MassLive released its seventh Western Mass. girls basketball Top 20 ranking for the 2025-2026 season on February 4.
Previous Rankings: Dec. 10, Dec. 19, Jan. 7, Jan. 14, Jan. 21, Jan. 28
Western Mass. Top 20 Ranking
- Springfield Central (11-4; 1)
- Minnechaug (12-3; 3)
- Pittsfield (11-4; 5)
- Northampton (9-6; 4)
- Frontier (14-2; 6)
- South Hadley (5-10; 7)
- Longmeadow (8-6; 2)
- Drury (12-3; 8)
- Wahconah (10-5; 10)
- Pope Francis (10-6; 9)
- Springfield International (13-4; 11)
- East Longmeadow (12-3; 13)
- Southwick (12-3; 14)
- Belchertown (8-6; 12)
- Hampshire (9-6; 15)
- Lee (12-3; 17)
- Hoosac Valley (5-11; 16)
- Granby (13-3; 19)
- West Springfield (11-5; 18)
- Renaissance (7-8; NR)
On the Bubble: Mount Greylock (10-7; 20); Ware (12-4); Mahar (13-2)
With the start of the Western Mass. tournaments less than one week away, it’s now or never for teams to find some momentum ahead of their postseason run.
After enjoying a six-day stretch between games, Central opened the week with emphatic wins over South Hadley and Northampton, beating both by 25 points or more.
But just as the top-ranked team in the state was building steam, Minnechaug knocked off Central on Monday and earned a gutsy 48-40 win over the Golden Eagles. Central will have a week off before its next game ― and if the loss doesn’t hurt enough, losing its status as the top-ranked team in Division I will sting as well.
As untimely as the loss was for the Golden Eagles, the victory was sorely needed for the Falcons. Having lost Thursday’s matchup against Pittsfield, Minnechaug bounced back with a win over South Hadley on Saturday.
Tuesday’s win over Central is the first time since Jan. 20 the Falcons have won back-to-back games, securing their position in the Division II rankings (currently No. 4).
Coming off back-to-back losses for just the second time in the past two years, Pittsfield was desperate to change their fortunes. That desperation drove the Generals to their rousing victory over Minnechaug on Thursday.
The Generals kept it rolling on Monday, defeating Northampton by double-digit. These wins helped the Generals’ greatly, earning themselves the No. 1 seed currently in the Division III power rankings.
Frontier kept up its momentum this week with back-to-back, double-digit victories over Wahconah and Pope Francis. The Red Hawks have won their last four games, earning themselves the No. 1 seed as well.
Elsewhere in Division IV, South Hadley picked up a much-needed victory on Monday over Longmeadow. Not only did the win snap the Tigers’ three-game losing streak, it also marked their first win in the revamped Valley League conference.
With their grueling conference schedule wrapped up, the Tigers will look to build momentum this week ahead of the posteason.
Conversely, Northampton and Longmeadow both drop after suffering back-to-back losses for just the second time all season. Both Div. II sides will look to recover quickly ahead of the postseason.
