Girls Hoop Week Guide

Here are this week's highlighted games. See you Friday with the updated rankings. As always, you can reach me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.

Monday, Jan. 30
Monson at South Hadley - Tigers have a huge week with three games and they'd love to get out of it with three wins. They've lost three in a row (all on the road) since beating Sabis on Jan. 12. I'm sure they'll be glad to play three home games this week.

Tuesday, Jan. 31
Amherst at Longmeadow - A rematch of last year's D-1 title game and the first of two between these two squads for first place in the Suburban.
Athol at Mahar - We've really got to start looking at whether the Senators can go 20-0 in the regular season. There are a few challenges left, but completing the sweep of their rival Red Raiders would be another big step in that direction.
Central at Northampton - An old rivalry that could be rekindled here. Interested to see how these teams match up.
East Longmeadow at Ludlow - Spartans hope to get back on track after last week's brutal schedule. Lions, meanwhile are going to have to beat a good team or two in order to get into the tournament. Should be interesting.
Holyoke at West Springfield - Two standout guards square off. I imagine this one will be a ton of fun to watch.
Smith Academy at Easthampton - Rematch of battle in the post between recent 1,000 point scoring senior Alyssa Klepacki and Eagles' standout center Elizabeth Whitney. Easthampton won the first time. Also the top two scorers in GazetteLand.
Hoosac Valley at Pittsfield - Hurricanes third brutal game in a row isn't a great way to end a two-game losing streak. Pittsfield, by the way, is 10-2 since opening the season with a 20-point loss at Amherst. The Generals have since lost to Leominster in Fitchburg by five and at Lee by four. They are the real deal.
Drury at Lenox - This was a three-point win for the Blue Devils at home on Dec. 20. Both teams are playing well. Should be a good one.
Holyoke Catholic at Cathedral - Interesting test for the Gaels, who are looking for their first win over a D-2 team this year.

Wednesday, Feb. 1
Taconic at South Hadley - Huge game for the Tigers, who need to start piling up some wins soon or it could get hairy down the stretch. Taconic doesn't have a great record, but the Berkshire-Valley matchups have heavily favorite the Berkshires so far and the Braves do have wins over Belchertown and Wahconah on their resume.

Friday, Feb. 3
Athol at Turners Falls - Alexa Whitney should get more attention. Very nice player. Could be my All-D2 center at the end of the year.
Easthampton at Frontier Regional - Big week for both teams. The Red Hawks' health could determine whether this will be a competitive one or not. Eagles won by seven in their place last time.
Mahar at Hopkins Academy - First place teams in Franklin North and South square off. Golden Hawks hope for a better showing here than their 17-point loss in Orange last time.
Palmer at Monson - Panthers have had a few near misses, but have suddenly won seven straight and seem to be rounding into tourney form. No shocker there. Monson's remaining schedule is insane.
Wahconah at Lee - Warriors looked great in South Deerfield last week, but this is their fourth straight road game (they have a fifth in a row next week) and Lee isn't exactly an easy place to play when you aren't tired of riding the bus.
McCann Tech at South Hadley - Tigers third game of a key week.

Girls Hoop Week Guide

There are a ton of terrific games this week. Here are the highlighted ones. I'll be back Friday night with the updated rankings/scoring leaders.

Tuesday, Jan. 24
Agawam at Amherst - Hurricanes look to bounce back from a tough loss at Holyoke.
Athol at Easthampton - Red Raiders won by a baker's dozen last time at home. This one could be a bit more competitive.
Belchertown at Commerce - Orioles looking for their sixth win in their last seven games, but have to rebound after three-point loss to Palmer.
Chicopee at Chicopee Comp - In an otherwise tough season for both squads, you know this one will be a highlight. Pacers won 44-43 at home on Dec. 30. Colts look for some payback.
South Hadley at Central - Two teams that knocked off Sabis (a rare feat, recently) in the past two weeks square off. Golden Eagles are 6-2 since an 0-3 start against East Longmeadow, Holyoke and West Side.
East Longmeadow at Holyoke - No. 3 heads to No. 1 in my Top 25. This one should be terrific. Will be interested to see how the Spartans defend here. Also, I really liked what I saw out of Nyomi Walker against Amherst last week.
Frontier at Pioneer Regional - The Red Hawks had been playing very well before Friday's 64-29 struggle in Orange. Now they look to get back on track and win for the fifth time in six games.
Gateway at Pioneer Christian - Gators just keep rolling through the Tri-County. Again.
Granby at Sabis - That Bi-County Central is brutal this year, as evidenced by the Rams' recent schedule that includes a double OT win at Monson, an OT loss to Ware, this game and then Friday's game against South Hadley. All five of those teams will certainly be battle tested by the postseason.
Hampshire Regional at Sci-Tech - Raiders seemed to have turned things around before falling at previously winless Monument over the weekend. They'll hope to get back on track and end a two-game losing streak here.
Holyoke Catholic at Putnam - Gaels have lost three of four and face the Beavers for the first time this year. All three losses were to D-2 teams.
Monson at Ware - Always a terrific rivalry game. Ware is playing exceptionally well with 11 straight wins since a season-opening loss to Palmer.
Northampton at West Springfield - A potential tourney preview between two strong Division 1 teams. Can Northampton take advantage of its size? Can the Blue Devils perimeter players slow down Theobald and Taylor, especially with Kerstetter out? Could be a good one.
Smith Academy at Hopkins Academy - Rivalry game and rematch from 46-37 Hopkins win on Dec. 19. Smith center Alyssa Klepacki enters week with 930 career points.
Southwick at McCann - Southwick knocked off Holyoke Catholic, now gets another team usually near the top of the Bi-County West standings.
Mount Greylock at Pittsfield - Generals just keep rollinw, with eight wins in their last nine games.

Wednesday, Jan. 25
Wahconah at Frontier - One of those games I assume a bunch of Valley D2 coaches will be attending.
Pioneer Regional at Smith Academy - Falcons get a back-to-back after playing high-pressure Hopkins. Rematch of Smith's eight-point win in Northfield.
Lenox at Taconic - Millionaires (8-3) are putting together an impressive season. Losses are at Drury (by three), at Lee (by four) and then Pittsfield.

Thursday, Jan. 26
Turners Falls at Easthampton - Indians are the only team to hold Elizabeth Whitney to under 10 points this season. Of course, that was because she didn't play the second half.
Lee at Hoosac Valley - Tough week for the Hurricanes, who were at Drury on Monday and then host Lee here.
Mount Everett at McCann - Mount Everett won the first match 40-35 at home on Dec. 19.
Monument Mountain at Mount Greylock - Spartans finally got a win by knocking off Hampshire at home Saturday. Can they make it two in a row here?

Friday, Jan. 27
East Longmeadow at West Springfield - There are some terrific Division 1 games this week. Here's another one.
Hampshire Regional at Belchertown - Always an intense league game and this year's version features two good young point guards in eighth-grader Chelsea Moussette and freshman Tea Spellacy.
Sabis at Ware - Two of the best in Division 3 square off.
South Hadley at Granby - Another great Bi-County Central contest.
Wahconah at Lenox - Lenox won by 11 at the Gene Wein tourney. Millionaires will have played four of their last five on the road before this game.
Hopkins Academy at Frontier Regional - Big rematch of what was an intense first go-round. Hopkins won 37-34 the first time at home.

Saturday, Jan. 28
Monument Mountain at Quaboag - Two of the most storied girls teams in the state square off.
Coginchaug Regional at East Longmeadow - Durham, Conn. squad is undefeated heading into the week. What a schedule the Spartans like to play.

Girls Hoop Week Guide

The GazetteLand Leading Scorers will have to wait until Thursday. Just can't get them all updated in time to post tonight.

Here are this week's highlighted games:

Monday, Jan. 16
Hoosac Valley at Taconic - Hoosac won at home 51-40 early in the season.
Pittsfield at Lenox - Two very good teams square off here. I imagine you may see some Pioneer Valley coaches in the stands for this one.
Drury at Mount Greylock - After going 2-2 over its last four games, the Blue Devils would like to string a few wins together here.

Tuesday, Jan. 17
Athol at Hopkins - Red Raiders nearly knocked off Palmer in overtime on Saturday and now they hit the road against the Golden Hawks looking to snap a two-game losing streak.
Easthampton at Mahar - The Franklin South leader at the Franklin North leader. Eagles have won seven straight, while Senatosr are 9-0.
Hampshire at Palmer - The Panthers just held off a determined opponent in OT on Saturday, now it gets a Raiders team that might just have figured itself out. We'll have a much better feel for Hampshire after this one.
Holyoke at Longmeadow - Lancers have been much better than their 4-5 record, with four losses by five points or less. It will be interesting to see if they can slow down the Purple Knights.
Holyoke Catholic at Belchertown - The Orioles are suddenly on fire and can be over .500 for the first time all season if they can score their fifth win in a row here.
Northampton at Agawam - Blue Devils look to bounce back after their disappointing loss to rival Amherst last week, but the Brownies have been tough for a few good teams already this season.
South Hadley at Ware - Tigers are coming off a big win over Sabis and hit the road to square off against another strong league foe.
West Side at Amherst - This is the middle of a three-game stretch that will tell us quite a bit about the Hurricanes, who knocked off Northampton last week and square off against Holyoke later this week. The Terriers, meanwhile, were handed an unwinnable situation on Friday and it will be interesting to see how they bounce back.
Smith Academy at Frontier Regional - The Red Hawks got a big win over Athol last week and would love to take a four-game winning streak into Friday's big game at Mahar.

Wednesday, Jan. 18
Westfield at Northampton - Blue Devils go back-to-back during finals week? Ouch.

Thursday, Jan. 19
Agawam at West Springfield - Brownies were in the game when these teams squared off on Dec. 9. Can they get over the hump this time?
Longmeadow at Ludlow - Could be a good one between two teams fighting for .500.
Monson at South Hadley - Very interested to see if Kara Callahan can carry last week's big game against Sabis into this week's tough matchups.
Palmer at Belchertown - I guess we'll see here just how far B-Town has improved after starting out 1-5.
Ware at Granby - A Division 3 tourney preview? This one should be fun.
Lee at Mount Greylock - I remain disappointed that the Wildcats weren't at the Hoophall this year. Hopefully that's not the case in 2013.

Friday, Jan. 20
Amherst at Holyoke - Rematch of last year's WMass semifinal nail-biter. You know the Purple Knights are looking forward to this one.
Frontier Regional at Mahar - Senators won the first matchup in South Deerfield, but the Red Hawks thought they matched up pretty well. This one will be intense, I promise.

Saturday, Jan. 21
Pioneer Regional at Smith Academy - Alyssa Klepacki broke the 900 career point mark last week. The countdown is officially on.
Hampshire Regional at Monument Mountain - Two Cage teams last year square off. Will be interesting to see how the Raiders handle the long road trip.

