With the Western Mass. tournaments officially over and the preliminary rounds of the MIAA state brackets taking place this week, a handful of Hampshire County teams are ready to make runs at a state title.

Across the five divisions, including boys and girls, six local teams are ranked inside the top 15 of their respective brackets and have lofty expectations this postseason. 

For the girls, No. 7 Northampton earned a top-10 ranking in Division 2 and is guaranteed to host at least two games should it win its first one. No. 3 South Hadley, No.11 Frontier and No. 14 Easthampton are all in Division 4, with the Tigers standing as one of the favorites as they carry a 15-game winning streak into the big dance.

On the boys side, No. 8 Holyoke was one stop away from taking down Pope Francis in the Western Mass. Class A semifinal matchup last week, and now sits in the top 10 of the Division 2 bracket. Granby rounds out the top-ranked Hampshire County teams, as the Rams checked in at No. 9 in Division 5 following their second consecutive Bi-County League West title in the regular season.

The Road to the Tsongas Center in Lowell is underway, and state finals are set for March 15-17.

Girls teams to watch

South Hadley

The No. 3 Tigers grabbed the highest ranking out of any local team thanks to a scorching stretch of basketball since the new year. Winners of 15 straight contests, South Hadley has guaranteed itself home-court advantage all the way up until the Final Four.

After earning a preliminary round bye, the Tigers are set to host the winner of No. 30 Saint Bernard’s and No. 35 Wareham on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Round of 32.

It’s nearly impossible to figure out how to defend this South Hadley team on film, as seven players – Drew Alley, Ava Asselin, Caitlin Dean, Cara Dean, CC Gurek, Kate Phillips and Maddie Soderbaum – have all scored 125 points or more this season.

Not to look too far ahead, but a double-local matchup is a possibility if both Easthampton and South Hadley win in the Round of 32.

Northampton

Perry Messer has his team playing its best basketball of the season at the perfect time.

Despite a tough loss to one of the best teams (Central) in all of Massachusetts in the Western Mass. Class A finals, the No. 7 Blue Devils were terrific to end the regular season. Northampton won its previous six games before dropping the title game, and its offense averaged 60 points per contest while its defense only surrendered an average of 39 points.

Led by senior Ava Azzaro (18 ppg) and junior Bri Heafey (13 ppg), the Blue Devils – typically known for that rugged defense of theirs – have become one of the more prolific offensive attacks in the state this year.

Northampton hosts No. 26 Hingham on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m.

Frontier

A 16-4 season saw the Redhawks grab the 11 seed in Division 4, and toward the latter-half of its regular season slate, Frontier had won six in a row before losing to Lenox (No. 3 in D5) on Feb. 5.

Since then, Frontier defeated Palmer and Wahconah with a Class B quarterfinal loss to Division 3 Pope Francis sandwiched in between.

This Redhawks team has been battle-tested throughout the year with five games decided by one possession. Senior Hailey Hutkoski and freshman Skyler Steele lead a Frontier offense that has scored 45 or more points in 14 games this season.

Frontier hosts the winner of No. 22 Lunenburg and No. 43 Tri-County RVT on Thursday night at 6 p.m.

Easthampton

The No. 14 Eagles began the year 8-0, and cruised to a 14-win season to comfortably earn them a home game in the Division 4 Round of 32. Easthampton plays host to No. 19 Hamilton-Wenham at 6 p.m. on Thursday, with a win likely sending them to South Hadley next week.

Senior Kayley Downie continues to impress on the offensive end, and a deep postseason run from the Eagles will probably stem from Downie and her ability to create shots for her and her teammates.

Forwards Sophia Faginski and Christine Raymond bring a strong one-two punch dynamic to the frontcourt to go along with Downie.

The Eagles are looking to end the year with a similar stretch they started with.

Boys teams to watch

Holyoke

The high-flying Purple Knights won six straight prior to their aforementioned two-point loss to the Cardinals in the Western Mass. tournament, and they now set their sights on a loaded Division 2 field.

Checking in at No. 8, Holyoke has put itself in position to host at least two state tournament games – putting that hostile home-court environment to good use.

During their six-game streak, the Purple Knights scored 62 or more in every game, including five games of 75 or more and three of 85 plus. Holyoke can score points in bunches and has six players with at least 100 total points this season. Davian Diaz, Shawn Rivera and Jamil Rodriguez lead the pack.

Holyoke plays Friday at 6 p.m., welcoming the winner of No. 25 South High Community and No. 40 Duxbury – a win possibly matching them up with fellow western Mass. foe No. 24 Agawam.

Granby

After taking care of business against Palmer in the Class C quarterfinal, the Rams upset Drury and reached the title game before falling to top-seeded Mahar and its stingy defense.

Turning the page, No. 9 Granby is primed and ready for similar tournament success in the Division 5 field. 

The Rams did a good job scheduling tough non-league games (Gardner, Hoosac Valley, South Hadley) to prepare them for the tough competition across the Commonwealth, and now it’s time to put that experience to good use.

Junior NeNe Fernandez stands as the Rams’ leading scorer while senior 3-point specialist Colin Murdock proves to be a worthy sidekick. With a good mix of talent and seasoned vets, Granby hopes to put together a run at a championship.

In the Round of 32, Granby will host the winner of No. 24 Avon and No. 41 Atlantis Charter on Thursday at 6 p.m.