The MIAA boys basketball state tournament brackets were released Friday afternoon, meaning that the English boys basketball team is officially on the path to a potential Division 1 state championship repeat. It won’t be easy for the No. 2 Bulldogs (18-2) in the Division 1 North bracket, which has a host of powerful teams including No. 1 Lowell (20-0), No. 3 Chelsea (17-3) and No. 4 Everett (16-4), not to mention strong Merrimack Valley Conference teams like No. 7 Lawrence (15-6) and No. 8 Central Catholic (14-6).
“It’s Division 1, so you can’t expect anything less than the best competition out there,” said English coach Antonio Anderson. “You’re going up against some of the biggest schools in the state and some of the strongest teams, so we know we’re going to have to play our best game every night.”
But all those teams will be down the road if English is able to move on. First up will be a familiar foe, with No. 15 Classical coming to Paul Cavanagh Field House for the first-round matchup on Monday.
“Do I think it’s the best thing that we got matched up so early in the tournament? Not exactly, but that’s the way the seedings went,” said Anderson. “It’s a team we know well and a team we’ve faced already this year, so we know we’re going to have to be ready to go.”
English and Classical will tip off Monday night (7) at Cavanagh Field House.
Also finding its way into the Division 1 North tournament are Revere and Peabody, which find themselves slotted into the No. 11 and No. 12 seeds, respectively. Revere will play on the road at No. 6 Waltham Tuesday night (7), while the Tanners will travel to Cambridge on Monday night (7) for a battle with No. 5 Cambridge Rindge & Latin.
The St. Mary’s Spartans find themselves atop the Division 3 North bracket after earning the No. 1 seed with a 21-2 record this year. After getting upset by Dracut in the Division 3 North semifinal last season, the Spartans will be more locked in than ever. St. Mary’s will have a first-round bye before facing off against the winner of No. 8 Minuteman/No. 9 Arlington Catholic on Saturday afternoon.
Also making it into the Division 3 North bracket are a pair of Sullivan Rule teams in No. 12 Swampscott (9-11) and No. 13 Saugus (9-11). The Big Blue will travel to No. 5 Hamilton-Wenham Tuesday night (7), while the Sachems play on the road at No. 4 Watertown Tuesday night (7).
KIPP Academy earned the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the Division 4 North bracket. The Panthers will host the winner of No. 6 Cristo Rey/No. 11 Excel on Saturday night (7). Also making it into the Division 4 North field is No. 10 Fenwick, which will travel to No. 6 Maimonides on Tuesday night (7).
In Division 2 North, Beverly earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. Gloucester slotted in at No. 7, while Salem squeezed in at No. 12.