Girls Hoop Week Guide and GazetteLand Leading Scorers

Before we get to this week's highlighted games, here are the promised GazetteLand Leading Scorers:

1. Chelsea Merritt, Gateway, 18.5
2. Alyssa Klepacki, Smith Academy, 18.0
3. Elizabeth Whitney, Easthampton, 17.6
4. Olivia Mathieu, Hopkins, 15.3
T5. Sarah Kober, Hampshire, 14.6
T5. Samantha Barnes, Northampton, 14.6
7. Kate Sullivan, Hopkins, 13.9
8. Anna Walther, Northampton, 13.6
9. Brianna Leonard, Amherst, 13.2
10. Meghan Sullivan, Granby, 12.1
11. Tea' Spellacy, Belchertown, 11.5
12. Marissa Kopacz, Belchertown, 11.4
13. Forbasaw Nkamebo, Amherst, 11.3
14. Kristen Ferola, Amherst, 10.2
T15. Maya Kerstetter, Northampton, 10.0
T15. Cassidy Snyder, Smith Academy, 10.0
T15. Kara Callahan, South Hadley, 10.0
18. Melissa LaFlamme, Holyoke Catholic, 9.5
19. Haley Domina, Easthampton, 9.3
20. Amanda Calvo, Frontier, 9.2

Now on to the Week Guide:

Monday, Jan. 9
Athol at Frontier Regional - The Red Hawks are looking to win back-to-back games for the first time this year, but the Red Raiders are a tough matchup, even in South Deerfield.
Belchertown at McCann Tech - Orioles have won a pair of home games to get back on track after a 1-5 start, but this is a tough trip for a young squad.
Central at Longmeadow - Central wants to prove it's for real. Longmeadow needs to snap a two-game losing streak as the schedule doesn't get any easier from here.
Easthampton at Hopkins Academy - The two teams tied for first place in the Franklin South square off. A definite clash of styles in the tiny Hadley gym, which should be rocking. Looking forward to this one.
Ellington at Holyoke - Purple Knights put their 8-0 record on the line.
Minnechaug at Amherst - Coach Christal Murphy's yearly game against her alma mater, which isn't the power it has been.
Northampton at Chicopee - Blue Devils enjoyed their trip to Chicopee Comp on Thursday with a 35-point win and hope for the same result here.
Southwick at Hampshire Regional - Raiders look to make it three in a row before spending eight days getting ready for Jan. 17 trip to Palmer.
Palmer at Holyoke Catholic - Panthers have had 11 days to think about their loss to Sabis, now they'll head to Chicopee looking to right the ship.
Ludlow at Agawam - At the very least, this result will help me sort out the back end of my Division 1 Top 10 (due out late Thursday night!).
Pittsfield at Drury - Can the Generals bounce back from a heart-wrenching loss to Lee last week by taking the bus ride north and winning against another strong league rival? Another good matchup in Berkshire County.
Hoosac Valley at Lenox - Probably the two best teams in the Berkshire North square off as the Hurricanes put up their five-game winning streak against Lenox and its three-game streak.
Lee at Monument - This used to be a must-see matchup. Now it's unbeaten vs. winless. Oh, how times have changed (for this season, anyway).
St. Joseph's at Mount Greylock - Two teams starting to look stuck in the middle tier of the Berkshire South, but a win here would be a nice start upwards.
Taconic at Wahconah - We'll have a good feeling this week if Taconic will be toward the bottom of the Berkshire North or near the bottom.

Tuesday, Jan. 10
Mount Everett at Housatonic Valley - Eagles look to snap their three game losing streak, which has knocked them back to .500 after a 5-2 start.

Wednesday, Jan. 11
Pittsfield at Mount Anthony - Mount Anthony has already beaten Wahconah and Drury this season. Not an easy week for Pittsfield.

Thursday, Jan. 12
Amherst at Northampton - You know where I'll be Thursday. This should be a good one and we'll get a good look at the continued upward trajectory of Northampton's youngsters against Amherst's pressure and intensity.
Belchertown at Cathedral - Could B-Town be .500 after this game? Certainly a possibility, but it will take two road wins.
Granby at Monson - Rams could be looking at eight straight in game between two teams hoping to see the Cage in the D-3 tourney.
Longmeadow at East Longmeadow - Rivalry game has plenty of potential and should be intense. East Longmeadow has this game and then a brutal game Friday at the Hoophall Tourney. Ouch.
Mahar at Smith Academy - The Senators could be looking at 9-0 with a win here.
Sabis at South Hadley - Some good guard play here, but it's hard to see any WMass Division 2 team beating Sabis, which is D-3 of course, this year.
Taconic at Ludlow - Ludlow has won two of three coming into the week.
McCann Tech at Holyoke Catholic - The Gaels won 38-33 in North Adams on Dec. 15 and look to sweep the series at home in what would be a big step toward another Bi-County West title.
Hoosac Valley at Monument - The middle of three straight road trips south for the Hurricanes, who will hope to keep the Spartans struggling here.
Mount Greylock at Wahconah - Warriors doubled up the Mounties at the Gene Wein Tourney just before Christmas.
Lee at Lenox - This is as good as the Millionaires have been in a while, but it's hard to see them knocking off their rivals here, even at home.

Friday, Jan. 13
Central vs. Sabis (at Springfield College, 3 p.m.) - The opener for Friday's Hoophall event, which includes three girls games.
West Springfield vs. Cicero North (Springfield College, 6 p.m.) - Brianna Stewart, and a potential Geno sighting make this one worth checking. ... Along with West Side's talented roster, of course.
Christ the King vs. East Longmeadow (at Springfield College, 7:30 p.m.) - Brutal back-to-back for East Longmeadow, but it will be interesting to see if the talented Spartans thrive off the challenge of playing such a powerhouse program.
Taconic at Pittsfield - Generals won by 33 last time on the road.

Saturday, Jan. 14
Palmer at Athol - This could certainly be a D-2 tourney preview and a nice change to gauge these teams at this point in the season, particularly the Red Raiders.

Girls Hoop Week Guide

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

Here are this week's highlighted games. See you Thursday night with the updated Top 25.

Monday, Jan. 2
Hopkins Academy at Mahar Regional - The last two undefeated teams in the Franklin League square off. How many coaches will be headed to Orange on Monday night? I'll set the over/under at 7.5.

Tuesday, Jan. 3
Frontier Regional at Easthampton - A terrific Franklin South matchup featuring very different styles and a pair of coaches with strong personalities. Should be entertaining on every level.
Hampshire Regional at Monson - Raiders have had a week to figure things out since falling to 0-5 with loss at Easthampton. A win here could spark a nice run for Hampshire, but the Mustangs are no slouch with a 2-2 record against the rest of the Bi-Count East, including an OT loss to Cathedral.
Holyoke at Agawam - Still waiting for the Purple Knights to be challenged by a WMass team. Could be a while.
Lenox at Holyoke Catholic - Gaels have a tough challenge as they return from a long break looking to snap a two-game losing streak. Millionaires have quickly established themselves as a D-3 team to keep an eye on come tournament time.
Wahconah at Pittsfield - Generals are an impressive 4-2 heading into the new year with wins over Longmeadow and Northampton.
Lee at Drury - This is the most challenging week of the season for the Millionaires, who can take their first step toward the Berkshire North title with wins here and Friday.
Hoosac Valley at St. Joseph's - It may just be me, but I'm finding the Berkshire South pretty dang intriguing this early in the year. The Hurricanes could take control with a strong next seven days.
Mount Greylock at Mount Everett - Both teams looking to bounce back from losses in another good B-South matchup.
Monument Mountain at Taconic - Is this where Monument (0-5) finally gets its first win? Certainly no guarantee.

Wednesday, Jan. 4
Hopkins Academy at Belchertown - I'd imagine this one will be well attended by both Division 2 and D-3 coaches. Belchertown just beat a smaller, quicker team in South Hadley last week. Can it do it again and handle Hopkins' pressure?

Thursday, Jan. 5
Athol at Smith Academy - The Falcons are still looking for their first signature win of the season and here face a Red Raiders team that beat Easthampton, which handled Smith. Those formulas rarely actually mean much, however.
Commerce at Hampshire Regional - I'll make you a deal. If Commerce wins this one, I'll stop writing in this space about the Raiders' chances of turning things around.
Easthampton at Pioneer Regional - If the Eagles pull off the win over Frontier on Tuesday, EH coach Jay Fortier will be looking for career win No. 250 in Northfield.
Granby at McCann - Rams (5-1) have been rolling with four straight wins, but now hit the road for three straight, including this tough ride to North Adams.
Holyoke Catholic at Sabis - The Bulldogs are rolling again, especially with last week's win at Palmer. Now they are home here before hitting the road for four straight.
Ludlow at Amherst - It's starting to feel like the Hurricanes are being overlooked again. The loss to EL was a tough one, but it would be a bad idea to write off Amherst as a legit threat to reach another state final.
Monson at Southwick - Yes, the Rams are undefeated. No, I don't have them ranked among Division 2 teams. Yes, that would almost certainly change with a win here.
Northampton at Chicopee Comp - There is little doubt the Blue Devils have been stewing since Saturday's disappointing loss to Pittsfield. They've got to wait until here to get back on the court and away from what I'm sure will have been brutally intense practices.
West Springfield at Longmeadow - The Lancers are .500 and still looking for a quality win. The schedule doesn't get easier for them, either, beginning here. West Side, meanwhile, faces what appears to be its stiffest competition of the season so far.

Friday, Jan. 6
Pittsfield at Lee - The second of Lee's big matchups of the week. The Generals have already put together some impressive performances this season, but can they slow down the Wildcats?
Monument at Wahconah - It's usually a huge deal when these teams square off, but both that doesn't appear to be the case here. Here's hoping the rematch in Great Barrington at Valentine's Day has massive ramifications.
Mount Greylock at Hoosac Valley - Northern Berkshire rivalry adds another chapter as Hurricanes look to improve to 4-1 at home this season.
Lenox at Mount Everett - Another one of those good Berkshire South contests.
Drury at Taconic - The Blue Devils hit the road for this one sandwiched between games against Lee and Pittsfield. They better not be overlooking Taconic, however, which knocked off Belchertown earlier this season.

Saturday, Jan. 7
St. Joseph at Holyoke Catholic (4 p.m.) - Crusaders won the Catholic contest in Pittfield 44-40 on Dec. 22. Can the Gaels get a little revenge here?

Girls Hoop Week Guide

FYI, I expect to have the Top 25 posted on Friday night this week.

Here are this week's highlighted games.

