The city will be well represented at Saturday’s MIAA state tournament North sectional finals at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. The English boys basketball team will take on Lowell in the Division 1 North final, while the St. Mary’s boys and girls basketball teams will be vying for their respective Division 3 North titles.
The No. 2 Bulldogs (21-2) will go up against No. 1 Lowell (22-0) in the Division 1 North final, a game that is sure to be full of intrigue. English, the defending Division 1 state champion, will look to knock off the only unbeaten team in the state of Massachusetts in what will effectively be a home game for the opposition.
As good as English has been this season, the Bulldogs might just be hitting their peak at the perfect time. After three games in the Division 1 North tournament, English has gotten exponentially better in each game. It started with an 81-73 win over cross-town rival Classical in the first round, followed by a 91-63 win over No. 7 Lawrence in the quarterfinal. In the semifinal round, English jumped all over No. 6 Waltham en route to a 110-57 victory.
English and Lowell will tip off Saturday night (7:45).
The St. Mary’s boys basketball team has accomplished a lot to this point in the season, but the Spartans have loftier goals. After notching wins in the first two rounds of the Division 3 North tournament, No. 1 St. Mary’s (23-2) will take on No. 11 Weston in the Division 3 North final.
St. Mary’s had a stellar regular season, setting a program record for wins and earning the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a 21-2 record. Following a first-round bye, the Spartans got right to work with a 78-49 win over Catholic Central League foe No. 9 Arlington Catholic in the quarterfinal round. From there, St. Mary’s moved on to face No. 5 Hamilton-Wenham in the semifinal, where the Spartans earned a 76-57 win.
St. Mary’s and Weston will tip off Saturday afternoon (12:15).
After a record-setting regular season, the St. Mary’s girls basketball team earned the No. 1 seed in the Division 3 North tournament and rolled through its first two opponents. Now, the Spartans will have their sights set on their second straight Division 3 North title when they take on No. 2 Amesbury in the Division 3 North final.
The Spartans went 21-2 during the regular season, setting a program record for wins. That record was good enough for the No. 1 overall seed and a first-round bye. St. Mary’s went on to face a pair of familiar foes in the early rounds of the tournament, first beating Catholic Central League foe No. 8 Austin Prep (75-46) in the quarterfinal and then knocking off CCL rival Bishop Fenwick (69-36) in the semifinal round.
St. Mary’s and Amesbury will lead off a full day of North sectional final action at the Tsongas Center, with tipoff slated for 10:30 a.m.