies and Klepacki will likely make the difference underneath.
Pick: Smith Academy

No. 7 McCann Tech (12-9) at No. 2 Monson (16-4)
Head to head: Monson swept the two-game series
How they got here: McCann beat Franklin Tech 50-26; Monson had a bye
Players to watch: McCann: junior guard Nhi Nguyen, sophomore guard Katelyn Lewis; Monson: senior guard Martine Turgeon, junior forward Meghan Boyle
Winner gets: winner of Smith-Ware
Notes: Nhi Nguyen missed the second matchup (a 65-32 Monson win in Monson) to tend to her family after her father's passing and the team couldn't get the game rescheduled. I think the Mustangs' advantage inside with Boyle could be too much here.
Pick: Monson

Updated Girls Basketball Brackets

Girls basketball
Division 1
1. Minnechaug (17-2)
2. East Longmeadow (18-2)
3. Northampton (15-5)
4. Ludlow (15-5)
5. Central (14-6)
6. Holyoke (14-6)
7. Agawam (12-8)
8. West Springfield (11-9)
9. Amherst Regional (10-10)
10. Chicopee Comp (10-10)
First round
Monday, Feb. 23
Amherst Regional 51, West Springfield 43
Agawam 50, Chicopee Comp 42
Quarterfinals
Thursday, Feb. 26
Game 3: Amherst Regional at Minnechaug, 7
Game 4: Central at Ludlow, 7
Game 5: Agawam at East Longmeadow, 7
Game 6: Holyoke at Northampton, 7
Semifinals
Wednesday, March 4 at AIC
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, TBA
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, TBA
Final
Saturday, March 7 at Curry Hicks Cage
Semifinal winners

Division 2
1. Palmer (20-0)
2. Commerce (18-2)
3. Mohawk (18-2)
4. Monument Mountain (16-4)
5. Mahar (17-3)
6. Wahconah (14-6)
7. Athol (16-4)
8. Drury (14-6)
9. Hoosac Valley (12-8)
10. Belchertown (12-8)
11. Mount Greylock (10-8)
12. Frontier Regional (11-9)
13. Hampshire Regional (5-15)
14. Gateway Regional (11-7)
First round
Monday, Feb. 23
Drury 34, Hoosac Valley 28
Belchertown 58, Athol 56
Wahconah 58, Mount Greylock 36
Mahar 57, Frontier Regional 45
Monument Mountain 55, Hampshire 36
Mohawk 55, Gateway Regional 8
Quarterfinals
Thursday, Feb. 26
Game 7: Drury at Palmer, 7
Game 8: Belchertown at Commerce, 7
Game 9: Wahconah at Mohawk, 7
Game 10: Mahar at Monument Mountain, 7
Semifinals
Date TBA at Curry Hicks Cage
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 10 winner
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner
Final
Saturday, March 7 at Curry Hicks Cage
Semifinal winners

Division 3
1. Lee (15-5)
2. Monson (16-4)
3. Ware (14-4)
4. Sabis (14-6)
5. New Leadership (14-6)
6. Smith Academy (13-7)
7. McCann Tech (11-9)
8. Putnam (18-2)
9. Lenox (6-14)
10. Franklin Tech (15-5)
11. Pathfinder (10-10)
First round
Monday, Feb. 23
Smith Academy 57, Pathfinder 13
McCann Tech 53, Franklin Tech 26
Lenox 46, Putnam 43
Quarterfinals
Thursday, Feb. 26
Game 4: Lenox at Lee, 7
Game 5: New Leadership at Sabis, 7
Game 6: Smith Academy at Ware, 7
Game 7: McCann Tech at Monson, 7
Semifinals
Date TBA at Curry Hicks Cage
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBA
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, TBA
Final
Saturday, March 7 at Curry Hicks Cage
Semifinal winners

Girls Hoop First Round Previews

Before we get started, I just want to point out that there are a number of differences in overall record in our official record-keeping and the information given to the MIAA by the Ads. There is a chance that something was incorrectly posted by a newspaper or something, but the main issue seems to be incorrectly submitted info to the tournament committee. That makes things extremely difficult for the committee and leads, I’m sure, to mistakes. It’s unfortunate.