Tuesday, Dec. 27
Easthampton at Hampshire (5:30) - Opener of a boys and girls doubleheader that always features great atmosphere. This one is interesting because Hampshire really needs to get its first win of the season, but must defeat its former coach Jay Fortier and junior center Elizabeth Whitney (who has been terrific so far) to do so.
Amherst at Monson - The Hurricanes bounced back nicely from their first loss of the season last week with a win over defending Vermont state champion Rice Memorial. The Mustangs are 3-1, but this is a tough, tough bit of scheduling for them.
Belchertown at Sabis - The Orioles hit the road and are in danger of a 1-5 start against a very good Bulldogs team.
Hopkins Academy at Granby - Pair of Division 3 teams with legitimate Cage hopes square off here. Also, a nice matchup between with terrific freshmen with the same last name.
Monument Mountain at Drury - Always a good rivalry matchup, the Blue Devils would like nothing more than to improve to 4-0 while knocking the Spartans back to 0-4.
Lee at Wahconah - Tough week for Wahconah, which gets the Wildcats here and then Drury on Friday.
Lenox at Mount Greylock - The Millionaires took a tough three-point loss at Drury last Tuesday. Now they are back to the North County hoping to get a victory and improve to 3-1.
St. Joseph's at Mount Everett - Interesting early matchup between two teams with four wins early. One of them will be halfway to a tourney berth with a victory.

Thursday, Dec. 29
Agawam at East Longmeadow - The Spartans will have had eight days off since its terrific second-half comeback to beat Amherst. They'll look to knock some rust off before taking another 11 days off.
Amherst at Central - The Golden Eagles have won two in a row after opening the season 0-3, but this would be a program-turning win if they could pull it off.
Cathedral at Ware - Indians have won four straight since an opening night loss to Palmer. Here, they look to finish their season 4-1 against the Bi-County East.
Easthampton at Smith Academy - We're still figuring out the Franklin South and this one should be a lot of fun, featuring an inside matchup of Eagles junior Elizabeth Whitney and Falcons senior Alyssa Klepacki.
Sabis at Palmer - Interesting numbers for these teams, which are both 4-2 with both losses coming at the Sabis Invitational tourney back on the 17th and 18th. Both teams lost to Notre Dame (Hingham) and Lee in that event. There should be some terrific guard play here in what could feel like a tournament environment.
South Hadley at Belchertown - Two teams with very different styles meet up in the Tigers' third straight road game.
Monument Mountain at Pittsfield - Tough week for the struggling Spartans, who could find themselves headed into the new year 0-5.

Friday, Dec. 30
Mahar at Athol - Rivalry matchup is always intense and with the teams a combined 7-1, this could feel like a championship game in that gym.
Drury at Wahconah - Teams missed each other in the Gene Wein Tourney in North Adams (which Drury won), but they square off here.
St. Joseph's at Lenox - A really great Berkshire South matchup as the teams enters the week a combined 7-1, with the lone loss as a Lenox three-point defeat to Drury.

Saturday, Dec. 31
Pittsfield at Northampton - The final game of the two-day Jill E. Harrington Hanzalik Basketball Classic should be a good one. Both teams have impressive wins already this season and the senior matchup between forwards Jill Ritrosky for the Generals and Sam Barnes of the Blue Devils will be fun to watch.

Girls Hoop Week Guide

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Next week's Week Guide will be posted on Monday night because of the holiday weekend. ... I'm also shooting to have the first Top 25 posted on Thursday night.

Here are this week's highlighted games.

Monday, Dec. 19
Taconic at Belchertown - After a pair of losses to some very good D3 teams to open the season, the Orioles have a chance to get to .500 at home. Junior Marissa Kopacz has emerged as a consistent scoring threat.
Granby at Hampshire - This is the Rams' third straight game against a D-2 team that made the Cage last year. If they emerge 2-1 to start the season against that schedule, you'd have to feel good about their long-term chances.
Hopkins Academy at Smith Academy - Season-opener for the Golden Hawks, who are one of the latest starters to the season. This will be an interesting matchup of small and quick (Hopkins) against big and strong (Smith). Can Hopkins find a way to limit Alyssa Klepacki's effectiveness underneath? Can Smith's guards handle the Hopkins pressure? Those factors will decide this rivalry game.
Northampton at Holyoke - A pair of early 3-0 Division 1 teams square off in what could be a late tournament preview. Northampton is coming off a character-building OT win at East Longmeadow and hits the road again. The Blue Devils young guards will have to deal with Holyoke senior standout Monique Heard.
Monument Mountain at Westfield - Westfield is another late opener and Monument is coming off a loss at Brattleboro. Interested to see those Bombers sophomores.
West Springfield at Minnechaug - The Terriers' fourth straight road game to open the season. Can they make it 4-for-4? The Falcons have struggled mightily so far this season.
Monson at Holyoke Catholic - The Gaels earned a big win at McCann last week and have managed to find enough offense to overcome some serious losses to graduation. This is the first of two games that should pose serious challenges.
Easthampton at Athol - The Eagles have won big in all three of their games so far, thanks in no small part to the terrific play of junior center Elizabeth Whitney (19.7 points, 13.7 rebounds). This is their biggest challenge to date.
Pioneer Regional at Frontier - It took some time for the Red Hawks to get settled in against a very good Mahar team last week, making a late comeback push impossible. Now they hope to carry the momentum of a solid second half into a winnable game and get to 1-1 heading into a big game on the road Thursday.
Lenox vs Wahconah (Drury Tourney) & Mount Greylock at Drury (Drury Tourney) - Great doubleheader in a great annual event.
McCann at Mount Everett - The Eagles are 3-1 after a nice weekend at the Franklin Tech tournament last week. The Hornets, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back from an 0-2 start, including that tough loss to Holyoke Catholic on Thursday.

Tuesday, Dec. 20
South Hadley at Cathedral - The Tigers have certainly bounced back well from a 17-point loss at Mahar to open the season. They've won two straight at home afterward, but now they are back on the road for the first time since the rough trip to Orange.
Drury Tournament Day Two (winners vs. winners; losers vs. losers) - The event's winner gets a big boost heading toward the holiday.

Wednesday, Dec. 21
East Longmeadow at Amherst - The Hurricanes have had 12 days off since thumping Pittsfield in their opener. Now they get a look at another team hoping to take their crown. A very good matchup across the board, but Kristen Ferola guarding Arielle Ward will be worth the price of admission.

Thursday, Dec. 22
Holyoke Catholic at St. Joseph - A pair of teams entering the week 3-0 in what HC coach Terry Murphy hopes will build into a good long-term rivalry.
Central at Agawam - Golden Eagles have a shot at a pair of wins this week playing against Ludlow at home Monday and then heading to Agawam here.
Ware at Belchertown - This one should be a good, physical battle. Winner gets a good 'W' heading into the weekend.
Sabis at Hampshire Regional - There is a real chance the Raiders could be 0-4 heading into their big rivalry game against Easthampton on Dec. 27. Hampshire has had trouble against good guards so far this year and Jazmine Collins is as good as any they'll see all year.
South Hadley at Palmer - Another tough Tigers road game for the young squad. Backcourt matchup between Kara Callahan and Alyssa Darling will be fun to watch, but the key to the game may be in the paint between Megan Lynes and Morrissa Heilman.
Northampton at Westfield - Blue Devils' third straight road game and third in a run of five out of six.
Frontier Regional at Hopkins Academy - The Red Hawks' first road game will be a big test for both squads between a pair of teams that like to get out and run. This one will be a track meet.
Easthampton at Turners Falls - Turners was one of two teams last year to hold Elizabeth Whitney to less than 10 points in a game. Of course, that's because the Eagles only needed her for a half, during which she tallied eight points and nine rebounds.
Mount Anthony at Monument Mountain - The Spartans' first home game of the year. They hope they'll be able to complete a 2-0 week here.

Friday, Dec. 23
Rice Memorial at Amherst Regional - The Hurricanes, D-1 state runners-up square off against the defending Vermont state D-1 champions.
Granby at Cathedral - The D-3 Rams fourth straight game against a D-2 tournament team from last year. Both teams have challenges earlier in the week, so it will be interesting to see how those results are responded to here.

Girls Hoop Week Guide

Here is the first Girls Hoop Week Guide. This is NOT a list of every game scheduled for this week, but just the ones that jumped out to me as being the most interesting.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: I'm going to hold off on the next series of rankings until just before Christmas, so the first Top 25 of the season will probably be released on Dec. 22 or 23.

Monday, Dec. 12
Hampshire at South Hadley - Raiders have a lot of potential, but replacing graduated point guard Margo McCarthy is a must if they are going to make another run to the Cage. Interesting, then, to see them start with a Tigers team with a solid backcourt. South Hadley will come into the game looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance against a very good Mahar team Friday.
Minnechaug at East Longmeadow - Minnechaug was overmatched against Northampton last week and things don't get any easier here as the Spartans have HIGH expectations.
Longmeadow at Northampton - A great early Division 1 game featuring two teams we should expect to be in contention for the next few years (minimum).
Belchertown at Granby - Belchertown takes on another strong D-3 program after a tough trip to Lee on Friday. Everyone I talked to in the preseason liked Granby to take a big step up this season.
Chicopee at Lee - Eileen Dooley with a nice season-opening performance against Belchertown Friday.
Holyoke Catholic at Gateway Regional - A pair of defending league champs. Catholic must figure out how to score after graduating much of its offense, while Gateway should be even better with returning group led by Brooke Fairman and Chelsea Merritt.
West Springfield at Ludlow - Terriers don't get a home game until after Christmas, but still likely to start 4-0 in that time.
Cathedral at Monson - Monson is one of those teams I'll be closely keeping an eye on early in the season to try to figure out where they fit in the rankings.
Palmer at Ware - Tough opener for both teams, but this one features a number of terrific talents. Ware won by three last year, but Palmer figured things out soon after.
Central at Holyoke - I keep hearing that Central will be much improved this year. Tough to know with this brutal early schedule.
Sci-Tech at Easthampton - Eagles got the first of what could be 20 or so double-doubles out of Elizabeth Whitney on the Cape Friday.
Athol at Greenfield - Our first look at a completely new (virtually) Red Raiders squad.
Taconic at Hoosac - Braves were right with Cathedral until the fourth quarter Saturday.

Tuesday, Dec. 13
Putnam at Smith Academy - One of Smith's two non-league games (along with Monson on Feb. 15). Alyssa Klepacki looks to get her senior season off to a big start.
Mount Anthony at Wahconah - MAU won at home last year. Can Wahconah return the favor?

Wednesday, Dec. 14
Mahar at Frontier - The Senators put together a terrific victory against South Hadley to open their season Friday. Now, Frontier hopes to show that it can hang with the best in the Franklin League despite such heavy losses to graduation.
Lee at Chicopee Comp - Lee's second game against a Chicopee team of the week and first time outside of its home gym. Would have been a more fun matchup last year.
Drury at Hoosac - Always a fun rivalry game. Drury won twice last year by an average of 5.5 points.
Monument at Brattleboro - Monument hammered Brattleboro last year. This year? I have no idea what to expect.

