Tuesday's Girls Hoop semifinal previews

Previews for Wednesday's game will be posted late Tuesday night.

As always, you can email me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.

DIVISION 2

No. 7 Belchertown (15-7) vs. No. 3 Monument Mountain (15-6)
At Curry Hicks Cage, 5
Head to head: The Spartans beat the Orioles 48-41 in Great
Barrington on Feb. 12
Common opponents: Lee (Belchertown one loss, Monument two
losses)
How they got here: Belchertown beat Mount Greylock (51-35)
and Frontier Regional (55-38); Monument beat Drury (45-40 in overtime)
Outlook: The same four Division 2 teams return to the Cage
from last year, but with different matchups between the two Bi-County East
teams and the two Berkshire teams. Last year, it was the two Berkshire teams in
the finals, with Monument winning the title. The Orioles put up a good fight in
the regular season, including junior forward Brianna Del Valle, who scored a
career-high 26 points in the loss. You know the Spartans will be looking hard
at that tape, finding ways to slow down Del Valle and forcing the rest of the
team to carry the majority of the offense. Monument, meanwhile, has plenty of
depth in Sara Mills (12.4 points per game), Laura Ann Dinan (9.9) and Alyssa
Nejaime  (9.3). Interesting stat
(via www.ssportshaven.com) -- Nejaime
made 13 twos and 48 3-pointers during the regular season.

DIVISION 3
No. 1 Lee (20-1) vs. No. 5 Ware (17-5)
At Curry Hicks Cage, 6:30
Head to head: Did not play
Common opponents: Both teams beat Taconic twice and Holyoke
Catholic once
How they got here: Lee beat Holyoke Catholic (65-32); Ware
beat New Leadership (58-14) and Hopkins Academy (57-40)
Outlook: The Wildcats are deep, talented, relentless and
have been the clear tourney favorite all year. Katie Eckart (13.8) was the
Berkshire League’s top scorer and has been a defensive stopper for years.
Sisters Stephanie and Alex Young each averaged more than 10 points per game as
well. Ware, meanwhile, counters with one of the area’s top players in Justine
King and you know Lee will unleash everything it has defensively to slow down
the 1,000-point scorer. The rest of the team, which was terrific without King
against New Leadership, will have to be ready to potentially handle some of the
load.

No. 2 Smith Academy (19-2) vs. No. 3 Sabis (18-3)
At Curry Hicks Cage, 8
Head to head: Did not play
Common opponents: Monson (Sabis won three times, Smith lost
once at Monson)
How they got here: Smith Academy beat McCann Tech (62-57);
Sabis beat Monson (74-71)
Outlook: The Falcons are the final Franklin League team
standing after surviving a scare against McCann in the quarterfinals. The team
is deep, with guard Lindsay Gondek and forward Abeni Davies each averaging just
over 13 points per game. But other players, including Steph and Allison Slysz
and Alyssa Klepacki have all shown the ability to take over offensively if
needed. As for Sabis, the Bulldogs were essentially a given for the No. 2 seed
until they lost two of the final three games considered for seeding by the
MIAA. Sabis survived a terrific challenge from the Mustangs in the quarters and
feature the dynamic duo of Alexis Chappell and Jazmine Collins, who have
combined to average roughly 35 points per game this season.

Girls Hoop Quarterfinal Previews

As always, you can drop me an email at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.

DIVISION 1

No. 5 Chicopee Comp (15-5) at No. 4 Pittsfield (15-5)

Outlook: This is an interesting matchup for the right to
play undefeated Amherst in the semifinals. The Colts went just 1-6 against
tournament teams this season, with a lone win against Ludlow, while Pittsfield
was 4-5 and ended the year with a 6-1 record in its last seven game (including
wins over Wahconah, Monument and Drury). However, Comp has played a schedule
made up almost entirely of Division 1 teams, including games against the other
five D-1 teams in the tourney while Pittsfield against mostly Division 2 teams
in the Berkshires. Kayla McNeice (13.1 points per game) leads the Generals,
while the Colts feature a balanced attack led by Amber Legare, Erin Sweeney and
J.C. Pickett.

