The English girls basketball team has been building up its program over the past couple of years, and it all came to a head this season when the Bulldogs captured the Northeastern Conference South Division title with a 14-6 record.
“I just have to give all the credit to these girls, they’ve worked so hard over the past three years,” said English coach Mackenzie Charles. “There’s been a lot of sacrifices and a lot of learning, but these girls put in the work and now they’re seeing it pay off.”
The Bulldogs were rewarded further on Friday when the MIAA girls basketball tournament brackets were released and English found itself as the No. 7 seed in Division 1 North.
English gets a home game in the first round, hosting No. 10 Masconomet Wednesday night (7) at Paul Cavanagh Field House.
“It’s a tough game no matter who you draw in Division 1,” said Charles. “Masconomet is a good team that plays in a good league, so we know we have to be on our game. If we can play hard and execute like we can, that’s how we’ll pull off a win.”
Also in Division 1 North, No. 14 Beverly will travel to No. 3 Central Catholic Tuesday night (7).
In Division 2 North, Marblehead and Saugus earned two of the top three seeds in the bracket. The Magicians slotted in at No. 2 after a 17-3 season and earned a first-round bye. They will host the winner of No. 7 North Reading/No. 10 Hamilton-Wenham on Saturday night (7).
The Sachems (16-4) also earned a first-round bye after earning the No. 3 seed. Saugus will host the winner of No. 6 Newburyport/No. 11 Classical on Saturday night (7).
Speaking of Classical, the Rams earned the No. 11 seed after winning their final two games of the season to get to 10-10. They will try to keep that magic going when they travel to Newburyport on Tuesday (7).
St. Mary’s grabbed the No. 1 seed in Division 3 North after a program record 21-win season. That No. 1 seed also came with a first-round bye, and the Spartans will host the winner of No. 8 Austin Prep/No. 9 Manchester-Essex on Friday night (7) at Conigliaro Gymnasium.
In the middle of the Division 3 North bracket, No. 4 Fenwick and No. 5 Lynnfield find themselves in an interesting spot. Both teams earned byes in the first round, and those byes happened to match them up in the quarterfinal round Thursday night (7). Winthrop rounds out the local teams in Division 3 North with the No. 6 seed, and the Vikings will host Bedford Monday night (7).
KIPP Academy and Lynn Tech both snuck into the Division 4 North bracket, with KIPP earning the No. 9 seed and Tech earning the No. 10 seed. KIPP has a first-round matchup on the road at Mystic Valley, while Tech will travel to Rockport. Both games will be Tuesday night at 7 p.m.