DISQUS

Granitom · 10 months ago

Hector,
Good breakdown and you have to start to ponder tourney seedings and matchups. In D1 north Lynn English is still undefeated, has played no one, and won't play anyone until the final game vs. Lowell. Westford is still undefeated with a weak schedule, ditto one-loss Lex. So as good as Central clearly is, they could end up a #4 seed in the north. In past years there were always a couple of teams out there that scared you (Brookline with Jeff Adrian, NN, Charlestown, etc.). Not this year.

Fib1106 · 10 months ago

Gotta defend Andover. They opened with Tewksbury.
Then played 11 straight games against teams with winning records.
Only 4 of their 12 have been at home.
Now it is more favorable. Upcoming games include:
Home vs 4-7 Billerica.
Home vs 1-9 Chelmsford.
At 0-13 Weymouth.
At 6-7 Brookline.
Yes, Lowell and Central, but they both come to Andover.
Lawrence shot well and played well at Andover Friday night, but Andover looked and played nasty.

MVCguy · 10 months ago

Hey Granitom,

Westford Academy is Division 2, so they won't factor into Central's seed at all. Lynn English has a make-up game with Everett (who they already beat once, but who's playing much better as football kids get into hoop season) and 2 games with Lowell (who is obviously playing much better, including a win vs. BC High yesterday; They were postponed due to weather earlier in the season) left to play. Lexington plays a pathetic schedule, but has to play Watertown again (who seems to have their number). No way Central ends up as the 4 seed. Somewhere between 1-3, which means they'll have home games as long as they can before it moves to a neutral court. And since neither LE or Lex can hang with them, it won't really matter too much- All it will change is the order that Central beats them in.

tim · 10 months ago

does andover still leave the doors at the far end of the gym open in the first half when the visiting teams are shooting in that direction ?? its a huge distraction as the depth perception makes it difficult to shoot- especially when the doors are closed in the second half when andover shoots in that direction

granitom · 10 months ago

MVCguy,
Yeah, I had forgotten that Westford was D2. It just seemed odd to me that, given CC's strength, they could end up a 4 (or 3) seed. But I do agree that it won't matter; Bye, two home games, neutral, etc. If I recall, Central has beaten the muscled-up bunch from Everett three times in recent years in the tourney. Ditto the perennially undefeated Lex team until they get Central. I still see Andover and Lowell playing Central tough, perhaps in the tourney, but is there anybody else out there that causes you to say "Wo!"?

Fib1106 · 10 months ago

Good question about Andover doors. When they renovated, that dynamic changed. Now people enter/exit through the side.
That said, Andover is capable of strategic nonsense, for sure.

Regarding D1 North, Malden is very competitive. Cambridge is having a rare down year. Charlestown is not as strong.
I had heard Westford petitioned up to D1 this year but it is not reflected in MIAA site.
It's too bad Lawrence lost Big Jorge Escoto to injury, but the underclassmen who are getting those minutes are making the most of them. They will improve faster now and be a force next year if not sooner.