All four Lynn boys basketball teams spring into action next week in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 North tournament ? with three of them getting down to business on their home courts.
English, which finished its Northeastern Conference North-winning season at 20-2, opens Wednesday, at 7 p.m. against Greater Boston League power Cambridge Rindge & Latin. The Bulldogs were seeded third in Division 1 North, behind Central Catholic (20-1) and Lexington (18-1). Should they beat the 14th-seedeed Falcons (12-8), the Bulldogs are in line to play a potential quarterfinal game against Lowell ? the same team that English played in two tough non-league games this past week, splitting the pair.
Also playing in Division 1 is eighth-seeded Classical, which struggled coming down the stretch. The 14-6 Rams also open at home, Tuesday, against Boston Latin. The Rams have some history with Latin. They lost a tough one, at Latin, two years ago after beating the Wolfpack a year earlier.
Classical is on the other side of the Division 1 North bracket from English, which means, if both teams keep winning, they could conceivably face each other in the sectional final. In 2001, two Lynn teams faced off in a sectional final when the Rams faced Lynn Tech in Division 3 ? a game Tech won.
However, should Classical beat Latin, its next date could be with top-seeded Central Catholic in the quarterfinal.
Semifinal games are played at neutral sites, and the finals for all sectionals will take place on Saturday, March 7, at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell.
Also in Division 1 are Salem, which opens Wednesday at home against East Boston; and St. John?s Prep, which has a preliminary game against Acton Boxborough Monday night (7). If The Prep wins, the Eagles would play second-seeded Lexington next Friday (7).
Three North Shore teams are vying for the D2 North crown ? and two of them will play against each other Tuesday when No. 12 Gloucester (11-11) travels to 13-7 Marblehead (seeded fifth). Also in Division 2 is Beverly (seeded seventh at 13-7), which hosts Burlington Thursday (7).
Division might only have 11 teams participating; they?re 11 very good teams. Lynn Tech, which comes in at No. 7, will entertain Minuteman at 7 p.m. Wednesday in first-round action, and if the Tigers win, they?ll get tossed right into the fire as they?ll travel to No. 2 Watertown next Friday (also at 7).
Tech and Watertown have had some memorable battles in the past, but most of the time they?ve taken place at the Tsongas Arena in the sectional finals.
The only other area team competing in Division 3 is Bishop Fenwick, which is seeded No. 1 at 18-2 and has drawn a bye. The Crusaders will await the outcome of the Weston-Bedford game, which takes place Tuesday, and play the winner next Saturday, at Salem State College (7).
St. Mary?s (10-10) gets to open its quest for a Division 4 North crown at powerful North Cambridge Catholic (seeded fourth at 14-6) Tuesday at 7 p.m. Also in Division 4 is Lynnfield, which waits until Wednesday to play against Mystic Valley (at Malden Catholic, 7). And if both teams win, they play each other in the quarterfinals at a date to be announced.
Winthrop (18-4) is seeded second. The Vikings will open at home Tuesday (7) against Tyngsborough. Last year, Winthrop beat Lynnfield in the sectional semifinal for losing to North Cambridge Catholic in the final. This year, Georgetown (17-3) has drawn the top seed.