It pays to schedule tough … especially at the end of the regular season.
As it turned out, Newburyport got the toughest test it could in the finals of the Spartans Classic against host St. Mary’s, which wound up earning the No. 1 overall seed in Division 2 when the MIAA released its playoff brackets on Saturday. So even though they lost, the Clippers (18-2) still bumped up to No. 9 in the official pairings. Cal Atherton (24.5 ppg, 46 3s), Zayd Leanna (18.2 ppg, 41 3s), Ben Cormier (13.6 ppg, 34 3s) and the Clippers will now host No. 24 Somerset Berkley in the first round on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.
And the same could be said about Georgetown, which battled Masconomet — the No. 3 seed in D2 — to a close 49-42 loss in its finale. But it was still a result that kept the defending champion Royals (15-5) as the No. 3 seed in Division 4 as they try to repeat. Brendan Loewen (15.4 ppg), Irvin Zapata (12.7 ppg, 47 3s), Jomar Terrero (12.1 ppg), Mezi Rodriguez (9.2 ppg), Rayner Hernandez (8.3 ppg) and the Royals will play either No. 30 Carver or No. 35 Easthampton in the first round.
Finally, after a three-year playoff drought, a strong finish finds Amesbury (8-12) back in the Division 4 field as the No. 26 seed. A deserved outcome for seniors Parker DeLong (22.2 ppg, 47 3s), Justin Dube (14.0 ppg, 29 3s), Chase Linsey (9.1 ppg), Ollie Peters (4.7 ppg), Joe Celia (4.1 ppg) and the rest of the Redhawks, who will host No. 39 Hampshire Regional in the preliminary round on Tuesday night.
Here are the playoff brackets for each division that includes a local team.
Division 2
Seeding: 1. St. Mary’s (19-3); 2. Pope Francis (18-3); 3. Masconomet (17-3); 4. Plymouth South (17-3); 5. Mansfield (17-5); 6. Burlington (17-3); 7. Oliver Ames (18-4); 8. Chicopee (17-4); 9. NEWBURYPORT (18-2); 10. Archbishop Williams (13-7); 11. Longmeadow (16-4); 12. Albert D. Holland Tech. (18-4); 13. Doherty Memorial (14-6); 14. Nashoba Regional (18-2); 15. Milton (13-7); 16. Foxborough (12-8); 17. Shepherd Hill (16-4); 18. Amherst-Pelham Regional (13-7);
19. Whitman-Hanson (11-9); 20. Marblehead (13-7); 21. Scituate (10-10); 22. Bishop Stang (12-8); 23. Westwood (15-6); 24. Somerset Berkley (13-7); 25. Melrose (12-8); 26. Canton (10-10); 27. Holliston (14-6); 28. Walpole (10-10); 29. Agawam (9-11); 30. Middleborough (13-7); 31. Duxbury (11-9); 32. Minnechaug (9-11); 33. Somerville (13-7); 34. Arlington Catholic (10-10); 35. East Longmeadow (13-7); 36. Norwood (10-10); 37. Fitchburg (11-9)
LOCAL FIRST ROUND GAME
Friday, Feb. 27th
No. 24 Somerset Berkley at No. 9 Newburyport, 6:30 p.m.
Division 4
Seeding: 1. Wareham (16-5); 2. Millbury (18-3); 3. GEORGETOWN (15-5); 4. West Bridgewater (13-7); 5. New Mission (15-6); 6. Blue Hills (19-1); 7. Lynn Tech (13-7); 8. Wahconah (14-6); 9. New Heights Charter (16-1); 10. Manchester Essex (11-9); 11. Ipswich (13-7); 12. Clinton (13-7); 13. Upper Cape Cod (17-3); 14. Sutton (14-6); 15. Hamilton-Wenham (9-11); 16. Madison Park (10-9); 17. South Hadley (10-10); 18. Frontier Regional (18-2); 19. Northbridge (12-8); 20. Monument Mountain (10-10);
21. Mashpee (10-10); 22. Winthrop (5-15); 23. Narragansett (17-3); 24. Lunenburg (11-7); 25. O’Bryant (9-11); 26. AMESBURY (8-12); 27. Blackstone-Millville (12-8); 28. Brooke Charter (15-5); 29. Leicester (15-5); 30. Carver (12-8); 31. Whitinsville Christian (15-5); 32. Tech Boston (4-15); 33. Quaboag (13-7); 34. Tahanto (12-6); 35. Easthampton (14-6); 36. South Shore (13-7); 37. Northeast Metro (11-9); 38. Mystic Valley (10-10); 39. Hampshire Regional (12-8); 40. Ayer Shirley (10-10); 41. Bromfield School (10-9); 42. Assabet Valley (10-10); 43. Smith Tech (12-8)
LOCAL PRELIMINARY ROUND GAME
Tuesday, Feb. 24th
No. 39 Hampshire Regional at No. 26 Amesbury, 6:30 p.m.
TBD
No. 35 Easthampton at No. 30 Carver winner at No. 3 Georgetown, TBD