Thursday, Dec. 15
Belchertown at Monson - The Orioles got absolutely no breaks as they try to rebuild this season. It's a brutal start to the season.
Hampshire at Ware - A couple of terrifically athletic forwards in Sarah Kober (Hampshire) and Opaul Morris (Ware) will be battling on the boards in this one.
Holyoke Catholic at McCann - Could have a big impact down the road on the Bi-County West standings.
Palmer at Granby - Good backcourt matchup here, but you'd have to give the edge to Palmer in those pairings against virtually any non-Division 1 team.
Northampton at East Longmeadow - Another good early D-1 game here, as two of the best returning sophomore classes square off in what is quickly becoming a good rivalry.
Holyoke at Minnechaug - It's really hard to imagine any way the Falcons won't start at least 0-5. That's just a brutal schedule in what looks to me to be a deep Division 1 field this season. Holyoke, meanwhile, shoud be 3-0 with relative ease heading into the Dec. 19 matchup against Northampton.
West Side at Central - Probably West Side's toughest matchup in its first five games.
Cathedral at Sabis - Sabis' first home game of the season before its fabulous home tournament over the weekend.
Mohawk at Easthampton - Eagles could be looking at 3-0 with a win here.
Smith Academy at Pioneer Regional - Smith's league opener against a Panthers squad with just three players total back from last year. Falcons would love to be 2-0 heading into Monday's game against rival Hopkins.
Longmeadow at Pittsfield - Another very interesting Division 1 matchup, as Longmeadow has to take the trip west and square off against a Pittsfield team that was much better than the score indicated against Amherst on Friday.

Saturday, Dec. 17
Lee vs. Palmer (at Sabis) - The Gazette doesn't even cover these two teams and I'm still thinking about going.
Pittsfield vs. Leominster (at Fitchburg Tournament) - Pittsfield is really challenging itself with its non-league schedule this year. Always a good idea if you think you've got a team built for the tournament.
Notre Dame Academy at Sabis - Like Pittsfield, Sabis is really challenging itself with its non-league schedule.

Sunday, Dec. 18
Lee at Sabis; Palmer vs. Notre Dame Academy(at Sabis) - Two more terrific games. Girls hoop fans, spend some of your weekend at Sabis.

Girls Hoop Week Guide

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

Here's the schedule for this week:
Wednesday late night - updated Top 25
Thursday late night - updated playoff picture
Friday late night - updated Walker

Wednesday, Feb. 16
Chicopee at Chicopee Comp - Colts could use this one against their rivals to improve their chances at .500 and a tourney berth.
Cathedral at West Springfield - Brutal week for the Panthers, who also played Amherst Regional earlier in the year.
Palmer at Monson - Suddenly, the Panthers are hot, having won three in a row including a nice win over Cathedral on Monday. This one will be a challenge on the road.
Sabis at South Hadley - Tigers have won four of five, but the Bulldogs seem unstoppable right now.

Thursday, Feb. 17
Amherst at Longmeadow - The Hurricanes held off the Lancers in overtime on Feb. 3. Here's the rematch, but this time at Longmeadow. Can the Lancers snap Amherst's 15-game winning streak?
Agawam at Chicopee Comp - Colts go back-to-back and winning both games gets them in tourney.
Cathedral at Hampshire - No. 11 in this week's Walker vs. No. 2. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses Monday and look for a win.
Athol at Easthampton - Eagles gave the Red Raiders a game last time in an 11-point loss. Now they must find a way to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Pioneer Regional at Frontier - Frontier puts 11-game winning streak on the line against a Panthers team on the playoff bubble.
Mahar at Smith Academy - Senators won by three at home last time. Smith needs one more win to get into the postseason.
Turners at Hopkins - Golden Hawks get in with a win.
Putnam at Southwick - Rams clinch postseason bid with win.
McCann at Sci-Tech - Hornets must win out and hope Southwick loses to either Putnam or Holyoke Catholic.
Monson at South Hadley - Mustangs with a tough back-to-back, especially heading on the road against the Tigers, who they beat by eight last time.

Friday, Feb. 18
West Springfield at East Longmeadow - West Side's challenging week against three likely tourney teams wraps up here. Will they have enough gas on the road? EL could use a signature win, but they've got to slow down arguably the best player in WMass to have a chance.
Minnechaug at Northampton - Blue Devils enter Monday needing one more win to get to 10. They also get a chance at some revenge here after losing by 20 in Wilbraham on Jan. 31.
Drury at Monument - Blue Devils end season with Lee (Monday), Monument and Wahconah. Still lots of potential seeding ramifications here.

Sunday, Feb. 20
Northampton at Ludlow - Blue Devils look to build some momentum into the postseason.
Lee vs. Ipswitch at Lynn Tournament - Wildcats prep for postseason with a two-day tourney across the state.

Monday, Feb. 21
Amherst at Chicopee - Second-to-last game for the Hurricanes. Can Amherst be looking at 18-1?
Frontier at Athol - Red Hawks could wrap up the No. 1 seed and an undefeated Franklin League record with a win here.
Drury at Wahconah - Weird series so far this year between two good teams. Drury won first time by 30. Wahconah won seond time by 22. Could this one be more competitive?
Ware at Granby - Granby, which lost heartbreakers to Hampshire, Belchertown and Holyoke Catholic, must win this one to get into the tournament.
Southwick at Holyoke Catholic - Gaels look to wrap up season with fourth straight win and outright league title.
Hopkins at Smith Academy - Might both rivals have nine wins going into this game? Doubtful, but possible.
Lee at Lynn Tournament - Wildcats prep for postseason with a two-day tourney across the state.
McCann at Putnam - McCann will likely need a win here and then have to hope for some help.
Pioneer Regional at Easthampton - If Panthers can't upset Frontier, they'll need a win here to get 10th win.
Monson at Sabis - Could the Bulldogs head into the postseason on an 18-game winning streak? Certainly possible.

Girls Hoop Week Guide

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

We'll be back late Wednesday night with the updated rankings.

Tuesday, Feb. 8
East Longmeadow at Central - Win puts the Spartans above .500 for first time this season.
Chicopee at Palmer - Panthers can put a couple of wins together starting here and again on Friday (at Commerce). Still work to do to get into postseason now, though.

Wednesday, Feb. 9
West Springfield at Northampton - The Terriers won by one at home on Dec. 21. The Blue Devils will be without coach Perry Messer after he was ejected from Monday's loss to Holyoke.
Pittsfield at Wahconah - Warriors won by two in Pittsfield on Jan. 14. Expect this one to be just a competitive.
Pioneer Regional at Mahar - Senators are 0-2 since getting their 10th win of the season and look to bounce back against a Panthers squad hovering around .500 and in need of an upset.
Cathedral at Monson - Sneaky good game between two sneaky good teams. This is only the Mustangs' 14th game of the season.

Thursday, Feb. 10
Chicopee Comp at Amherst - Hurricanes take another step toward league title with a win here.
Lenox at Hoosac - Millionaires are one win from qualifying for D-3 tourney, while Hurricanes are already in D-2.
Hampshire at Palmer - Red Raiders are coming off a rough outing against Sabis that snapped an 11-game winning streak. They'll need to bounce back here, in what is still a tough place to play, to stay on top of the Bi-County East.
Holyoke at East Longmeadow - Purple Knights coming off an impressive comeback win over Northampton on Monday. They won the first game on Dec. 21 by three. Could be a tourney preview.
Frontier at Easthampton - Red Hawks have already clinched Franklin South title and now look to win out for a chance at a No. 1 seed.
Monument at Lee - What a final run for the Spartans, who get this game, at Belchertown on 2/12, at Pittsfield on 2/14, Drury at home on 2/18 and Lee at home on 2/23. Even 3-2 would be massively impressive there.
South Hadley at Ware - Warriors just knocked off Belchertown tonight in their own building. Now they get another D-2 tourney team. Tigers have a tough final five games.
Holyoke Catholic at Putnam - A win here puts the Gaels, at the very least, on the verge of the postseason.
Hopkins at Greenfield - Golden Hawks still two wins away, but they have some winnable games left. Won last time by 35.
Smith Academy at Mohawk - The Falcons need this one to make a tourney berth more doable down the stretch.

Friday, Feb. 11
Cathedral at South Hadley - I was very impressed with the Panthers in their losing effort at home against Belchertown last week. This is an interesting game between two teams that might not get exceptionally high seeds in the tournament but still be very tough outs.

Saturday, Feb. 12
Monument at Belchertown - The Orioles have lost two of their last four and now get a Spartans team that is heating up. Should be a good one with interesting inside-outside matchups.
Frontier at Wahconah - The other interesting Hampshire vs. Berkshire County matchup. Frontier could use a quality win here and may wrap up a No. 1 seed with a win here (more on that later this week). A Wahconah win throws a lot of teams into the mix.

Sunday, Feb. 13
Northampton at Ludlow - One of Blue Devils' best chances at a 10th win comes here.

Monday, Feb. 14
Chicopee Comp at Longmeadow - Big game for the two teams chasing Amherst in the Suburban League.
West Side at Holyoke - This is the game of the week featuring the two best players in Western Massachusetts. West Side won in OT at home on Dec. 28. Can the Purple Knights get some revenge?
Athol at Smith Academy - Streaking Red Raiders have won five straight and look to sweep season series against Falcons, who still need wins to get into D-3 tourney.
Belchertown at Hampshire - Hampshire won the last time by 10. This one could determine the Bi-County East title and have major seeding ramifications.
Lee at Drury - Wildcats won by 26 at home on Jan. 31. Are they that much better than the Blue Devils or was it just an off night for Drury? We'll find out here.
Granby at South Hadley - Rams need another win to get to 10 or else this could come down to their final game against Ware (2/21).
Easthampton at Hopkins - The Eagles are going to have to knock off a few solid teams to have a chance to get to 10 wins.
Southwick at McCann - Tigers already beat McCann once and can put themselves in great position to get AQ with win in North Adams.
Lenox at Putnam - Milionaires are at 9 wins right now, but could win their last three with ease.
Pioneer at Greenfield - An virtual must-win for the Panthers to have a chance at 10 wins.
Ware at Monson - Five-point game in the season-opener, this one could go right down to the wire.

Girls Hoop Week Guide

NOTE: It feels weird to be putting this together right now considering that there will likely be massive postponements over the next two days, blowing up my entire entry. ... As always, I can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.

Tuesday, Feb. 1
Mahar at Athol - The Senators won at their place 55-44 on Dec. 28, but that's a long time ago in another place. Franklin North title could be decided here in rivalry matchup.

Wednesday, Feb. 2
Sci-Tech at Palmer - If Sabis won Monday, Palmer will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak here.

