The weekend, heading into the school vacation, is a big time for the area high school hoop fan.
Even more, it’s one last chance for teams to hone themselves to a razor’s edge before the upcoming MIAA state tournament.
On the boys side, both North Andover and Central Catholic head to Emmanuel College over the weekend for the annual Comcast tourney.
The Knights open on Saturday night against Winchester, while Central plays on Sunday afternoon against Worcester North.
The Central girls will be at Emmanuel as well, staring at a Herculean task. The Raiders face undefeated No. 7 Woburn on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.). Win or lose, Central will face either No. 2 Wachusett (16-1) or 13-3 Norwood, the No. 2 seed in Division 2.
North Andover’s girls, the No. 30 seed currently in Division 1, will play the weekend on the playoff bubble at the Larry McIntire tourney in Marblehead.
Sunday afternoon at 2:30, the Knights open with Masco, the 16-2 champion of the Northeastern Conference. The other semifinal there pits Reading, the No. 23 team in Division 2, and Peabody.
The Andover girls take the trip to the Spartan Classic in Lynn, where they will face Malden Catholic in their opener on Sunday at 6:30.
Also in Lynn, Greater Lawrence Tech opens with Malden Catholic on the boys side, Sunday at 3:30.
Methuen’s boys face a tough one in the Concord-Carlisle tourney opener against Salem (Mass.) on Sunday at 3:30. The Ranger boys, like the North Andover girls, are right there on the bubble when it comes to the state tourney.
Of course, the impending weather on Saturday and Sunday could do some damage to the schedules, but it’s a great time of year for area hoop.