SEMIFINALS
Division 1 at AIC, Springfield
No. 2 Holyoke (19-2) vs. No. 3 Amherst (19-2), 6 p.m.
Head to head: Amherst won 45-42 at home on Jan. 4
How they got here: Holyoke beat Chicopee Comp 52-47; Amherst beat Northampton 47-40
Players to watch: Holyoke's Monique Heard, Selena Yates, Alison Littles, Brianna Carner; Amherst's Brianna Leonard, Kristen Ferola, Forbasaw Nkamebo, Victoria Stewart, Nancy Mangels
Winner gets: Winner of West Side-Longmeadow semifinals at Curry Hicks Cage on Saturday at 5:45 p.m.
Notes: Littles' status is up in the air for the game, and you have to wonder how much she'll be able to contribute after missing so much time due to injury. After all, these teams want to turn the game into a track meet. As with every game she's in, Heard is the key player. Amherst will have to focus virtually all of its attention on keeping her in check and will likely trap early and often to force someone else to set up the offense. Expect the Hurricanes to use three or four different players on her in their man-to-man, including Molly Schulman off the bench. Amherst played terrific defense the first time around to take control, but Heard and Co. exploded down the stretch to make it a game.

No. 1 West Springfield (19-2) vs. No. 4 Longmeadow (14-7), 8 p.m.
Head to head: West Side won 55-47 in Longmeadow on Jan. 7
How they got here: West Side beat East Longmeadow 72-63; Longmeadow beat Pittsfield 56-47
Players to watch: West Springfield's Dana Theobald, Emily Taylor; Longmeadow's Erica Oundjian, Tajmah'Nae Lewis, Jen Hurwitz
Winner gets: Winner of Holyoke-Amherst semifinals at Curry Hicks Cage on Saturday at 5:45 p.m.
Notes: As she's done all season to everyone, Theobald lit up the Lancers for 33 points the first time around. She's the focal point, but Taylor has shown the ability to make opponents pay for losing track of her while tracking the standout junior. Longmeadow, meanwhile, has bounced back from an 8-12 season last year to reach the semifinals this season. Lewis, a freshman, and Oundjian have excelled as newcomers.