Thursday, Feb. 3
East Longmeadow at Northampton - Terrific game featuring two squads with very young players at key positions that seem to be maturing with every game. Very interested to see this one.
Longmeadow at Amherst - Hurricanes have run off 10 straight wins heading into tonight's game. They're remaining games don't seem overly challeging. This is one of a very few that could still be competitive in the second half.
Wahconah at Lee - Are these the two best teams in the Berkshires? Is Lee truly unbeatable? It was a nine-point game last time and Wahconah seems to have improved since then.
Chicopee Comp at Agawam - Brownies are 4-8 heading into tonight's game against Amherst, so this is an absolute must-win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Drury at Pittsfield - Last time was a 48-45 Pittsfield win, but Generals are 1-3 since heading into Monday night's game at Monument. Berkshire North teams will be well battle-tested come postseason. Biggest question, will injured Jill Ritrosky play after missing the team's win over Greylock?
Belchertown at Cathedral - Orioles won by 12 at their place on Jan. 4. Both teams have similar results so far this year and will be well-challenged down the stretch.  Cathedral, meanwhile, needs three wins to get to 10 and has one relatively easy game remaining. Could come down to the Wire. Brianna Del Valle enters the game needing 14 points for 1,000.
Smith Academy at Frontier Regional - Red Hawks are closing in on clinching the Franklin South title. Knocked off the Falcons by 27 in Hatfield last time.
Lenox at Greylock - Mounties won by seven last time and a win here would be big toward tournament bid.
Palmer at Ware - This is suddenly a big game for Palmer's playoff hopes not to come right down to the wire.
Sabis at South Hadley - The Bulldogs' have been impressive all year and look to add yet another quality Division 2 squad to its win list.
Granby at Monson - Rams are at .500 entering the week and have a brutal final five games. They'll need to knock off a few quality teams to get to 10 wins or they'll be a very, very good team that isn't in the postseason.

Friday, Feb. 4
Hoosac at Sci-Tech - If Hurricanes topple Greylock Monday night, they go for win No. 10 here.

Monday, Feb. 7
Holyoke at Northampton - Young Blue Devils backcourt will be challenged here. If they can do enough to get bigs Sam Barnes and Lauren Weston enough touches, this could be a good one. Still, Hamp doesn't have anyone nearly as explosive as Monique Heard (who does?).
Hampshire at Sabis - Two of the top teams in the area square off in a very interesting matchup. Rosters matchup up quite well and I'll be interested to hear how they defend each other.
Frontier at Mahar - Two of the top teams in Franklin League square off in rematch that went to double overtime in South Deerfield the first time around.
Monument at Taconic - A must-win for the Spartans if they hope to get to the tournament. They won by nine in first meeting.
Palmer at South Hadley - Terrific young guards square off in this matchup.
Hopkins at Athol - Kiley Cleveland broke the Golden Hawks' hearts with a buzzer-beater last time. Can Hopkins get a little revenge on the road?

Girls Hoop Week Guide 7

NOTES: The mass postponements have me concerned that I'm missing some big make-up games, especially in the Berkshires. So, Berkshire readers, if there's something that I don't have listed that is a big one, drop me an email and I'll add it in. Also, if there's something big that was moved to later in the year, let me know for the future Week Guides. ... As always, feel free to contact me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com with questions, comments, etc.

Rankings are from my Top 25 Power Rankings, which are updated and posted every Wednesday night:

Tuesday, Jan. 25
No. 7 Hampshire Regional at No. 15 Cathedral - Big game in the Bi-County East. Panthers have been relatively under the radar, with losses only to Amherst and Belchertown. Win over Palmer showed they are for real.
Commerce at No. 21 South Hadley - Tigers have been very good, including putting a challenge into Hampshire last week. Freshman Kara Callahan's emergence has been key, but senior leadership is strong.
Central at No. 2 Amherst Regional - Hurricanes have four very winnable games in a row (Central, Agawam on 1/27, at Westfield on 1/28, at Agawam on 1/31) and could very easily be 12-1 going into Feb 3 game against Longmeadow).
No. 18 Chicopee Comp at No. 4 Holyoke - Colts entered Monday's game against Central hoping to snap a three-game losing streak. Now they get a touch matchup the very next day. They will have the size advantage with Amber Legare and JC Pickett, but can they make someone other than Monique Heard beat them?

Thursday, Jan. 27
No. 14 Monument Mountain at No. 10 Wahconah - Always a slobberknocker. Last time was a five-point Wahconah win in Great Barrington.
No. 11 Pittsfield at No. 23 Mount Greylock - Generals have struggles since 8-1 start. They'll need to slow down Sarah Brink, Kim Houston and the Mounties in Williamstown to help get back on track.
No. 12 Belchertown at No. 5 Sabis - Bulldogs' backcourt will be a big-time challenge for the Orioles, who barely escaped Granby with a win last Thursday.
No. 15 Cathedral at No. 21 South Hadley - Maybe the two best teams in Division 2 that no one is talking about.
No. 13 Drury at No. 25 Hoosac - Rivalry game is always played hard. Drury won 41-36 on Dec. 14.
Easthampton at Smith Academy - Eagles have been in games with some tough teams, but need to start banking wins this week. A Smith win puts the Falcons in good shape for a tourney bid.
Hopkins at No. 8 Frontier Regional - Suddenly, the Red Hawks started the year pasting everyone, but have run into some challenges in Jan. with an double OT win over Mahar, a six-point win over Easthampton, a loss to Sabis and a challenge from Athol. Can Hopkins give them trouble despite losing by 32 the first time around?
No. 7 Hampshire Regional at Granby - The Rams nearly knocked off Belchertown last week. Now they get another Division 2 power.
No. 17 Palmer at No. 20 Monson - Very interesting game, but I strongly recommend that no one right Palmer off just yet. They have struggled recently, but played three very good teams very tough. I'd bet they won't go 0-3 against Belchertown, Cathedral and Hampshire in the rematches next month.

Friday, Jan. 28
No. 9 Longmeadow at No. 18 Chicopee Comp - Two of the top teams in the Suburban League square off for the first of two meetings.
No. 16 East Longmeadow at Minnechaug - After an 0-6 start, EL can get to .500 with a win on Tuesday at Chicopee and a win here. Still have a feeling they'll make a deep tourney run.

Saturday, Jan. 29
Holyoke Catholic at No. 24 Lenox - Two D-3 teams that play very tough schedules and will likely be in that second tier of rankings come tournament time.

Monday, Jan. 31
No. 6 Northampton at Minnechaug - Schedule and postponements make this the first Blue Devils game since Jan. 19. Northampton has won 7 of last 8. Is the time off good for younger players in practice or bad because it slows down momentum?
No. 17 Palmer at No. 5 Sabis - Sabis enters the week 10-1, but faces its first real consistent challenges now with Cathedral (1/24), Belchertown (1/27), Palmer (1/31) South Hadley (2/3) and  Hampshire (2/7) all coming up.
No. 11 Pittsfield at No. 14 Monument - Strong matchup includes current top two scorers in Berkshires in MM's Sarah Mills (18.4 ppg) and Generals' Jill Ritrosky (17.1 ppg).
No. 12 Belchertown at No. 21 South Hadley - Tigers have been playing well of late. This could be a postseason quarterfinal matchup down the road.
No. 7 Hampshire at No. 20 Monson - One-loss Monson gets a tough run of games this week with the Bi-County East run of Belchertown (1/24), Palmer (1/27), Hampshire (1/31) and Cathedral (2/2).
Pioneer Regional at Hopkins Academy - Some super young talent in this game that we'll be hearing from in Division 3 for some time.
No. 25 Hoosac Valley at No. 23 Mount Greylock - Mounties are right at .500 and have some tough games remaining. They may need at least one win over their Northern Berkshire rivals to get into the postseason.
No. 13 Drury at No. 1 Lee - Drury licking its wounds after that 22-point loss to Wahconah last week. Can the Blue Devils get things right for this big challenge?
Meanwhile, Lee is going to get Alex Young back one of these days. Here's an update from the Eagle this weekend.

See you Wednesday night.

Girls Hoop: Week Guide 6

NOTES: I keep getting emails that I'm missing this game or that game. No, I'm not. These are the ones that interest me the most, not a complete listing. ... Be sure to return for the Top 25 overall/Divisional Top 10s late Wednesday/early Thursday. ... As always, feel free to contact me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com with questions, comments, etc.

Also, my schedule changed this week, making it more likely that I'll be posting the Week Guide on Monday evening than Sunday night, so I'm going to run these through the following Monday starting today.

Rankings are from my Top 25 Power Rankings, which are updated and posted every Wednesday night:

Monday, Jan. 17
Minnechaug at No. 15 Wahconah - Warriors look to build on nice win at Pittsfield on Friday.

Tuesday, Jan. 18
No. 3 Amherst at No. 1 West Springfield - Almost certainly the two best teams in Division 1 square off in what should be a terrific matchup.
Agawam at No. 7 Northampton - Brownies take a two-game winning streak North, but this will be a tough matchup for them.
Chicopee at Central - Teams have lost a combined nine in a row. At least one of them snaps that here.
No. 12 Chicopee Comp at No. 16 East Longmeadow - Two teams going in different directions. Can the Colts snap their two-game losing streak and get back to .500 or will the Spartans extend their winning streak to four after an 0-6 start?
No. 9 Longmeadow at No. 5 Holyoke - The Purple Knights are back home for the first time since before Christmas hoping to improve to 5-0 in their own gym.
No. 11 Pittsfield at Taconic - Generals look to get back on track after losing back-to-back to Lee and Wahconah.
Easthampton at No. 21 Athol - The Red Raiders have hit their stride in the new year with a 4-0 record in 2011.
No. 4 Frontier at Pioneer Regional - The Red Hawks look to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
No. 17 Hampshire at No. 19 Cathedral - Panthers are coming off their best win of the season (51-44 over Palmer at home) and have only lost to Amherst and Belchertown this year. Hampshire, meanwhile, just knocked off Belchertown and looks to remain lone unbeaten in Bi-County East.
No. 10 Palmer at Commerce - Suddenly beatable Panthers need a win in Springfield to get back on track. Good news: Commerce has lost three straight.
No. 13 Drury at No. 2 Lee - The Blue Devils were written off way too early with a loss to Lenox in their second game of the season, but have been playing great since. Still, any game at Lee is a tough one.
Smith Academy at No. 18 Mahar - Falcons hoping for a better result than the one they had at Athol on Jan. 14 (L, 55-38).
No. 22 Mount Greylock at No. 23 Lenox - Can the Millionaires sweep the North County Division 2 trio this season? Here's their first shot at the Mounties after already topping Drury and Hoosac this season.

Wednesday, Jan. 19
No. 10 Palmer at No. 17 Hampshire - This Bi-County East is living up to our early season expectations. Expect another battle here.
Granby at Sci-Tech - Rams have a chance to get to .500 at the midway point of the season with their straight win here.
No. 6 Sabis at Holyoke Catholic (HCC) - Pretty clear that Sabis and Lee are on another plane in D-3 right now.

Thursday, Jan. 20
No. 8 Belchertown at Granby - The Orioles will have had nearly a week off since falling at home to Hampshire. Brianna Del Valle enters the week with 907 career points.