I’m sure that’s what happened in the Ludlow-Central situation on Saturday, when everyone was shocked to hear that Central got the four seed ahead of Ludlow, including the Lions coach. That was eventually fixed by the committee, thankfully.

For instance, in Division 2 alone there are two incorrect records in the top four as Mohawk is listed as 19-1 (they are 18-2) and Monument at 17-3 (they are 16-4). There are more throughout the brackets. The records that were used for our Walkertology, the ones posted below and in the Gazette on Monday are all correct to the best to our knowledge. If you see something wrong, drop me a line at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.

One last thing, I’m not sure what happened at the bottom of Division 2. Last year, Gateway got in because it was in the Tri-County and Hampshire got in via the Sullivan Rule. In that bracket last year, Hampshire was placed last and Gateway was second-to-last. This year was the same situation, but Gateway was placed last and Hampshire second-to-last. I think this makes more sense, in fact, and asked the committee about it afterward, but the reasoning didn’t seem to be that they were righting a wrong. In fact, it sounded a lot like they thought this was Gateway’s first year in the TCL, which, of course, it wasn’t.

DIVISION 1
No. 9 Amherst (10-10) vs. No. 8 West Springfield (11-9)
Head to head: Did not play this season
Players to watch: Amherst guards Alyssa Leonard and Jenna Klaes and center Mariah Lesure; West Springfield center Annie Siemanowski and guard Monica Acevedo
Winner gets: No. 1 Minnechaug (17-2)
Notes: Incredibly, Amherst played 17 games against tournament teams and squared off against eight of the other nine teams in the D-1 field. The only one the Canes didn’t face: West Side. Amherst looked good down the stretch and appears to finally be healthy. If they can rebound with the Terriers, they will be in good shape.
Pick: I’ll be a homer and go with Amherst in a close one.

No. 10 Chicopee Comp (10-10) at No. 7 Agawam (12-8)
Head to head: Did no play this season
Players to watch: Comp guards Ashley Assarian and Kellie Dwyer; Agawam center Mackenzie Doyle
Winner gets: No. 2 East Longmeadow (18-2)
Notes: The Colts really struggled against Amherst in the finale and it’s hard to see how they can match up with Doyle in the middle. They’ll need to really improve their team rebounding and the guards will have to get hot from the outside to pull off the win.
Pick: Agawam

DIVISION 2
No. 9 Hoosac Valley (12-8) at No. 8 Drury (14-6)
Head to head: Teams split the season with road team winning each game
Players to watch: Hoosac’s Courtney Delratez and Sam Lebeau; Drury’s Taylor DeSanty
Winner gets: No. 1 Palmer (20-0)
Notes: I love that this one ended up working out, as these schools are huge rivals and this will be a big deal in Northern Berkshire county. DeSanty is the school’s top career scorer and I’d love to see her get a crack at Palmer’s defense.
Pick: Drury

No. 10 Belchertown (12-8) at No. 7 Athol (16-4)
Head to head: Did not play this season
Players to watch: Belchertown guard Katelyn Cavanaugh and post players Kierstin Del Valle and Briana Del Valle; Athol guard Catie Brighenti
Winner gets: No. 2 Commerce (18-2)
Notes: Belchertown’s struggles against good backcourt defense will be the key here, as the Orioles must limit their turnovers to beat a very hot Red Raiders squad, which ended the season 7-1. If they take care of the ball, their inside advantage could be the difference.
Pick: Athol

