With a month to go until the end of the regular season, teams are starting to get into the meat of their league schedules.
Multiple great games are happening every week in the Bay State Conference, but listed below are a few to keep your eye out for this week between Jan. 19 and 25.
Walpole at Newton North, Jan. 23, 6:30 p.m.
Walpole has played some of the Bay State Conference’s best in Needham and Brookline, but the Timberwolves have yet to play the current No. 1 team in MassLive’s conference rankings: the Newton North Tigers.
The Timberwolves’s historic season has been powered so far this winter by the scoring of Ryan McDonald, with sharpshooting from Shane Harrington. This year’s Newton North team isn’t the same team that made it to the Division I state championship last season, but returning starters like Mathaios Stamm and an emerging impact player in Bryson Mercedes has Newton North set up to be a tough out again this winter.
It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this conference clash on Friday. .
Needham @ Natick, Jan. 23, 6:30
Needham is in the middle of its best seasons in recent memory. After finishing last winter with a record of 11-10, the Rockets have almost matched that win total with a month to go in the regular season.
The team’s offense has been balanced this year, with Ben Marino, Matthew Cloonan and preseason conference player to watch Foster Wilinski all putting points on the board.
Natick’s record has been up and down during the first full month of the season, but the program has still earned a handful of impressive wins, most notably a win over Newton North on Dec. 18. Colin Bubonovich has flashed his scoring ability for the Redhawks this season, scoring an impressive 28 points against Framingham in a win on Dec. 16.
With a win against the Tigers on their resume, the Redhawks proved they can beat anyone in the conference. If they can add a win against Needham under their belt, teams around the rest of the state should keep their heads on a swivel when Natick comes to their gym.
Braintree @ Brookline, Jan. 23, 6:30
Brookline has only dropped conference games to Newton North and Needham so far this winter. Against the rest of the conference, the Warriors have been stellar. Caleb Haynes has played like one of the best guards in the state, while Mason Stern has had a breakout year as one of the team’s other top scorers.
Against Braintree, Brookline will have to find a way to slow down last year’s Bay State Conference Herget Division MVP, Ethan Elie. The senior is averaging over 20 points per game so far this winter, making him one of the most consistent scorers in the entire conference.
This year’s Wamps team isn’t the same as last year’s historic Herget champs, but with a veteran like Elie and emerging players like Mibsam Wiggins and Shane Phillips, Braintree has a chance to give Brookline a run on its home gym later this week.