No. 7 Ludlow (11-9) at No. 2 Holyoke (18-2)

Outlook: Holyoke beat the Lions twice in the final seven
games of the regular season, but neither victory was a blowout. Jenna
Williamson gives the Lions a chance to win every night, while Purple Knights’
sophomore guard Monique Heard is one of the most exciting young players in the
region. Holyoke’s lone losses were at East Longmeadow (which they later
avenged) and Amherst. The Lions lost six of their last seven on the court, but
benefited from two forfeits from Central to earn their place in the postseason.

No. 6 Minnechaug (10-10) at No. 3 East Longmeadow (15-4)

Outlook: Like Ludlow, the Falcons earned their postseason
bid via two forfeits from Central. They did go 5-5 in their final 10 games
(after starting 3-7, which included two losses to the Golden Eagles), including
wins over Ludlow and Chicopee Comp. But one of those losses came at East
Longmeadow on Feb. 16 by a 52-33 deficit to the defending western Mass. champs.
The Spartans are a very scary No. 3 seed in this tournament, with maybe the
region’s best player in center Krista Ferrentino leading the way.

DIVISION 2

No. 8 Hampshire (13-8) at No. 1 Palmer (20-0)

Outlook: The two regular season meetings ended in 28- and
25-point wins for the Panthers, who enter their second-straight postseason with
a perfect record. Hampshire beat Mahar 63-46 in the first round. It needs
freshman forward Sarah Kober, who has been a breakout player for the Red
Raiders, to play like an upperclassman and get a star effort from senior guard
Ashlee Moussette to have a chance. The Panthers, meanwhile, have been on a
mission all season and have barely been tested. The super senior duo of
forwards Alyssa Orszulak and Katrina Caulfield lead the way.

No. 5 Cathedral (14-6) at No. 4 Wahconah (14-6)

Outlook: Both teams had byes through the first round and
plenty of time to prepare for each other. The Panthers dropped down from
Division 1 this year and played well against a tough Bi-County schedule.
Wahconah, meanwhile, returned a strong core from last year’s run to the
sectional finals and have had a bit of an up-and-down year (for them). They did
wrap up the regular season with a win over Monument, their vest victory of the
season.

No. 7 Belchertown (14-7) at No. 2 Frontier (18-2)

Outlook: A GazetteLand double local, always a crowd pleaser.
Two very different rosters, but both teams have relied all season on strong
defenses as the backbone of their success. The Orioles reached the semifinals
last year and are led by athletic forwards Olivia Pare and Brianna Del Valle.
The Red Hawks, meanwhile, have a terrific backcourt anchored by guards Kristin
Calvo, Mel Stier and Mel English. The frontcourt duo of Lacie Judge and Lauren
Halla are plenty physical to deal with Pare and Del Valle. Belchertown had the
harder schedule, but the Red Hawks didn’t have any letdowns en route to a share
of the Franklin South title. Both teams are well-coached. Should be a great
game.

No. 6 Drury (15-6) at No. 3 Monument Mountain (14-6)

Outlook: A Berkshire County double local and a rematch of
Monument’s 45-44 regular season win. Could be another classic for a spot at the
Cage. Sara Mills (12.4), Laura Ann Dinan (9.9) and Alyssa Nejaime (9.3) are all
scoring threats. Drury is led by Stephanie Mirante (9.4). Expect this one to
have intense defense and, potentially, a ton of 3-point attempts as Nejaime and
Mirante combined for 74 treys during the regular season.

DIVISION 3

No. 8 Holyoke Catholic (12-9) at No. 1 Lee (19-1)

Outlook: The Gaels overcame an unbelievably bad shooting
night to knock off Gateway in the first round, but will have to play their
perfect game to stay in contention of this one. Kaitlyn Veit led HC with 14.7
points per game this season and has 846 for her career. Annie Broda is another
3-point threat for the Gaels. But this tournament is the Wildcats’ to lose and
Lee isn’t the program to struggle early in the tournament. Katie Eckert led
Berkshire County with 13.8 points per game and the Young sisters Stephanie
(10.9) and Alex (10.1) each get double digits per night.

No. 5 Ware (16-5) at No. 4 Hopkins Academy (16-5)

Outlook: Warriors standout Justine King, a 1,000-point
scorer, sat out the team’s win over New Leadership, reportedly with a minor
ankle injury. They didn’t need her to earn a 58-14 win. But they’ll need her
tonight against a young and scrappy Golden Hawks squad that itself earned a
30-point win in the first round. Freshman Olivia Mathieu and seniors Stephanie
Delue and Gabrielle Pelissier are each capable of scoring in double digits.

