North, South, Wachusett and West Boylston set sights on state basketball championships

High school basketball teams assembled across the state the Monday after Thanksgiving to hold tryouts and begin practicing.

Four months later, the season will come to an end when boys’ and girls’ state champions are crowned in five divisions over three days at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.

Here’s a capsule look at the four Central Mass. teams still in the title hunt in order of when they’ll take the court:

More: Check out the updated Hometeam boys' and girls' basketball scoring leaders

D1 Girls: No. 2 Wachusett (24-0) vs. No. 1 Bishop Feehan (20-4), 7:45 p.m. Friday

This is the first state championship appearance for the Mountaineers, who advanced to the Final Four each of the past two seasons. They defeated No. 34 Brockton, No. 15 Braintree, No. 7 Weymouth, and No. 3 Springfield Central to get there. Senior guard Mary Gibbons, a United States Naval Academy commit, is averaging 19.5 points and scored her 1,000th point earlier this season. Sophomore Jaelynn Scott (9.8) scored 18 points as the Mountaineers defeated Bishop Feehan, 76-45, at the Comcast IAABO Board 27 Tournament in Woburn on Feb. 17. The Shamrocks are making their second consecutive state final appearance. They’re averaging 71 points and allowing 33.3 in the state tournament. Senior Julia Webster averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds in the first three playoff games before tying a program record with 34 points in a semifinal win over No. 4 Woburn.

Here’s what Gibbons had to say: “We’re happy right now, but we’re not satisfied. We want to win a state championship. We’re going to work hard this week and we know it's going to be a tough competition, but we’ve just got to do what we’ve got to do.”

D5 Girls: No. 2 West Boylston (22-3) vs. No. 1 Hoosac Valley (22-3), noon, Saturday

The Lions are headed to their first state final after advancing to the semifinals for the first time in 31 years. They reached the second round in 2022 and the quarterfinals last season. They defeated No. 31 Hampden Charter East, No. 18 Narragansett, No. 7 Maynard, and No. 6 Palmer – in overtime – to get there. The Lions, who have won eight straight, captured Mid-Wach D and Clark Tournament championships. Senior Maddie Pitro, who scored her 1,000th point earlier this season, is averaging 16 ppg. She has played in 98 of a possible 101 games since making the varsity as an eighth-grader. The Hurricanes advanced to the Final Four last season after reaching the state final in 2022. The Western Mass. Class D champions have won 15 straight. All of their losses are to higher-division teams, including South Hadley, which is in the D4 state final.

Here’s what coach Kelli McSweeney had to say: “We lost our first game of the season in overtime (to Doherty), so obviously that was a heartbreaking way to start the year. But it was kind of nice to see that we could play in close games. I think that definitely gave us momentum for the remainder of the season. We’ve played some tough teams this year and I think every game has prepared us for this moment.”

D2 Girls: No. 6 South (23-1) vs. No. 1 Medfield (22-2), 4 p.m. Sunday

The Colonels are the first Worcester Public Schools girls’ basketball team to advance to a state final. They got there by defeating No. 27 Holliston, No. 11 Wakefield, No. 3 Notre Dame (Hingham), and No. 7 Northampton, so a rugged road. The Central Mass. Class A champions have won 19 in a row, 18 of them of them by double digits with a margin of victory of 39.6 points. Their only loss was to Cathedral, which will look to repeat as D4 state champions on Sunday. The Colonels are 65-4 in coach Diago McClain’s three seasons. Seniors Naima Bleou (11.3 ppg), Anisty Robles (9.3) and Jaiyla Colon (8.6) and junior Bryan Bascones (10.8) lead a balanced offense. The Warriors reached the Final Four each of the past two seasons. Their average margin of victory in the tournament is 19.5 points. Their two losses are to perennial power Bishop Fenwick.

Here’s what McClain had to say: “We lost twice in the Sweet 16 (2022, ’23). I knew that over the summer they had to work, and the will to get back as a coach, the will to get back with the girls (was there). We have a really good group of girls. It started for them in November, loving each other. That was our motto this year, ‘To love each other.’ And if you love each other, you win.”

D1 Boys: No. 1 North (23-0) vs. No. 3 Franklin (25-1), 6 p.m. Sunday

The Polar Bears have dedicated the season to Carl-Hens Beliard, the lone senior on last year’s state championship team who died from gunshot wounds in November. The defending state champs have won 44 straight games while compiling a two-year record of 47-2 (.959). They hammered No. 32 King Philip, No. 16 Waltham and No. 9 Lowell and edged No. 5 Xaverian in overtime to return to the title tilt. Senior Joe Okla is shooting 73.3% (33 for 45) and fellow 6-foot-6 big Teshaun Steele 64.4% (29 for 45 with 8 dunks) in the tournament while classmate Jaydon Sarkodie has come off the bench to drain 10 triples. The Panthers have won 21 straight since losing to West Orange (Fla.) by a deuce in late December. They’re averaging 70.3 points and their four tournament wins have come by 21, 26, 17, and 14 points. Seniors Sean O’Leary and junior Caden Sullivan are both capable of scoring 20-plus points.

More: 'Without him, nothing would be possible': Pettway leads North hoops to another state title game

Here’s what coach Al Pettway had to say: “This is a special group that grew up together, played together. They’re family, they’re brothers. They stick together through good times and bad times. We were in a tough game (against Xaverian) – the toughest game of the last two years, probably our toughest game along with Newton North (in the 2023 state semifinals) – and they responded. That’s what champions do. They respond under pressure.”

—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarvenTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Looking at the state championship matchups for North, South, Wachusett and West Boylston