Friday, Jan. 21
Chicopee at No. 12 Chicopee Comp - First of two-game series in rivarly this season.
No. 1 West Springfield at No. 16 East Longmeadow - Spartans look to get some revenge after 51-45 loss at West Side on Dec. 23.  Tough pair of games for West Side this week.
No. 2 Lee at No. 11 Pittsfield - Generals gave Lee a battle (57-50) at Lee last time. Can they hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season here?
No. 21 Athol at No. 4 Frontier - Two 100-point soccer scorers (Kiley Cleveland and Mel Stier) square off on the hardwood.
Cathedral at Monson - Tough run of games for Cathedral (vs. Palmer on 1/14, vs. Hampshire, at Monson, at Sabis on 1/24) should tell us plenty about the Panthers.
Easthampton at Pioneer - Big game for potential tournament bid as both squads need to start putting together some wins. A few good underclassmen in this one.
No. 17 Hampshire at South Hadley - Could be fun, especially with the matchup of point guards featuring the standout senior (Margo McCarthy) and the standout freshman (Kara Callahan).
No. 14 Monument at No. 23 Lenox - The Millionaires have already shown the ability to beat quality Division 2 teams this year (Drury, Hoosac).
No. 15 Wahconah at No. 13 Drury - The Warriors return to Drury, where they suffered a brutal 61-31 loss during the Gene Wein Tournament on Dec. 28.
Smith Academy at Hopkins Academy - First of two meetings is big, as the Franklin South is going to be a battle for second (and tourney berths) through the rest of the season.

Monday, Jan. 24
No. 8 Belchertown at No. 20 Monson - Assuming each team wins its prior game of the week, the winner here will get their 10th and clinch a postseason berth.
No. 2 Lee at No. 24 Hoosac - When a team like Hoosac is is hovering around .500, beating the lower level teams and losing to the good teams, it's hard to imagine a win over the Wildcats, even at home.
No. 15 Wahconah at No. 22 Mount Greylock - Warriors won by 10 last time. Imagine the 3-pointers will be flying with Aliah Curry and Sarah Brink among the top shooters in the county.

Girls Hoop: Week Guide 5

NOTES: This is not a complete list of games. ... Be sure to return for the Top 25 overall/Divisional Top 10s late Wednesday/early Thursday. ... As always, feel free to contact me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com with questions, comments, etc.

Terrific week of games, capped by the Hoophall on Friday and the Inaugural Jill E. Harrington Hanzalik Memorial Fund Basketball Classic at Pioneer Regional on Saturday.

Rankings are from my Top 25 Power Rankings, which are updated and posted every Wednesday night:

Tuesday, Jan. 11
No. 3 Amherst at Minnechaug - Christal Murphy returns to Minnechaug, but this time Dave Yelle isn't on the home sidelines.
Chicopee at No. 12 Northampton - Blue Devils look to make it five straight after Friday's exciting win at Chicopee Comp.
No. 11 Chicopee Comp at No. 1 West Springfield - Comp is coming off a tough, late loss to Northampton and now has to head to West Springfield and deal with Dana Theobald. Colts' size could give West Side trouble, but they'll need a very strong performance to hand the Terriers' their first loss.
No. 5 Holyoke at No. 14 Monument Mountain - For some reason, I didn't realize this game was happening until going through this week's schedule for the Week Guide. Should be a lot of fun and I'll be interested to hear from Berkshire people who haven't seen Monique Heard yet what they think of her. She's worth the price of admission, folks.
No. 10 Pittsfield at No. 2 Lee - Once the Berkshire North gets rolling, it's always interesting. Very good matchup here, as Pittsfield
No. 9 Belchertown at No. 8 Palmer - Frontcourt size vs. backcourt quickness. This should be a good one between two teams poised to make yet another run at the Cage.
No. 13 Drury at No. 23 Mount Greylock - As a former Transcripter, I'm always partial to these Northern Berkshire rivalry games.
Easthampton at No. 4 Frontier - The Red Hawks were challenged on Friday against Mahar and pulled off the 2OT win.
No. 20 Hoosac Valley at No. 24 Lenox - We'll get a good look at how the Berkshire North is going to shake out in the next few weeks.
No. 15 Wahconah at Mount Anthony - Monument barely survived the trip to Vt. in their season-opener. Now it's Wahconah's turn.
No. 22 Athol at Pioneer Regional - Big game in the Franklin North between two contenders for second place. Athol can't afford a loss if it wants to hang near Mahar at the top.

Wednesday, Jan. 12
No. 8 Palmer at No. 18 Hampshire - Make up game from last week is one that should be very interesting (and well-attended by Division 2 coaches without games that night). Which is the greater strength? Hampshire's size or Palmer's quickness? Which team can best handle the other's strength? Could be a playoff preview.

Friday, Jan. 14
Central at No. 16 East Longmeadow, Hoophall Classic (3 p.m.) - The Hoophall opener. Start your day here, keep your seat for hours of great basketball.
No. 4 Frontier vs. No. 6 Sabis, Hoophall Classic (4:30 p.m.) - Terrific second game and one that I'm glad ended up at the Hoophall, as Frontier's dominating defense will be truly tested by the stellar games of Alexis Chappell and Jazmine Collins. Matchups should be interesting, especially as Mel Stier will likely be latched onto Chappell all night. Should be a good one for two teams that haven't been tested much this season so far.
Murry Bergtraum (NY) vs. Mater Dei (CA), Hoophall Classic (6 p.m.) - Mater Dei's star player Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is signed to play at UConn. The last time a Huskies signee was at the Hoophall, Geno showed up. Looking at the UConn schedule, the Huskies are home on Saturday, so there could be another Geno sighting on Friday night.
No. 12 Northampton at No. 3 Amherst - Big, big game that I'm very much looking forward to. Two terrific defenses. Two young squads with plenty of talent. This is going to be fun.
No. 18 Hampshire at No. 9 Belchertown - We have way too many terrific local games Friday. Here's another one. I wish I could be in three or four places at once. Big, big Bi-County East/Division 2 game featuring two of the best post players in the area.
No. 15 Wahconah at No. 10 Pittsfield - Hitting the midway point in the season. These Berkshire North games always get fun around now.
No. 8 Palmer at No. 17 Cathedral - Finally, the Bi-County East is playing each other. Good games ahead will sort out the top of the rankings.
Hopkins Academy at Easthampton - If either team is going to get to .500 or second place in the Franklin South, a win here would be a big help. Some good, young players who have already arrived in this one.
No. 14 Monument Mountain at No. 20 Hoosac Valley - Challenging week for both squads with Monument headed to Holyoke and then making this long road trip and Hoosac playing Wahconah, Lenox and the Spartans.
No. 23 Mount Greylock at No. 2 Lee - All eyes on are Alex Young's status. She's a special one. Hate to see her miss much more of her senior year.
No. 21 Monson at Holyoke Catholic (HCC) - Mustangs are likely to bring a five game winning streak to Holyoke.
Smith Academy at No. 22 Athol - Assuming Falcons take care of business against Mohawk on Tuesday, they can get above .500 with a win here for the first time this season.

Saturday, Jan. 15
No. 12 Northampton vs. Westfield at Pioneer Regional, 4 p.m. - The third of four games (two boys, two girls) in Saturday's Inaugural Jill E. Harrington Hanzalik Memorial Fund Basketball Classic. Also, the first time Northampton coach Perry Messer will coach in the Pioneer Gym since leaving the Panthers boys team 10 years ago. Should be a great event.

Girls Hoop: Week Guide 4

NOTES: This is not a complete list of games. ... Be sure to return for the Top 25 overall/Divisional Top 10s late Wednesday/early Thursday. ... As always, feel free to contact me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com with questions, comments, etc.

I attended Thursday night's game between Belchertown and Lee. I knew there would be a few coaches also scouting the game, but had no idea we would end up in our own little corner of the gym together. Very interesting discussions.

As we saw, in person, just how good Lee is this season -- and I really think they are much better even than last year -- the debate became whether they are the No. 1 team in all of WMass. Honestly, that's a team that would give both West Side and Holyoke, my top two teams, matchup trouble and you feel like Lee plays good enough defense to slow down those teams' stars enough to have a real chance. Also, you can't help be impressed by all of Lee's players, they are all athletic, play defense, are completely unselfish and can shoot the lights out. But the Young sisters really stand out because of their size and versatility and became the topic of debate No. 2 -- which one did we like more? I can't even decide after watching them play and the coaches around me were split.

The one disappointment of the night came when Alex Young went down in the second half after showing off her versatility and athleticism up and down the court. I hope she's ok and, at most, only misses a few games.

You can read the story from the game here. It's about Belchertown's side since, you know, I do technically cover that town and not Lee:
http://ow.ly/3xa90

Here's the Week Guide:

Monday, Jan. 3
Lee at Wahconah - I'm completely unsure of what to expect here, as Wahconah is coming off a 30-point loss to Drury in the Gene Wein Tournament on Dec. 29 and Lee may be the best team in all of WMass. Still, it's in Dalton and maybe the Warriors will respond with an impressive effort and give the Wildcats a real challenge. Also, things could depend on the availability of Alex Young (see above).
Pittsfield at Hoosac Valley - The 5-1 Generals and coach Joe Racicot take on Racicot's fromer team in Cheshire. Pittsfield has won five straight since falling at Lonmgeadow in its opener. Hoosac, meanwhile, is 4-1, but this would easily be its best win of the season so far.
Mahar at Easthampton - Eagles are getting healthy and sophomore center Elizabeth Whitney is turning heads (16.4 points per game). Mahar, meanwhile, is 4-1 and in early control of the Franklin North.

Tuesday, Jan. 4
GAME OF THE WEEK -- Holyoke at Amherst - The Purple Knights look to bounce back from their first loss of the season, an epic overtime defeat at West Springfield on Dec. 28. Amherst, meanwhile, lost to Lee, but has rebounded with a pair of victories over potential D-2 tournament teams. The two squads are an interesting matchup. Can Holyoke handle Amherst's intense defense? Can the Hurricanes slow down standout Purple Knights guard Monique Heard? How will Amherst defense Heard? Who out of Victoria Stewart, Brianna Leonard, Nancy Mangels, Kristen Ferola and Forbasaw Nkamebo will step up on the offensive end?
East Longmeadow at Agawam - The Spartans are 0-6 and desperately need to get a winning streak started here against the Brownies, who are coming off their own first win of the season (46-44 vs. Central, 12/30)
Northampton at Longmeadow - The Lancers look legit with a 4-0 record, including wins over a couple of likely D-1 tourney teams. Hamp, meanwhile, has won two straight and coach Perry Messer thinks his young team is making huge strides.
West Springfield at Westfield - West Side should win this one to be 6-0 heading into big Friday game at Longmeadow.
Hopkins Academy at Mohawk - The Golden Hawks hope to bounce back from a disappointing offensive performance against Granby to get a much-needed win.
Cathedral at Belchertown - Both teams took their first losses of the season to very tough opponents last week (Cathedral to Amherst, Belchertown to Lee) and now need to bounce back in a big early Bi-County East game.
Hampshire at Commerce - Hampshire would be a pretty big favorite if it was completely healthy here. Instead, we aren't sure if the Red Raiders are even going to have sophomore star Sarah Kober
Frontier at Smith Academy - Ralph Loos has had plenty of success in his two-plus years at Frontier, but he hasn't won in Hatfield yet. Can the Red Hawks, who look unbeatable early on in league play, get a victory against the Falcons?
South Hadley at Sci-Tech - The Tigers look to break a two-game losing streak. A win here could spark a run for SH.
New Leadership at Gateway - Two of the three teams undefeated in Tri-County play square off.
Granby at Holyoke Catholic (at HCC) - The former neighbors square off in a game that is the second of six straight road games for the Rams.
Monson at McCann Tech - It's a tough trip to North Adams, but if the Mustangs can pull out a win, they could really get on a roll here. A win Tuesday would be three straight and then they have at Putnam, at Sci-Tech, at Holyoke Catholic and at Southwick before hosting Cathedral on Jan. 21. They'll have to be road warriors, but we could definitely be looking at a 10-1 Monson team on Jan. 18.