No. 11 Mount Greylock (10-8) at No. 6 Wahconah (14-6)
Head to head: Warriors beat the Mounties 49-30 in Cheshire on Jan. 19.
Players to watch: Greylock’s Sarah Brink and Kim Houston; Wahconah’s Darcey Sullivan and Sara Hamilton
Winner gets: Winner of Gateway-Mohawk
Notes: Another Berkshire matchup, with the Warriors coming off a huge win over Monument Mountain in their regular season finale. A Wahconah-Mohawk quarterfinal could be fantastic.
Pick: Wahconah

No. 12 Frontier Regional (11-9) at No. 5 Mahar Regional (17-3)
Head to head: Mahar swept two-game series by total of 39 points.
Players to watch: Red Hawks guards Amanda Koldy and Mel Stier; Mahar guard Mary Kovacevic and forwad Genny Averill
Winner gets: Winner of Monument-Hampshire
Notes: Tough matchup for the Red Hawks, who could have jumped on an unsuspecting opponent early with their defensive pressure, but the Senators will know all about Frontier after two regular season games. The Red Hawks are very young and just the experience of reaching this point will pay off huge for the program down the road.
Pick: Mahar

No. 13 Hampshire Regional (5-15) at No. 4 Monument Mountain (17-3)
Head to head: Did not play this year
Players to watch: Hampshire guard Ashlee Moussette; Monument guard Mare McCormick and Keelynn Harris
Winner gets: Winner of Mahar-Frontier
Notes: One of the more interesting games of the day, as Monument may be better than a four seed and Hampshire is definitely better than a 13 seed. The Red Raiders played 14 games against Division 1 teams and certainly won’t be overwhelmed by anything thrown at them here, but this is a tough trip and a tough matchup.
Pick: Monument

No. 14 Gateway Regional (11-7) at No. 3 Mohawk Trail (18-2)
Head to head: Did not play this year
Players to watch: Gateway’s Kaila Arsenault; Mohawk’s Johanna Miner and Kelsey Schmidt
Winner gets: Winner of Wahconah-Greylock
Notes: A Tri-County team in the Division 2 field just can’t compete, let along against a Mohawk team that started the season with 17 straight wins.
Pick: Mohawk

DIVISION 3
No. 11 Pathfinder (10-10) at No. 6 Smith Academy (13-7)
Head to head: Did not play this year
Players to watch: Smith forwards Abeni Davies and Andrea Klepacki and guard Allison Slysz
Winner gets: No. 3 Ware (14-4)
Notes: This was probably the perfect result for Smith, which is back in the tournament after X years away. They get a very winnable game to get their feet wet in the tournament before heading to a more difficult matchup, but still winnable, at Ware. Even better than a bye in this situation.
Pick: Smith

No. 10 Franklin Tech at No. 7 McCann Tech (11-9)
Head to head: Did not play this year
Player to watch: McCann guard Nhi Nguyen
Winner gets: No. 2 Monson (16-4)
Notes: McCann has battled all kinds of adversity this year, but will almost certainly cruise here.
Pick: McCann

No. 9 Lenox (6-14) at No. 8 Putnam (18-2)
Head to head: Did not play this year
Players to watch: Lenox’s Natalie Allen and Emma Poore
Winner gets: No. 1 Lee (15-5)
Notes: I’d have been more likely to pick Putnam if it beat a non-Tri-County team this year, but that season finale loss to Granby made it impossible.
Pick: Lenox

Cassy Sicard story & Hoop Links

I wanted to post a link to the story about Cassy Sicard and her son Koby that ran on our front page in Saturday paper here for people that only go to the high school home page. Worth a look at least for the fantastic pictures by Jerrey Roberts attached.

Boys basketball

Here are the official seeds from Saturday's Hoophall meeting.

Here is a look at the field.

Girls basketball

Here are the official seeds from Saturday's Hoophall meeting.

Here is a look at the field.

CORRECTED - Official Girls Hoop Tourney Seeds

I'll have previews for each game posted on Sunday night along with some thoughts on what was a strange seeding meeting, as you will see in some spots below.

