The MIAA state tournament pairings for girls basketball were released on Friday afternoon and plenty of local teams are vying for a championship in their respective brackets.
In Lynn it starts with St. Mary’s and Classical, both of which have earned byes in the first round of their respective brackets. The Rams (19-1) earned a bye in the first round of the Division 2 North tournament. The Rams will play the winner of No. 8 Wilmington and No. 9 Saugus at Classical next Saturday night (7).
“Based on the regular season we had we earned a right to have a first round bye and a home game in the second round,” Rams coach Tom Sawyer said. “The girls should be very proud of that accomplishment. I know we, as coaches, are proud of them. We’ll play the winner of Wilmington and Saugus. It’ll take our best effort to put ourselves in position to win.”
Saugus visits Wilmington Wednesday night (7).
“We had a sense going in that we might play Wilmington,” Sachems coach Mark Schruender said. “We got to watch them play in the Spartan Classic and they’re pretty good. They mix things up pretty well on defense so we’ll have our hands full.
“It’s the third year in a row that we’ve been in the tournament. We have some experience playing in these bigger games,” Schruender added. “As long as we play with our best effort and intensity, we’ll be happy. As long as we play with the effort we want, regardless of the outcome, we’ll feel good about our chances.”
Also in Division 2 North, No. 6 Danvers hosts No. 12 Somerville Monday (7).
In Division 3 North, the Spartans (16-6) earned the top seed and a bye. They’ll host the winner between No. 8 Fenwick and No. 9 East Boston Friday night (7).
“We challenged ourselves as much as we could in the league and out of the league,” Spartans coach Jeff Newhall said.
“There’s a chance we’ll play our rivals (Fenwick) right away,” Newhall added. “In the last few years, we’ve opened up against some weaker opponents and maybe you get used to playing at that pace. Maybe playing a team like Fenwick out of the gate is good for us. We have to be ready to play Friday or it won’t be a long stay.”
Fenwick hosts East Boston Tuesday (7).
Also in Division 3 North, No. 12 Winthrop visits No. 5 Manchester-Essex Monday (7).
In Division 1 North, No. 5 Revere hosts No. 12 Andover Wednesday (7). Also, No. 9 Beverly visits No. 8 Everett in a battle between a pair of Northeastern Conference squads.
In Division 4 North, No. 3 Mystic Valley (17-3) earned a first-round bye. Mystic Valley hosts the winner between No. 6 Northeast and No. 11 Green Academy Friday (6:30).
