Contributed Article
This year’s topsy turvy TVL Boys Basketball season saw Small and Large champions not crowned until the final whistle of the final day of league play, and 9 of the league’s 11 teams have also qualified for post-season berths. The highest seed among league teams is Medfield, which won a coin flip with Milford to get the #4 seed and a home game against the Hockomock League Hawks in Central MA Division 2. Both Medway and Dover-Sherborn ran off a string of victories over the last two weeks to get that elusive 10th win and earn the right to get in line to see if Cinderella’s slipper just might fit their foot. And Large champ Norton, Small champ Dedham, Hopkinton, Medway, Westwood, and Millis all got into the tourney the hard way, by having solid if not stellar regular seasons.
We’ll run down the full slate of upcoming games later in the week, but things get started at warp speed Monday night at Hopkinton High School. This one promises to be an all-TVL slugfest, as 2nd place Small Medway visits 2nd place Large Hopkinton. Each team won at home in the season series, Medway by 24 in December, and Hopkinton by 10 in January. Medway is led by senior stalwarts Nick Assad and Christos Brooks, who teamed up to lead the Mustangs to big wins over Millis, Medfield, and Bellingham down the stretch to clinch their tourney berth. Hopkinton is led by senior forward Zack Sisitsky and junior Ben McKenzie. These two are complemented by a savvy group of seniors, juniors, and sophomores who went on a run in the middle of the season that saw the Hillers win 5 out of 6 against teams that finished first or second in the league. With a league-best home record of 7-3 this season, the Hopkinton is hoping that visiting Medway (4-6 on the road this year) will find the Hiller’s home to be a house of horrors.