No. 7 McCann Tech (13-8) at No. 2 Smith Academy (18-2)

Outlook: An intriguing matchup between a Hornets team that
showed its grittiness against a tough Bi-County schedule and a Falcons squad
that ran through most of the Franklin County (with a split vs. Frontier).
McCann’s resume includes a win over Hampshire, an overtime loss to Ware, close
losses to Belchertown (34-33), Cathedral (59-56) and Monson (51-45). Sisters
Nhi Nguyen and Kathleen Nguyen each average more than 10 points per game.
Smith, meanwhile, is incredibly balanced, led by the inside out duo of Abeni
Davies and Lindsay Gondek, who each scored in double digits this season.

No. 6 Monson (15-6) at No. 3 Sabis (17-3)

Outlook: The Bulldogs had an impressive 64-41 win against
the Mustangs in both teams’ season-finale, playing in their third game in as
many days (including the prior two on Martha’s Vineyard) and fourth in five
days. Monson is led by Meghan Boyle, who scored her 1,000th point in the team’s
first round win, while the Bulldogs are extremely athletic and led by Alexis
Chappell (18.5) and Jazmine Collins (15.0).

This Week in Girls Hoop

Monday, Jan. 26
GAME OF THE WEEK: Commerce at New Leadership (at Commerce) - Bilqis
Abdul-Qaadir is two points shy of Rebecca Lobo's state career scoring
record. Site was changed to accomodate what should be a big crowd to
witness a nice piece of history.

Longmeadow at Agawam - The Brownies put a four-game winning streak on
the line. Win would put them at 8-4, which is key because they have
Central (twice), Minnechaug (twice) and Ludlow remaining.

East Longmeadow at Amherst - Would be a prime-time game if the
Hurricanes had Alyssa Leonard (knee)

Central at Minnechaug - Was a great game at the Hoophall (with
Minnechaug pulling out the win) and shouldn't disappoint here.

Hampshire at Chicopee Comp - Colts are 5-6 and could have a shot at
the postseason, but they're almost certainly going to have to beat
Hampshire twice to do it. Not sure that's possible.

Holyoke at Northampton - Teams are both 2-0 in league play face off
again on Feb. 12.

Chicopee at West Springfield - Terriers aren't the same without Annie
Siemanowski, who is out indefinitely. They need three more wins to get
into the postseason and getting one here will be key with Hamp and
Holyoke remaining on their schedule twice.

Athol at Mohawk - Another tremendous Franklin North matchup. This one
features some terrific backcourt matchups. Athol gets both Mohawk and
Mahar this week. Ouch.

Lee at Drury - Always an intense game and it shouldn't be any
different even though they are no longer Berkshire North rivals.

Easthampton at Smith Academy - If Smith Academy wins here, we'll be
talking about magic numbers to clinch the Franklin South.

Hopkins Academy at Frontier Regional - Winner stays in the league
race. Loser could be in some serious trouble.

Wahconah at Hoosac Valley - Two tough road games for the Warriors this
week. This one is an interesting cross-Berkshire divisional contest
that will tell us a bit about both teams.

Palmer at Southwick - I posted before that Palmer's remaining schedule
isn't very challenging. They'll have no trouble going to 13-0 here.

Tuesday, Jan. 27
No games

Wednesday, Jan. 28
East Longmeadow at Minnechaug - The Spartans have won five straight
heading into the week and get a shot at Minnechaug, which is coming
off the Central game. East Longmeadow can prove it belongs with a win
here.

Belchertown at Drury - The Orioles have struggled against pressure D
in the backcourt, which has long been Drury's strength. If they can
show improvement in that area here, maybe they have a shot at a deep
run in the tournament.

Easthampton at Monson - The Eagles really need this one for a chance
to get to 10 wins. Monson, which is already in the postseason, has
been tremendous so far this year against somewhat lesser competition.

Commerce at Ware - Similar to the matchup above with a good D-2 team
against a very good D-3 team. Can Justine King do enough to keep Ware
in this one?

