After going through the entire regular season without losing to a single team in the state of Massachusetts, the St. Mary’s boys basketball team has taken home the No. 1 overall ranking in Division 3 according to the latest MIAA power rankings.
The Spartans (23-1) have had a host of highlights over the course of the year, from going down to Florida and beating a ranked team to knocking off Massachusetts heavyweights like Beverly, St. John’s Prep, Lynn English, Cathedral, Brockton and a host of others. Head coach Dave Brown picked up his 300th career win in the process, while players like David Brown Jr., Ali Barry and Omri Merryman have made highlight plays all season long. The 23 wins also set a program record.
Also in Division 3, Swampscott comes in at No. 6 overall and currently stakes a claim as one of the hottest teams in the state. The Big Blue (16-4) have won 14 straight games after starting the year at 2-4. Bishop Fenwick (10-10) finds itself just outside of the top 10 at No. 12 overall, while Saugus may end up on the outside looking in after slotting in at No. 38 with a record of 8-12. Lynnfield rounds out the local teams in Division 3, coming in at No. 62 with a 1-19 record.
Salem comes in as the highest ranked team in Division 2, slotting in at No. 11 overall with a record of 17-3. Coach Tom Doyle won his 300th career game as well during the season, while players like Treston Abreu and Darlin Santiago have had big seasons. Marblehead will likely end up with a play-in game after coming in at No. 33 overall, finishing the year with a 13-7 record. Also just sneaking into the tournament is Revere, which finished at No. 52 with a 10-10 record.
Division 1 will likely see everyone chasing after undefeated No. 1 team BC High (20-0), but as for local teams, St. John’s Prep (11-9) leads the way with the No. 18 ranking. A little further down the board, two-time defending state champion Lynn English slots in at No. 29 after finishing 13-7. Peabody also finished 13-7 and is ranked at No. 37, while Lynn Classical (7-13) rounds out the local teams in Division 1 in the No. 57 spot.
Over in Division 4, Winthrop finished as the No. 28 team with a record of 8-12. It’s a tenuous position for the Vikings, who have several teams ranked behind them with records over .500 and may miss out on a tournament spot. Lynn Tech closed out the year in the No. 52 spot in Division 4 after finishing with a 3-16 record.
Rounding out the local teams in the MIAA power rankings is KIPP Academy, which finished in the No. 44 spot in Division 5 with a 3-17 record.
The MIAA power rankings will now be used to seed the upcoming state basketball tournament, the first one to feature the new statewide format. The brackets are scheduled to be released Saturday.