Girls basketball
Division 1
1. Minnechaug (17-2)
2. East Longmeadow (18-2)
3. Northampton (15-5)
**4. Ludlow (15-5)
**5. Central (14-6)
6. Holyoke (14-6)
7. Agawam (12-8)
8. West Springfield (11-9)
9. Amherst Regional (10-10)
10. Chicopee Comp (10-10)
First Round
Monday
Game 1: Amherst Regional at West Springfield, 7
Game 2: Chicopee Comp at Agawam, 7
Quarterfinals
Thursday
Game 3: Game 1 winner at Minnechaug, 7
Game 4: Central at Ludlolw, 7
Game 5: Game 2 winner at East Longmeadow, 7
Game 6: Holyoke at Northampton, 7
Semifinals
Wednesday, March 4 at AIC
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, TBA
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, TBA
Finals
Saturday at Curry Hicks Cage
Semifinal winners

Division 2
1. Palmer (20-0)
2. Commerce (18-2)
3. Mohawk (18-2)
4. Monument Mountain (16-4)
5. Mahar (17-3)
6. Wahconah (14-6)
7. Athol (16-4)
8. Drury (14-6)
9. Hoosac Valley (12-8)
10. Belchertown (12-8)
11. Mount Greylock (10-8)
12. Frontier (11-9)
13. Hampshire Regional (5-15)
14. Gateway Regional (11-7)
First round
Monday
Game 1: Hoosac Valley at Drury, 7
Game 2: Belchertown at Athol, 7
Game 3: Mount Greylock at Wahconah, 7
Game 4: Frontier Regional at Mahar Regional, 7
Game 5: Hampshire Regional at Monument Mountain, 7
Game 6: Gateway Regional at Mohawk Trail, 7
Quarterfinals
Date TBA
Game 7: Game 1 winner at Palmer, 7
Game 8: Game 2 winner at Commerce, 7
Game 9: Game 3 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7
Game 10: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7
Semifinals
Date TBA at Curry Hicks Cage
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 10 winner
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner
Finals
Saturday, March 7 at Curry Hicks Cage
Semifinal winners

Division 3
1. Lee (15-5)
2. Monson (16-4)
3. Ware (14-4)
4. Sabis (14-6)
5. New Leadership (14-6)
6. Smith Academy (13-7)
7. McCann Tech (11-9)
8. Putnam (18-2)
9. Lenox
10. Franklin Tech (15-5)
11. Pathfinder (10-10)
First round
Monday
Game 1: Pathfinder at Smith Academy, 7
Game 2: Franklin Tech at McCann Tech, 7
Game 3: Lenox at Putnam, 7
Quarterfinals
Date TBA
Game 4: Game 3 winner at Lee, 7
Game 5: New Leadership at Sabis, 7
Game 6: Game 1 winner at Ware, 7
Game 7: Game 2 winner at Monson, 7
Semifinals
Date TBA at Curry Hicks Cage
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBA
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, TBA
Finals
Saturday, March 7 at Curry Hicks Cage
Semifinal winners

Girls Hoop Walkertology - FINAL

FINAL WALKERTOLOGY
This is the third year we've been doing this and I'm certainly not
recommending that any coaches start putting in gameplans just yet. One
bad calculation can mess up an entire bracket. One typo, either in my
records or in another newspaper's results can do the same. And yes,
this is all my way of saying not to blame me when official seeds are
announced Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Before breaking out the results, let me run down what you're looking
at below. There are three numbers after each team. These numbers
reflect how that teams ranks within its division in the three
categories used by the Walker.

First number: Winning percentage
Second number: Strength of schedule. You get four points for a D1 win,
three for a D2 win and two for a D3 win. Take the total and divide it
by the total number of games played.
Third number: Performance vs. tournament teams. This is the same
mathematical equation as the second number, but its only for games
against teams in the postseason.