Thursday, Jan. 29
Agawam at Central - The Brownies have been on a roll since a loss to
East Longmeadow on Jan. 12, but this could be too much of a challenge
for Mackenzie Doyle and company.

Amherst at Hampshire - Can Hampshire's bigs slow down Amherst inside?
Can Amherst handle Hampshire's pressure defense when they are (likely)
still missing Alyssa Leonard?

West Springfield at Holyoke - Holyoke has a chance to take control of
the Valley League this week.

Frontier at Mohawk Trail - The Red Hawks wrap up a three-game week
with currently-undefeated Mohawk Trail.

New Leadership at Holyoke Catholic - I'm interested to see how
Abdul-Qaadir reacts to having the state record pressure off her back
in this one.

Wahconah at Monument Mountain - Always worth the price of admission
and a huge game for the Berkshire North.

Palmer at South Hadley - 14-0, right? Right.

Pioneer Regional at Hopkins Academy - An absolute MUST WIN for Hopkins
at home. Golden Hawks won by five in Northfield the first time around.

Smith Academy at Greenfield - If the Falcons can down Easthampton
Monday, they'll be looking at their 10th win of the season here, an
incredible turnaround from recent years.

Friday, Jan. 30
Ludlow at East Longmeadow - Two teams that have played very well this
year but have one surprising loss on their respective schedules.
Still, the winner gets  a huge confidence boost going into Feb.

Athol at Mahar - Another massive Franklin North game. Athol's lone
loss of the year came against Mahar at home (56-44). Can the Senators
get some revenge?

Monson at Lenox - If we are to believe in Monson for the tournament,
they'll have to win these types of games, despite the long road trip.

This Week in Girls Hoop

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

Saturday, Jan. 10
New Leadership at Monson - Big early Division 3 test for the Mustangs, who haven't played in many close games this year en route to their 6-1 record. Can their defense do enough to slow Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir who, ho-hum, dropped 45 on Belchertown in a loss Friday?

Monday, Jan. 12
East Longmeadow at Agawam - The Brownies are tough to figure out, but they did beat the Spartans in EL earlier this year. Can EL get a little revenge?
Amherst at Central - The Hurricanes proved their back with a big-time challenge against Northampton Friday. A win here would bring a lot of believers. Alyssa Leonard v. Brie Malone worth the price of admission.

Tuesday, Jan. 13
Amherst at Pittsfield - Hurricanes have to bounce back from playing at Central to take bus ride to Berkshire County. Tough one.
Central at West Springfield - Central also hits the road after a Monday challenge and West Side will certainly be fired up for this one.
Chicopee Comp at Holyoke - The Purple Knights look to make it six in a row.
Minnechaug at Chicopee - The Falcons look to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
Smith Academy at Athol - The Falcons may have beaten Mohawk if Lindsay Gondek didn't get hurt during the contest. Can they come up with a big win on the road here?
Frontier at Turners Falls - The Red Hawks hope to snap a three-game losing streak here.
Hoosac Valley at Lee - Hoosac has the better record, but has a lot more to prove. It won't come easy on Coach C Court.
Mahar at Mohawk - We've been waiting for this battle of unbeatens in the Franklin North.
New Leadership at Ware - Two of the best players in D3, Abdul-Qaadir and Justine King, square off.

Wednesday, Jan. 14
Longmeadow at Belchertown - Orioles will have a challenge to try to make it six in a row.

Thursday, Jan. 15
Minnechaug at West Springfield - Potential final four preview features good size.

Friday, Jan. 16
Northampton vs. Mater Dei, Springfield College (Hoophall Classic) - Don't look now, but Mater Dei is ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps. Yikes.
Agawam at West Side - West Side won the first matchup 74-68.
Minnechaug at Central - Always a classic, and both teams have tough matchups leading into the game.
Easthampton at Athol - Good Franklin matchup between two teams that could use a win to keep up in their respective divisions.
Ludlow at Hampshire - The Red Raiders' fourth straight game against D-1 opponents, and this one just knocked off previously-unbeaten Minnechaug.
Smith Academy at Mahar - Yuck, Athol and Mahar in the same week with both on the road. Tough week for the Falcons.
Ware at Palmer - Tough matchup for Ware, but I'm interested to see how King, who I keep hearing so much about, fares in this one.
Lee at Wahconah - Should be a good one in Dalton.

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