Beantown Slam Playoffs Beckon

Another regular season of the Beantown Slam fall league has come to a close, and one fact that was true at the start remains true for another year: no team has ever gone undefeated.

Boston Trinity Academy entered the last regular season game at 8-0.  They had done what any team hoping to go undefeated in any league must do, not only winning big but also stealing a couple of games by one possession and in the final seconds or minute.  A week after knocking off defending state champ Milton, they ran into a school that should be in the mix for the state title this year, Madison Park, and the Cardinals took this one home convincingly.

Head coach Rick Linet said his team needed a wakeup call, and this game provided just that.  His hope is that the team gets the message in time for the playoffs, where nothing will come easy.  Although they finished with the best overall record at 8-1, New Mission was right behind them in the East Division at 7-2 and Andover went 6-3.  In the West Division, Madison Park and East Boston both went 6-3 and are dangerous teams.

The girls division was more even in the final standings, as no team ran away with the top record.  Lynn English and Arlington Catholic posted the best records in going 6-3.  As such, the playoffs won’t be very predictable based on the regular season record.

The playoffs take place over the next two weeks, November 14 and 21.  All teams make it, so even the last-place teams can come out on top when it’s all said and done.

Some quick hitters on developments with players and teams in the league:

• A couple of weeks earlier, Madison Park took on Catholic Memorial in a game that might be a foreshadowing of things to come. Catholic Memorial was without seniors Daniel Brooks and Kyle Lawrence, both of whom had other basketball commitments, so at first glance they appeared to be at a severe disadvantage. But they played the Cardinals tough and made it a ballgame, and early on the Cardinals didn’t play like the veteran team they are. In the final minutes, they did, and that made all the difference. If they are to win the state title as some feel they can, their seniors need to play like seniors.

• One team that will surely have something to say about the Cardinals’ attempt to win the state title is the defending champ, Milton. Senior Emmanuel Hutcherson has played like a man on a mission, dominating often as he has owned the boards and run the floor to get baskets. Timmance McKinney is expected to join the varsity team as a freshman and could do for them exactly what Rene Castro did last year, and as a complement to Hutcherson he will be that much more dangerous.

• Greg Kelley came back recently for Newton North, just in time for the playoffs. Reportedly, he played well, and that along with the continued improvement of Tevin Falzon means the Tigers won’t be an easy out in the playoffs. Falzon has shown a nice basketball I.Q. and is processing the game much better. At this point, the most glaring weakness is a lack of athleticism, and some of that comes from still growing into his body.

• New Mission has to be considered a contender, and that also goes for the Boston City League once the season comes. They scored a convincing win over Madison Park late in the regular season, at one point taking over the game with a run of 20 unanswered points. They have won largely on solid guard play, good defense and the versatility and underrated I.Q. of junior Samir McDaniels.

• One team that has shown its youth is Charlestown. The Townies are clearly a team of the future and not the present, as they have lost some close ones with a young bunch led by sophomore Akosa Maduegbunam and freshman Ramon Gibbons. With their youth, they could surprise someone in the playoffs, and come the high school season might win and lose some games they shouldn’t.