You then rank each team in each category and add up the rankings, so
a team that is first, third, first has a total of 5. You then rank the
teams based on that total number and there are your Walker rankings.

DIVISION 1
1. Minnechaug (2-1-1)
2. East Longmeadow (1-2-2)
T3. Ludlow (3-4-3)
T3. Northampton (3-3-4) - I'm guessing the committee will break this
tie by the third number, which goes to Ludlow. They could say that Hamp
plays in the tougher league, however, and give it to them.
5. Holyoke (5-5-5)
6. Central (5-6-6)
7. Agawam (7-7-7)
8. West Springfield (8-8-9)
9. Amherst (9-10-8)
10. Chicopee Comp (9-9-10)

DIVISION 2
1. Palmer (1-1-1)
2. Commerce (2-2-3)
3. Mohawk (2-4-4)
T4. Mahar (4-6-2) - Takes tiebreaker with two category wins
T4. Monument (5-3-4)
6. Wahconah (7-5-6)
7. Athol (5-7-7)
8. Drury (7-8-8)
9. Hoosac (9-9-9)
10. Belchertown (9-10-11)
11. Mount Greylock (11-11-10)
12. Frontier (12-12-12)
13. Gateway Regional (Tri-County)
14. Hampshire Regional (Sullivan Rule)
Note: Some of these are extremely close. This one should be very interesting on Saturday.

DIVISION 3
1. Lee (3-1-1)
2. Monson (1-2-3)
3. Ware (2-3-2)
T4. New Leadership (4-5-4)
T4. Sabis (4-4-5) - Interesting tiebreaking situation could happen
here. Usually, I'd say New Leadership would get the better seed because
of the third number (the teams split during the season), but these
teams are in the same league. It seems like you should then go to the
league records, which Sabis is better on. Very interested in this one
if it plays out like this.
6. Smith Academy (6-6-6)
7. McCann Tech (7-7-7)
8. Putnam (Tri-County champ)
9. Franklin (Tri-County)
10. Pathfinder (Tri-County)
11. Lenox (Sullivan Rule, although the No. 9 seed here seems more reasonable)

Final Hoop Standings

Click here for the final 2008-09 standings.

Girls Hoop Walkertology

WALKERTOLOGY
If the tournament started today, this is how the seeds would break
down. This is not official. Official seeds are announced Feb. 21 at
12:30 p.m. at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Note that as more teams qualify for the postseason, the rankings can vary greatly. I'll have a massive final Walker breakdown posted late Thursday night.

Before breaking out the results, let me run down what you're looking at below. There are three numbers after each team. These numbers reflect how that teams ranks within its division in the three categories used by the Walker.

First number: Winning percentage
Second number: Strength of schedule. You get four points for a D1 win, three for a D2 win and two for a D3 win. Take the total and divide it by the total number of games played.
Third number: Performance vs. tournament teams. This is the same mathematical equation as the second number, but its only for games against teams in the postseason.

You then rank each team in each category and add up the rankings, so a team that is first, third, first has a total of 5. You then rank the teams based on that total number and there are your Walker rankings. And yes, this reminds each year of why I decided against going into a career involving mathematics.

Here we go:

Division 1 (through Tuesday)
1. Minnechaug (2-1-1)
2. East Longmeadow (1-2-2)
3. Northampton (3-3-3)
4. Ludlow (4-4-5)
5. Holyoke (5-5-4)
6. Central (6-6-6)
7. Agawam (7-7-7)
8. West Springfield (8-8-9)
9. Chicopee Comp (9-9-8)

Let's do a what-if version. Say that on Wednesday - Amherst beats Chicopee Comp to get in, East Longmeadow beats Longmeadow, Ludlow beats East Providence and Minnechaug beats Agawam on Thursday.

Everything would be the same except Amherst would get in and be the No. 9 seed and Comp would be the 10 seed.

Now, according to my numbers, the other big game is Ludlow-East Providence, as Ludlow drops to No. 5 behind Holyoke with a loss there.