Wednesday, Jan. 5
Hampshire at Easthampton (5:30 tip-off) - The first game of the yearly doubleheader with the boys' teams. Hopefully, Kober will play so we can see Kober and Whitney, arguably the two best sophomores in GazetteLand, square off against each other. Also, you won't find two coaches who know each other better than Rich Moussette and Jay Fortier. Should be a fun one.
Lenox at Pittsfield - Lenox looked great before last week's 0-2 performance at the Gene Wein tournament. Not it must face a Pittsfield squad that looks like a potential semifinal threat.

Friday, Jan. 7
Northampton at Chicopee Comp - Feels early to already be having rematches this season, but here's a good one. Comp won in Northampton 50-45 on Dec. 15. Can the Blue Devils get a little payback?
West Springfield at Longmeadow - Could be two undefeated Division 1 squads matching up here. Longmeadow can show just how wide open D-1 is with a win here.
Monument at Drury - Blue Devils have won five straight heading into this one. Always a battle.
Mahar at Frontier Regional - Looks like this will be a game between the Franklin North leader and Franklin South leader when it happens.
Palmer at Hampshire - Two first year coaches with very good squads square off. This should be a lot of fun to watch.
Gateway at Westfield Voke - Both teams are undefeated in Tri-County League play headed into the week. Gateway could take its first step toward its second-straight league title with a sweep this week.

Saturday, Jan. 8
Coaches vs. Cancer at MCLA
Lee vs. Lenox; Everett at Taconic; St. Joseph's at McCann - Day one of this awesome event is highlighted by the Lee-Lenox rivalry game.
    
Sunday, Jan. 9
Coaches vs. Cancer at MCLA
Hoosac vs. Wahconah; Greylock vs. Monument; Pittsfield vs. Drury - These are all interesting, but I'm most looking forward to Pittsfield-Drury, which should tell us quite a bit about both squads as we near mid-January.

Girls Hoop: Week Guide 3

NOTES: A day late on this because of the holiday, but every Sunday night, I'll take a look at the most interesting games on the schedule for the week ahead throughout Western Mass. This is not a complete list of games. ... Be sure to return for the Top 10s late Wednesday/early Thursday. ... As always, feel free to contact me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com with questions, comments, etc.

This is always an interesting week of the season and one coaches must hate. All of the routine of the prior weeks are thrown away with the players on vacation from school. Sometimes, you see sluggish performances out of the most energetic teams. It's always a worry for coaches and we usually see one or two upsets this week. Anyway, here's the Week Guide of the top games:

Tuesday, Dec. 28
Amherst at Cathedral - We'll find out a lot about both teams here, as Amherst could use a win heading into the Jan. 4 matchup against Holyoke, while Cathedral is 4-0 but without a quality win.
Central at Northampton - Two potential bubble teams in Division 1 makes this is virtual early playoff game between squads that have met in a handful of recent tourneys.
Chicopee Comp vs. Pittsfield (New Leadership Tourney, 3 p.m.) - Both teams are relatively under the radar considering they are definite threats to make runs to semis. Jill Ritrosky averaging 17.6 points per game for PHS, while Alexis Wegrzynek (15.5) leads CCHS.
Holyoke at West Springfield - Easily the game of the week between the Nos. 1 and 2 squads in my overall top 10 poll. Guards Monique Heard and Dana Theobold get the most attention, but this game could come down to the supporting cast and whether Holyoke can make use of its size advantage.
Athol at Mahar - Rivalry game is always a good one, especially when these games could later decide the Franklin North.
Southwick at Belchertown - Orioles are 4-0 and haven't been challenged yet. That will change soon.
Gene Wein Tournament at Drury: championship at 7:30; consolation at 6 - Teams are Mount Greylock, Wahconah, Lenox, Drury: First round was a doubleheader Monday and the event wraps up here.
Easthampton at Turners Falls - A win here puts Eagles at 2-1 record (2-3 including Cape Cod games, which don't count toward tournament) and they are just now starting to get healthy. Sophomore forward Elizabeth Whitney is averaging 15.3 points per game.
Mohawk at Frontier - Red Hawks have another one-game week with this home-opener and haven't been challenged yet.
Putnam at Hampshire - Biggest question of the week will be whether Sarah Kober is ready to go after hurting her ankle in loss at Westfield on Dec. 22.
Ware at South Hadley - Tigers will have had a week off to adjust after loss at Monson dropped them to 2-2.
Palmer at Sci-Tech - Feels like we're all waiting for the new year when the Bi-County East teams have to finally play each other.
Pioneer Christian at Gateway - This is PVCS' sixth game of the year and only Gators' second. Still, you've got to like Gateway to roll.
Hopkins at Pioneer Regional - Golden Hawks look to get first 'W' but Panthers have proven to be tough, especially in opening win at Smith Academy. Some terrific underclassmen on both sides here.
Greenfield at Smith Academy - Falcons look to get back to .500.

Wednesday, Dec. 29
East Longmeadow at Christ the King (NY) - Just what the ailing Spartans (0-4) need, a trip South to face a national powerhouse.

Thursday, Dec. 30
East Longmeadow at Bishop Ford Central (NY) - EL's tough two-day trip wraps up. Could they really enter 2010 0-6? Hard to imagine heading into the season.
Pioneer at Drury - Most teams are going light this week, Drury is playing three games in four day. At least all of them are at home.
Putnam at Hoosac Valley - Beavers' sixth straight road game to open the season. Finally at home against Sabis on Jan. 4.
Quaboag at Monument - Two of the best programs in CMass/WMass square off in the kind of game that would only likely happen during vacation week or at the HoopHall.
Granby at Hopkins - Two young teams that could use a win. Loser could be looking at a deep hole early if they are hoping for a spot in the tournament.
Lee at Belchertown - Wildcats' fourth straight tough road game to the Pioneer Valley. Can they make it 4-for-4?
Monson at Smith Academy - Two balanced, talented teams that should be headed for the D-3 postseason.
Sabis at Nauset - Bulldogs hit the road to take on same squad that knocked off Easthampton early in season.

Girls Hoop: Week Guide 2

NOTES: Every Sunday night, I'll take a look at the most interesting games on the schedule for the week ahead throughout Western Mass. This is not a complete list of games. ... Also, the first weekly Top 10s (and overall top 25, if I'm feeling gutsy) will be posted late Wednesday/early Thursday. ... As always, feel free to contact me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com with questions, comments, etc.

Monday, Dec. 20
Central at Longmeadow - Lancers hope to finish off their 2010 with 4-0 record.
Mohawk at Athol - Feels like we're a ways from figuring out the Franklin North, but this could help a bit.
Hoosac at Drury - Drury looks to bounce back after disappointing loss to Lenox, but rival Hurricanes are a tough matchup.

Tuesday, Dec. 21
Lee at Amherst - Hurricanes have had 11 days since opening season with win over East Longmeadow and they get a Wildcats squad that has already beaten Chicopee Comp and Sabis on the road.
Holyoke Catholic at Hampshire Regional - Red Raiders look to start 4-0.
East Longmeadow at Holyoke - In the preseason, I would have called this a marquee matchup, but EL has struggled early.
Ludlow at Minnechaug - Down year for both programs? Loser has lots of early ground to make up.
South Hadley at Monson - Tigers playing great under coach Paul Dubuc. Freshman point guard Kara Callahan has given team a boost.
McCann at Palmer - The Bi-County East is going to be fun once the teams start playing each other.
Ware at Sabis - Indians hit the road for the first time and get brutal matchup against Bulldogs, the clear No. 2 in Division 3.
Northampton at West Springfield - Dana Theobald had 27 in the Terriers' win over Minnechaug. Can Blue Devils' get enough from significant height advantage?
Smith Academy at Easthampton - Two strong post players in Smith's Alyssa Klepacki and Easthampton's Elizabeth Whitney square off.
Frontier at Hopkins Academy - Frontier is the clear favorite in the Franklin South, but must control the ball against Hopkins' swarming defense, which is perfectly suited to its tiny gym.
Mahar at Pioneer Regional - Panthers looked good in opening win over Smith. A win here would verify

Wednesday, Dec. 22
Hampshire at Westfield - Winnable D-1 opponent for Hampshire, but how will the Red Raiders respond to playing back-to-back days?
Smith Academy at Lenox - Falcons get a long road trip one day after a tough league match with Easthampton. Tough, tough schedule.

Thursday, Dec. 23
Athol at Amherst - Kiley Cleveland vs. Brianna Leonard should be fun to watch.
Chicopee at Holyoke - Pacers just now playing opener ... and it's against the top team in WMass. Good times!
East Longmeadow at West Springfield - A pair of preseason first team selections (Arielle Ward and Theobald) square off. Could EL really be 0-4 heading into Christmas?
PVCS at Holyoke Catholic - Gaels had tough early schedule, but things could start to turn here.
Ludlow at Northampton - After three tough matchups in a row, would be nice to see the Blue Devils win convincingly here.
Central at Minnechaug - Two recent powers, and rivals, who could both use a win.
Wahconah at Monument - Always a terrific matchup. Always key in the Berkshire North race and always interesting to all other D-2 coaches.
New Leadership at Hoosac - D-2 Hurricanes look to make it 3-0 vs. D-3 teams to start the season.

Girls Hoop: Week Guide 1

NOTES: Every Sunday night, I'll take a look at the most interesting games on the schedule for the week ahead throughout Western Mass. This is not a complete list of games. ... Also, if you missed it, you can read my preseason preview rankings and teams here. ... As always, feel free to contact me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com with questions, comments, etc.

The end of last week marked quite a start to the season, highlighted by the East Longmeadow-Amherst Regional WMass finals rematch at the Spartan Classic on Friday night. To say that the Hurricanes were impressive would be an understatement. They played extremely hard for coach Christal Murphy and showed that, despite losing four starters from last year's squad, they were still featuring the same hard-nosed determination that led to a 21-0 start in 2009-10. I was probably most impressed with Brianna Leonard, who did a nice job as a "glue" type of starter last year, but clearly took on much more of a leadership role, both in terms of scoring and rebounding.

I went into the season feeling like Division 1 was wide open. After Friday, it feels even more wide open. Obviously, there will be some serious changes to my top 10s when they are released Dec. 23.

Anyway, let's get to the Week Guide:

Monday, Jan 13
Northampton at Westfield - We get our first look at all of the Blue Devils newcomers I keep hearing about.
Lee at Sabis - Could easily be a WMass Division 3 championship preview.

