FILE PHOTO
Chris Canela and the No. 9 Peabody Tanners will visit No. 8 Lawrence on Monday night.
By HAROLD RIVERA
There’s no shortage of local teams that will participate in this year’s MIAA boys basketball state tournament.
In Division 1 North, No. 5 St. John’s Prep will host No. 12 Revere on Tuesday night. The Eagles finished the regular season at 15-5, led by strong play from Matt Relihan, Tommy O’Neil and Brett McNiff. Revere won 8 of its final 10 games to finish at 13-9 under first-year coach David Leary. Players to watch on the Patriots side include Mass Joof and Curtis High.
Peabody (13-7) drew the No. 9 seed in Division 1, earning the Tanners a trip to Lawrence to play the No. 8 Lancers on Monday night.
“I’ve had a chance to get an initial scouting report on them (Lancers), we’re familiar with them,” Tanners coach Thad Broughton said. “They’re a terrific team and they play in a tough conference but we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Peabody will have to stick to its strengths to come out of Lawrence with the win.
“We went up there for the state tournament two years ago,” Broughton recalled. “It was a great atmosphere. We need to do all the things that got us in the tournament, which are take care of the basketball, rebound and defend.”
Also in Division 1, No. 7 Malden (14-6) hosts No. 10 Somerville on Monday.
In Division 2 North, No. 2 Marblehead (19-1) hosts No. 15 Wakefield on Monday. The Magicians put together a strong season led by Patrick Bugler and Derek Marino. Bo Millett has served as a strong rebounder for the Magicians down the stretch.
“Wakefield’s a tough team,” Magicians coach Mike Giardi said. “Their record is very deceiving. We saw them in our Sheridan Tournament. They play really hard and it’s going to be a tough game for us.”
Although the Magicians had a great regular season, Giardi and his players understand that the tournament is a different story.
“We’re fortunate that we’ve played very well in key moments,” Giardi said. “We overcame some adversity. When you’re in the tournament, it’s one game at a time.”
Division 2 features a battle between two talented NEC powerhouses in No. 3 Classical (18-3) and No. 14 Salem (10-8), at Classical on Monday. The Rams and Witches met in the regular season, with Classical notching a 54-43 win at Salem. The Witches feature a number of outside shooters who are capable of heating up from the three. Nate Lebron and Henny Vlaun are two names to watch for Salem in the tournament.
Also in the Division 2 North bracket, No. 12 Beverly (12-8) visits No. 5 Brighton and No. 10 Malden Catholic (13-7) is at No. 7 North Andover. Pat Gavin is the player to keep an eye out for on the Beverly side.
In Division 3 North, Lynnfield and Saugus will look to make noise.
The No. 4 Pioneers (16-4) put together a great regular season. They’ll host No. 13 Stoneham on Monday. Lynnfield is anchored by its two leading scorers, Louis Ellis and Billy Arsenault.
Saugus (7-13), which made the tournament under the Sullivan Rule, drew the No. 14 seed in the bracket. The Sachems will hit the road for a matchup at No. 3 Weston on Monday.
Sachems assistant coach Mark Bertrand said the tough NEC schedule has prepared Saugus for what the team will see in the tournament.
“We knew as the season progressed that we’d likely be on the road,” Bertrand said. “That’s the great thing about the NEC, we’re battle-tested.”
Bertrand added, “As much as we would’ve liked to have won more games, the NEC gets you ready.”
Saugus has seen film on Weston and will continue to study its upcoming opponent as Monday’s game nears.
“We’ve seen them,” Bertrand said. “We have some film and we’ll look at some more over the weekend. They’re really good. They’ll be ready for us.”
Although the Sachems didn’t finish the regular season with as many wins as the team had hoped, the state tournament brings a new beginning.
“We would’ve loved to have been 15-5 but that didn’t happen,” Bertrand said. “Everyone’s 0-0 right now. We know we have a good team and they’re starting to gel. Most teams come together in the second half.”
A pair of local teams are featured in the Division 4 bracket in No. 10 Mystic Valley and No. 11 Winthrop. Mystic Valley (11-9) will make the trip up to No. 7 Pope John on Monday. The Vikings (8-12) will visit No. 6 Maimonides on Tuesday. The winner of the game will clash against No. 3 St. Mary’s (15-5), last year’s Division 4 state champion, at Conigliaro Gym.