Finally, the East Longmeadow Spartans are big Agawam fans on Thursday, as a Brownies win over Minnechaug would give EL the top seed and drop Minnechaug to No. 2.

Division 2 (through Tuesday)
1. Palmer (1-1-1)
2. Mohawk (2-4-2)
3. Commerce (3-2-5) - Gets tiebreaker with two category wins
4. Monument (4-3-3)
5. Mahar (4-6-4)
6. Athol (6-7-6)
7. Wahconah (8-5-8)
8. Drury (7-8-7)
9. Hoosac (9-9-9)
10. Belchertown (10-10-10)
11. Frontier (11-11-11)
12. Mount Greylock (12-12-12)
13. Gateway (Tri-County)
14. Hampshire (Sullivan Rule)

Still a ton of big games as Athol-Mohawk are playing Wednesday, as well as Commerce-Sabis, Hoosac-Greylock, Monument-Wahconah.

It looks to me like Monument jumps to the three seed by the slimmest of margins if the Spartans win against the Warriors, but there are so many games that could go either way it's hard to even project here.

Division 3 (through Tuesday)
T1. Lee (3-1-1) - Wins two categories
T1. Ware (1-2-2)
T3. Sabis (3-3-3) - Your guess is as good as mine here, but both teams still have games.
T3. Monson (2-4-3)
5. New Leadership (5-5-5)
6. Smith Academy (6-6-5)
7. McCann (7-7-7)
8. Putnam (Tri-County champion)
9. Franklin (Tri-County)

Two teams on the playoff bubble and I think both Lenox (needs to beat winless St. Joe to get in via Sullivan Rule) and Pathfinder (needs to beat Gateway for the second time this week) will get in.

Let's assume that and the following: Lee beats Taconic, Monson beats Hopkins and Smith beats Pioneer Christian. The big game then is the Commerce-Sabis game.

If Sabis wins, here's the list:
1. Lee
2. Sabis (tops Ware in tiebreaker)
3. Ware
4. Monson
5. New Leadership
6. Smith Academy
7. McCann
8. Putnam
9. Franklin
10. Pathfinder
11. Lenox

If Commerce wins, here's the list:
1. Lee (tops Ware in tiebreaker)
2. Ware
3. Monson
4. Sabis
5. New Leadership
6. Smith Academy
7. McCann
8. Putnam
9. Franklin
10. Pathfinder
11. Lenox

Everyone having fun yet?

Girls Hoop Walkertology/Playoff Picture

If the tournament started today, this is how the seeds would break down. This is not official. Official seeds are announced Feb. 21 at 12:30 p.m. at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Note that as more teams qualify for the postseason, the rankings can vary greatly.

Before breaking out the results, let me run down what you're looking at below. There are three numbers after each team. These numbers reflect how that teams ranks within its division in the three categories used by the Walker.

First number: Winning percentage
Second number: Strength of schedule. You get four points for a D1 win, three for a D2 win and two for a D3 win. Take the total and divide it by the total number of games played.
Third number: Performance vs. tournament teams. This is the same mathematical equation as the second number, but its only for games against teams in the postseason.

Then each team is ranked in each category and the rankings themselves are added up, so a team that is first, third, first has a total of 5. The teams are then ranked based on that total number and there are your Walker rankings. And yes, this reminds each year of why I decided against going into a career involving mathematics when I was in high school.

Playoff picture is at the bottom. Here we go:

Division 1
Note: Amazing how perfectly the numbers are in D1 right now.
1. Minnechaug (1-1-1)
2. East Longmeadow (2-2-2)
3. Northampton (3-3-3)
4. Ludlow (4-4-4)
5. Central (5-5-5)
6. Holyoke (6-6-6)
7. Agawam (7-7-7)
8. West Side (8-8-8)
Best potential matchup: Central-Ludlow at Ludlow could be very interesting, but I think Holyoke at Northampton could be a very dangerous game for Hamp, which has beaten the Purple Knights twice already this season.

