On the surface, it looked like the defending champs were in a tailspin.
The Georgetown boys basketball team certainly took a hit to its record during a recent four-game losing skid, which was thankfully snapped last Friday after a blowout win up at Gloucester. But a deeper dive into that streak tells a pretty different story, especially after the most recent MIAA power rankings were released on Tuesday morning.
A 65-63 loss to Lowell (6-2): Ranked No. 21 in Division 1.
A 72-54 loss to Attleboro (7-1): Ranked No. 8 in Division 1.
A 75-70 loss to Natick (3-5): Ranked No. 36 in Division 1.
A 79-73 loss to Lynnfield (6-1): Ranked No. 19 in Division 3.
See a clearer picture?
In their quest to defend their Division 4 State Championship from a year ago, the Georgetown boys made it a priority to challenge themselves against quality Division 1 teams during their non-conference schedule. And the results have already paid off for the Royals (5-4), who both got the benefit of testing themselves against that level of competition, and who now find themselves sitting at No. 5 in the latest Div. 4 rankings.
A year ago, the Royals were the No. 6 seed when they won the title.
New coach Kevin Fair has kept Georgetown buzzing on offense, as the team averages 67.8 points per game led by its returning Daily News All-Star trio of Brendan Loewen, Jomar Terrero and Irvin Zapata. The Royals have also seen junior Rayner Hernandez take a huge leap forward at point guard, and newcomer sophomore Meziah Rodriguez is fresh off back-to-back games scoring in double figures.
The Royals once again look like a statewide contender that can defend their crown with each passing game.
Here is where each local team currently stands
Boys Basketball
Division 2
No. 9: Newburyport (8-0)
Division 3
No. 62: Pentucket (2-8)
No. 74: Triton (0-8)
Division 4
No. 5 Georgetown (5-4)
No. 31: Amesbury (2-4)
Girls Basketball
Division 2
No. 20: Newburyport (6-3)
Division 3
No. 8: Pentucket (7-2)
No. 49: Triton (1-7)
Division 4
No. 9: Amesbury (9-1)
No. 25: Georgetown (2-5)
Boys Hockey
Division 2
No. 15: Amesbury (6-4-0)
No. 24: Newburyport (5-4-1)
Division 3
No. 39: Triton (0-9-0)
Division 4
No. 12: Pentucket (4-4-1)
Girls Hockey
Division 1
No. 3: HPNA (7-1-1)
No. 47: Newburyport (1-7-0)