Western Mass Basketball Brackets Set

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- After losing twice by an average of 17 points to Hoosac Valley this winter, Mount Greylock girls basketball coach Paul Barrett was not looking forward to a rematch with the Hurricanes.

 

And on Saturday afternoon, he was not looking ahead to one, either.

 

"First things first," Barrett said in the lobby of the Basketball Hall of Fame after the announcement of the Western Massachusetts boys and girls basketball brackets. "We have to win that first game.

 

"Mahar is going to be tough. We faced them, I think it was my first year. We went to their place and lost a tough game.

 

"All you want is a competitive game, and we've got a home game. We'll go out there, get our fans out and see what happens."

 

Western Mass tourney bids have been hard to come by for the Mounties in recent years, but they came back in a big way this year, sporting a 15-5 record and a No. 7 seed, which gives them the right to host No. 10 Mahar (10-10) on Monday night when the tournaments get under way.

 

The winner on Thursday will play the second seed in Division 3, defending Western Mass champion Hoosac Valley (19-1), which received one of three byes in the 13-team field.

 

Hoosac's girls are one of five Berkshire County teams seeded in the top four of their respective brackets.

 

In the D2 girls tournament, Pittsfield (13-7) is seeded fourth and has one of six byes in a 10-team field. The Generals will play for a trip to the Curry Hicks Cage on Thursday at 6 p.m. against No. 5 Belchertown (11-9).

 

The Hoosac boys (14-6) earned the third seed in Division 3 and will wait until Friday to open the tournament against the winner of Tuesday's game between No. 6 Greenfield (12-8) and No. 11 Palmer (10-10).

 

In Division 2 boys, Pittsfield (17-3) is seeded second in a seven-team draw and will host No. 7 Shepherd Hill. All the boys' quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m., but on Saturday, Pittsfield/Taconic Athletic Director Jim Abel was attempting to get the Generals' game moved to Thursday for a double-header with the girls to avoid having the Taconic and Pittsfield boys playing on the same night. but on Sunday, Pittsfield/Taconic AD Jim Abel announced the PHS game will start at 7:30.

 

At 6 on Friday night, No. 3 Taconic (15-5) opens against No. 6 Quabbin (12-8).

 

Most teams open their post-seasons on Monday (for the girls) or Tuesday (for the boys).

 

In Division 2, Taconic's girls (10-10) break a long post-season drought with a No. 7 seed and a first-round home game against No. 10 Commerce (10-10).

 

In D3, No. 9 Drury (9-11) has to go on the road to face No. 8 Monument Mountain (7-11), a team the Blue Devils beat twice in the regular season.

 

Drury's fans are probably questioning the wisdom of the "Walker System," the mathematical formula used to seed teams in the tournament. But they're not the only ones.

 

At Saturday's seeding meeting, at least one of the former Central Mass schools that have been moved into the Western Mass region starting this year challenged the committee to go back into the numbers.

 

"We were forced to come out here, and then we we were punished under the Walker System," Leominster's Steve Dubzinski said at the meeting. "We play in a tough league. We play 15 games against tournament teams, and our strength of schedule is the lowest [under the system].

 

"It's a huge injustice to have this procedure."

 

Dubzinski objected to the fact that his 16-4 team was seeded fifth in Division 1 and sent on the road to play at No. 4 Holyoke (14-6) in the quarter-finals.

 

"The games are Friday," Dubzinski said. "There is time to correct what I think is an injustice."

 

Tournament Director Lou Conte said he understood Dubzinski's concerns and explained that the Walker System relies heavily on the divisions of the schools on a team's schedule.

 

Monument's girls picked up big points for December losses to Division 1 tournament teams Westfield and West Springfield.

 

In the Division 4 girls, Mount Everett (9-8) and Lee (3-17) earned the ninth and 10th seeds, respectively. The Eagles head to Smith Academy (11-9) on Tuesday. Lee opens at No. 7 North Brookfield (13-7).

 

In Division 3 boys, No. 5 Wahconah (13-7) starts in the quarter-finals on the road at No. 4 Mahar (15-5); No. 7 Monument Mountain (10-8) is home on Tuesday against No. 10 Pioneer Valley Regional (10-10) in a first-round matchup.

 

Three county teams open play in the Division 4 boys tournament on Tuesday night.

 

No. 11 McCann Tech (13-7) goes to No. 6 Hopkins (12-8). No. 9 Lee (10-10) goes to No. 8 North Brookfield (14-6). And No. 5 Lenox (14-6) hosts No. 12 Franklin County Tech (13-7).

 

The goal for all the teams that open the post-season this week is to get to the Cage next week. Mount Greylock's Barrett had a feeling going into Saturday's meeting that the Mounties' road to Amherst was going to go through Cheshire.

 

"I didn't want to be on their side of the bracket, but, you know what, we would have to play them anyway," Barrett said. "And if we do, it will be a battle."

 

Hoosac Valley coach Ron Wojcik would agree.

 

"Greylock's got an excellent team, and Mahar's got a decent squad as well," Wojcik said. "I think that will be a good game.

 

"You probably have, including Greylock, seven or eight teams that could legitimately get to the Cage. By the time you get to the quarter-finals, it's going to be a battle."

 

"We're excited because the last two years we've been on the road for the quarterfinal games. Just being at home for the quarterfinals is exciting."