Division 2
Note: I'm doing what the tourney committee did last year and automatically placing Gateway (Tri-County team) and Hampshire (got in via Sullivan 70% Rule) at the bottom. Gateway was placed ahead of Hampshire last year, which I disagree with, but I'm going for accuracy here.
1. Palmer (1-1-1)
2. Monument (4-2-2)
3. Mohawk (2-4-3)
4. Commerce (3-3-5)
5. Mahar (5-5-4)
6. Athol (7-8-6)
7. Drury (8-7-7) - Takes tiebreaker over Wahconah by winning two categories
8. Wahconah (6-8-8)
9. Hoosac Valley (9-9-11) - Takes tiebreaker with Belchertown by winning two categories
10. Belchertown (10-10-9)
11. Frontier (11-11-10)
12. Gateway Regional (Tri-County)
13. Hampshire (Sullivan Rule)
Best potential matchup: Interesting that Hampshire would play Commerce in this situation, as it seems like maybe the Springfield school is the one that should be in the D-1 Suburban League instead of Desi Vega's crew. Also love the potential of a Drury-Monument quarterfinal as the teams split during the regular season and the atmosphere could be fantastic.

Division 3
Note: I'm taking out the Tri-County teams for the reasons listed above. League champ sometimes gets No. 8 seed for first-round home game, which I'm expecting this year with Putnam.
1. Lee (4-1-1)
2. Sabis (3-2-2) - Takes tiebreaker with Ware by winning two categories
3. Ware (1-3-3)
4. Monson (1-4-4)
5. Smith Academy (5-5-5)
6. New Leadership (5-6-6)
7. McCann Tech (7-7-7)
8. Putnam (TCL winner)
9. Franklin Tech (TCL)
Best potential matchup: Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir vs. Justine King could be fun and Smith at Monson would be excellent.

Bubble Watch
Division 1
Amherst (8-9) - at East Longmeadow (tonight), Hampshire (2/16), Chicopee Comp (2/18)
Chicopee Comp (9-9) - Chicopee (2/17), at Amherst (2/18)
Pittsfield (7-10) - Taconic (tonight), at Monument (2/16), Drury (2/18)

Division 2
Easthampton (9-9) - at Monson (tonight), Athol (2/16)
Mount Greylock (8-8) - St. Joe (2/16), at Hoosac (2/18)

Division 3
Lenox (4-13) - Needs win at St. Joe on 2/18 to get in via Sullivan Rule
Pathfinder (8-9) - at Franklin Tech (2/16), Gateway (2/17), Gateway (2/19)

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Girls Hoop Top 10s

NOTE: All Gazette high school sports coverage is now completely free online.

The records and rankings below are all prior to Thursday's games. With all the girls games tonight, I'm planning to post the updated Walker late Friday night.

The final regular season top 10s will be posted late next week, when we'll see if both Palmer and Lee will go wire-to-wire as No. 1 teams in their respective divisions.

Power Rankings (last week)
1. Minnechaug (2)
2. East Longmeadow (4)
3. Northampton (1)
4. Palmer (3)
5. Ludlow (6)
6. Central (7)
7. Holyoke (5)
8. Mohawk (8)
9. Commerce (9)
10. Mahar (10)

GazetteLand Rankings
1. Northampton (1)
2. Amherst (2)
3. Hampshire (3)
4. Belchertown (4)
5. Smith Academy (5)
6. Frontier (6)
7. Easthampton (8)
8. Hopkins (8)
9. Holyoke Catholic (9)
10. Granby (10)
11. South Hadley (11)
12. Gateway (12)
13. Smith Voke (13)

