I'll have some thoughts on all the semifinals posted on Thursday and then complete previews of all three girls finals up for Friday. Also, we're planning to have a special podcast posted sometime Friday previewing all six western Mass. championship games. I'll post it here when it goes online.

DIVISION 1
No. 1 Amherst Regional (20-0) vs. No. 4 Pittsfield (16-5)
At AIC, 6
Head to head: Amherst won by 34 in first game of the season
Common opponents: Lee (Amherst won, Pittsfield lost twice)
How they got here: Amherst had a bye to the semifinals;
Pittsfield beat Chicopee Comp (61-51)
Outlook: The Hurricanes are the best team in western Mass.,
but they’ll need to overcome a 13-day layoff the and whatever extra pressure
there is entering the postseason undefeated. Alyssa Leonard is a 1,000 point
scorer and Jenna Klaes is an unflappable point guard. The inside duo of Mariah
Lesure and Nicole DeMarchena pose a tough matchup, especially on the defensive
end. Pittsfield is led by senior Kayla McNeice, who averaged 13.1 points per
game this season. The Generals have won five straight with wins over Monument,
Drury and Chicopee Comp.

No. 2 Holyoke (19-2) vs. No. 3 East Longmeadow (16-4)
At AIC, 8
Head to head: The teams split the season with the home team
winning both games
Common opponents: Tons, with only one split decision, as
Holyoke beat Central twice and East Longmeadow split vs. Central
How they got here: Holyoke beat Ludlow (71-45); East
Longmeadow beat Minnechaug (57-47)
Outlook: The Purple Knights have won 11 straight since a
loss to Amherst at home on Jan. 15, including a 48-40 win over East Longmeadow.
They’re led by sophomore guard Monique Heard, who averaged 17 points per game
this season. The defending Division 1 champion Spartans, meanwhile, lost two of
their last five regular season games, including an overtime loss to Central.
They are led by senior center Krista Ferrentino, who averaged more than 20
points per game this season.

DIVISION 2
No. 1 Palmer (21-0) vs. No.  Wahconah (15-6)
At Curry Hicks Cage, 6:30
Head to head: Did not play
Common opponents: Both teams have beaten Commerce, Taconic (Wahconah twice) and Cathedral (Palmer twice)
How they got here: Palmer beat Hampshire (51-47); Wahconah
beat Cathedral (54-52)
Outlook: Should be a good one in Amherst between the two
teams I had at No. 1 (Wahconah) and No. 2 (Palmer) heading into the postseason.
The Panthers tore through the Bi-County East, but barely survived their third
game against Hampshire this season in the quarterfinals. Palmer is a terrific
passing team and strong defensively. It can score from all over the court, led
by seniors Alyssa Orszulak and Katrina Caulfield, who keyed the 2008 run to the
title and 2009 run to the semifinals. The team had an undefeated season
derailed in the semifinals last year and will be focused on not allowing that
to happen again. Wahconah, meanwhile, is led by Darcey Sullivan (12.4), Aliah
Curry (11.0) and Sarah Hamilton (9.2). Curry made 40 3-pointers this season.
The Warriors reached the finals last year and are itching for a rematch with
rival Monument on Saturday.