Tuesday, Jan. 14
Agawam at West Springfield - Dana Theobald and Co. look to get Terriers back to tourney after missing out for first time in 7 years.
McCann Tech at Belchertown - Another team Brianna Del Valle will pose massive matchup problems for.
Southwick at Hampshire - Sarah Kober posted an 18-18 in the opener. What can she do for an encore?
Holyoke Catholic at Palmer - The Gaels start at Belchertown and then at Palmer? Ouch!
South Hadley at Granby - Both teams faced tough competition in their openers. This should be a better measuring stick for each.
Frontier at Greenfield - Frontier opens what could be a special season on the road
Monument at Mount Anthony - D2 teams in Pioneer Valley are always keeping an eye on the Spartans.
Lenox at Drury - Blue Devils look to make it 2-0 vs. another D-3 opponent.
Wahconah at Athol - Fun game for an opener as my No. 1 Division 2 team looks to slow down Kiley Cleveland on her home court.

Wednesday, Jan. 15
Chicopee Comp at Northampton - Good post matchup between Comp's Amber Legare and Northampton's Lauren Weston.
Mahar at South Hadley - Tigers get a challenge in Paul Dubuc's home debut.
Longmeadow at Minnechaug - Two teams I need to see more from.
    
Thursday, Jan. 16
Westfield at Monument - Spartans hoping for 2-0 before matchup with Wahconah on the 23rd.
Agawam at Pittsfield - Division 1 feels wide open this year. Is Pittsfield a sleeper? Sounds like it.
    
Friday, Jan. 17
Lee at Chicopee Comp - Colts believe they are contenders. A win here would be a massive statement in that direction.
Sci-Tech at Belchertown - Orioles shouldn't be challenged in their first five games -- all at home.
McCann at Hampshire - Hornets shocked Red Raiders last year in North Adams. Can lightning strike twice?
East Longmeadow at Longmeadow - You know the Spartans are going to look to right some of their wrongs in the season-opening loss to Amherst, but Longmeadow isn't a pushover.
Hopkins at Mahar - Fred Ciaglo makes his debut on the Hopkins (girls) sidelines in Orange.
Northampton at Holyoke - Holyoke is No. 1, but Northampton could be better than we all think.
Ludlow at Central - Both teams lost a lot. Interested to see who steps up here.
Sabis at Monson - Two D-3 teams that could be headed to the Cage
West Side at Minnechaug - Falcons new coach and former assistant Pete Kowalski gets a challenging week to start.
Pioneer Regional at Smith Academy - Can the Franklin North hang with the South this year?

Week Guide: Girls Hoop

Everything here is continuing to assume that Central isn't forfeiting anything. If/when we hear anything, I'll make those adjustments to the Walker and Playoff Pictures. I'll have a new Playoff Picture posted on any day where someone is either eliminated or clinches a postseason berth. Walkers will likely be posted on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and then the final one will be up either late Thursday or Friday night. New tops 10s go up late Wednesday.

As always, feel free to drop me an email at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.

Rankings are based on last week's Top 25.

Monday, Feb. 15
No. 1 Amherst at Westfield - Unbeaten Hurricanes start three-game final week with game vs. winless Bombers
No. 7 Monument at No. 12 Pittsfield - The Generals lost in Great Barrington by 24 last time, but have won four of six (two losses were to Lee) since, including a win over Wahconah.
No. 10 Drury at Hoosac Valley - Hurricanes likely need the win for a shot at second place in the Berkshire South (as well as .500).
St. Joseph's at Mount Greylock - Mounties end with a pair of winnable games.
No. 2 Lee at Lenox - Wildcats put 13-game winning streak on the line. Won by 51 in first meeting. Yes, 51.
No. 8 Sabis at Island Invitational (Martha's Vineyard) - Second day at event for Bulldogs.

Tuesday, Feb. 16
No. 24 Longmeadow at No. 25 Agawam - The sub-.500 Lancers need to win here to keep the pressure on Chicopee Comp in the race for second in the Suburban.
No. 1. Amherst at Chicopee - Game two of three this week for Amherst, which hopes to be 19-0 after this game.
No. 5 Central at No. 3 Holyoke - Rematch of Purple Knights' 71-54 win, but Bri Malone didn't play last time. Holyoke has won eight straight and who knows what to expect from Central this week.
No. 22 Minnechaug at No. 4 East Longmeadow - Falcons (8-10) need to pull off the upset to stay alive for postseason.
No. 15 Ludlow at No. 20 West Springfield - A must-win for both 10-loss teams. Ludlow gets in with a win. West Side needs a win here and vs. Central Thursday.
Athol at No. 17 Frontier Regional - Two teams battling for their respective Franklin League titles (Athol = North, Frontier = South) will both need a victory. Frontier won 40-28 last time.
No. 13 Belchertown at No. 6 Palmer - Orioles are all that stands between Panthers and second-straight 20-0 regular season. Palmer won 33-31 in Belchertown last time.
Greenfield at Mahar - Senators get winnable game to wrap things up and hope its enough for the Franklin North title.
Hopkins Academy at No. 11 Smith Academy - Potential Walker ramifications from this game, which could also determine Smith's Franklin South title situation.
No. 18 Monson at No. 8 Sabis - For the Bi-County Central title after Ware knocked off the Bulldogs, who will have played in Martha's Vineyard on Sunday and Monday and then returned home for this game. The Bulldogs won by eight in the first meeting.

Wednesday, Feb.17
No. 12 Pittsfield at No. 10 Drury - An interesting game between two teams that could use one more signature win before tournament. Winner could get Walker boost as well.
Lenox at Hoosac Valley - Hurricanes are hoping this will be a meaningful game.
No. 9 Wahconah at No. 7 Monument Mountain - Could have a huge impact on Walker Rankings and should be another excellent matchup. MM won first contest in Great Barrington.
Mount Greylock at Mount Everett - Greylock's tourney hopes could come down to this. They won 60-37 the first time.
Taconic at No. 2 Lee - Assuming a Wildcats win over Lenox on Monday, Lee can wrap up an unbeaten Berkshire schedule with a win at home on senior night. Impressive.

Thursday, Feb. 18
No. 21 Chicopee Comp at No. 1 Amherst - Can Hurricanes seniors, four year starters and captains Alyssa Leonard and Jenna Klaes celebrate senior night with a win to go 20-0? Also, the school's updated 1,000-point banner could be unveiled that night (hopefully).
No. 4 East Longmeadow at Northampton - Final tuneup for D1 sectional champs before defending title in postseason.
Chicopee at No. 24 Longmeadow - Lancers' final game could determine whether they get second place in Suburban and the AQ that goes with it.
No. 3 Holyoke at No. 22 Minnehaug - IF the Falcons pulled off the upset Tuesday, they'll need one more to finish .500 and reach the postseason.
No. 5 Central at No. 20 West Springfield - If Terriers knocked off Ludlow, they'll need a win here to go .500. West Side won last time (55-53 on 1/29), but Central was without Bri Malone.

Friday, Feb. 19
No games

Saturday, Feb. 20
Official seedings announced -- Basketball Hall of Fame, noon

Girls Hoop Walkertology & Week Guide

Key games for the week are posted below the rankings.

Here are the first Walker System rankings of the season. This marks what the seedings would look like if the season ended today and include games through Monday night. Things can change quickly as more teams qualify. These are not the official rankings. Those will be released on Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Also, these are not based on my opinion. It's just math.

First category = winning percentage
Second category = strength of schedule
Third category = performance vs. tourney teams

Division 1
1. Amherst (1-1-1)
2. Holyoke (2-2-2)
3. East Longmeadow (3-3-3)
4. Central (4-4-4)
5. Pittsfield (5-5-5)
NOTE: We'll get at least one more team in for second place in the Suburban, but it's too bad that the field might end there. No team should get a bye to the semifinals, especially in Division 1.

Division 2
1. Palmer (1-1-1)
2. Frontier (2-3-2)
3. Monument Mountain (3-2-3)
4. Wahconah (5-3-4)
5. Hampshire (5-5-5)
6. Drury (3-6-8)
7. Belchertown (7-6-7)
8. Cathedral (8-8-6)
NOTE: The hardest thing about doing these is deciding how to compute the out-of-state teams. For instance, if Monument's win over Schenectedy Christian is a Division 2 tournament team (which is what I have, they are third. If SC counts as a D1, Monument jumps Frontier. Complete judgment call for the committee.

Division 3
1. Lee (1-1-1)
2. Sabis (1-2-2)
3. Smith Academy (3-3-3)
4. Hopkins (4-5-4)
5. Ware (5-4-5)
6. Monson (5-6-6)
7. Holyoke Catholic (7-7-7)
8. Gateway Regional (Tri-County champ)
NOTE: Interesting the way Ware-Monson played out. I checked deeper after the initial numbers and the big difference is the results vs. Cathedral and Belchertown, two D2 tourney teams. Ware beat both, while Monson lost to both. Would the committee flip them in this situation since Monson swept the regular-season series?

Key games this week
Tuesday, Feb. 9
Chicopee Comp at Longmeadow - Big game for second place in the Suburban League, especially for the Lancers, who would fall below .500 with a loss. Longmeadow won first matchup.
East Longmeadow at Ludlow - Lions need just one more win to reach postseason, but it could come down to the wire with remaining schedule.
Smith Academy at Athol - Franklin South and North leaders square off. Falcons won by 17 in first meeting in Hatfield.
Hampshire at Belchertown - A nice double GazetteLand local between two D2 tourney teams.
Easthampton at Hopkins - Eagles must win out with three games left to get into tournament, starting here. Eagles won first meeting.
McCann at Southwick - Hornets can clinch postseason bid with a win.

Wednesday, Feb. 10
Chicopee Comp at Minnechaug - Falcons must win out with four games left to get into tournament, starting here.
West Springfield at Agawam - Terriers must win all of their final three games to get into tournament, starting here.
Monument at Hoosac Valley - Hurricanes on the bubble and need a win. Tough time to have to face the Spartans.
Athol at Pioneer Regional - Panthers in must-win situation for final four games. Lost to Athol by six last time.

Thursday, Feb. 11
Ludlow at Holyoke - Another tough one for the Lions. That Valley Wheel League is ridiculous.
Palmer at Hampshire - Red Raiders hope to prove that last time, a 28-point loss, was not indicative of their ability.
Lee at Wahconah - Can anyone (minus upbeaten Amherst) play with the Wildcats? Here's the Warriors' last shot.

Friday, Feb. 12
East Longmeadow at Central - The Golden Eagles get another shot at the Spartans, this time with standout Bri Malone on the court.
Belchertown at Monument - A good pre-tourney test for a pair of teams that reached the Cage last year.
Ware at Sabis - Justine King against Alexis Chappell? Worth the price of admission, easily.

Saturday, Feb. 13
Belchertown at Holyoke Catholic - Orioles backcourt will be tested by Kaitlyn Veit

Monday, Feb. 15
Drury at Hoosac - Blue Devils can drastically harm the Hurricanes' postseason hopes with a win here.