GazetteLand Leading Scorers
1. Allyson Rannikko, Easthampton, 18.2
2. Alannah Driscoll-Sbar, Northampton, 17.7
3. Alyssa Leonard, Amherst, 16.3
4. Abeni Davies, Smith Academy, 13.1
5. Kaitlyn Veit, Holyoke Catholic, 11.8
6. Ashlee Moussette, Hampshire, 10.9
7. Briana Yusko, Hopkins, 10.6
T8. Jenny Bell, Northampton, 10.5
T8. Alicia Carter, Easthampton, 10.5
10. Katelyn Cavanaugh, Belchertow, 10.2
11. Kaila Arsenault, Gateway, 9.6
12. Stephanie Delue, Hopkins, 8.9
13. Kierstin Del Valle, Belchertown, 8.8
T14. Briana Del Valle, Belchertown, 8.5
T14. Andrea Klepacki, Smith Academy, 8.5

Division 1 (record, last week)
1. Minnechaug (15-2, 2)
2. East Longmeadow (15-2, 3)
3. Northampton (14-3, 1)
4. Ludlow (14-3, 5)
5. Central (12-5, 6)
6. Holyoke (13-5, 5)
7. Agawam (10-7, 7)
8. West Springfield (10-8, 8)
9. Amherst (8-9, 9)
10. Chicopee Comp (8-9, 10)

Division 2
1. Palmer (18-0, 1)
2. Mohawk (17-0, 2)
3. Commerce (16-2, 3)
4. Mahar (14-3, 4)
5. Monument (14-2, 5)
6. Athol (13-3, 6)
7. Wahconah (11-6, 7)
8. Drury (12-5, 8)
9. Hampshire (5-13, 9)
10. Belchertown (12-7, 10)

Division 3
1. Lee (13-4, 1)
2. New Leadership (12-6, 2)
3. Monson (14-3, 3)
4. Sabis (14-4, 4)
5. Ware (13-3, 5)
6. Smith Academy (11-6, 6)
7. Hopkins (8-10, 8)
8. Putnam (16-1, 9)
9. McCann (10-9, 7)
10. Lenox (4-12, 10)

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High School Winter Standings

Click here for the high school winter standings.

Girls Walkertology

WALKERTOLOGY
If the tournament started today, this is how the seeds would break
down. This is not official. Official seeds are announced Feb. 21 at
12:30 p.m. at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Note that as more teams qualify for the postseason, the rankings can vary greatly. For instance, Smith Academy will greatly benefit from getting another Franklin South team in the tournament and would be even happier if it gets both Frontier and Easthampton in.

Division 1  (overall record-strength of schedule-record vs. tourney teams)
1. Minnechaug (1-1-1)
2. Northampton (2-2-2)
3. East Longmeadow (2-3-3)
4. Ludlow (4-4-4)
5. Holyoke (5-5-5)
6. Central (6-6-5)
7. Agawam (7-7-7)
8. West Springfield (8-8-8)

Division 2
Note: I'm doing what the tourney committee did last year and automatically placing Gateway (Tri-County team) and Hampshire (got in via 70 percent rule) at the bottom. Gateway was placed ahead of Hampshire last year, which I disagree with, but I'm going for accuracy here.
1. Palmer (1-1-1)
2. Mohawk (1-4-2)
3. Monument (4-2-3)
4. Commerce (3-3-4)
5. Mahar (5-6-5)
6. Athol (6-7-7) - takes tiebreaker over Wahconah by winning two categories. Also won H2H.
7. Wahconah (7-5-8)
8. Drury (8-8-6)
9. Hoosac (9-9-10)
10. Belchertown (10-10-9)
11. Gateway
12. Hampshire

Division 3
Note: I'm taking out the Tri-County teams for the reasons listed above.
1. Lee (4-1-1)
2. Sabis (3-2-2) - Takes tiebreaker over Monson by winning two categories
3. Monson (1-3-3)
4. Ware (2-4-3)
5. New Leadership (5-5-5)
6. Smith Academy (6-6-6)
7. McCann Tech (7-7-6)
8. Putnam (TCL winner)
9. Franklin Tech (TCL)

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