We couldn’t ask for a much better lineup for the 2025 MIAA boys championships.
This weekend’s five championship matchups are packed with storylines. Arguably the two best boys players in MIAA will match up for the Division 1 championship, and the rest of the schedule includes a team looking to make rare history, a Cinderella team hoping to complete an improbable run and a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.
The championships begin Friday night and conclude Sunday night at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass. It should be electric in the building, and I’m expecting some fireworks on the court.
Here’s a preview of the weekend, with predictions for each championship game.
RELATED: Full schedule for the 2025 MIAA basketball championships
Division 1
No. 1 Franklin vs. No. 3 Newton North
Sunday, 6 p.m.
With all due respect to No. 2 seed Attleboro – which had a terrific season – this is the most captivating matchup the championship could have offered, in my opinion. Newton North and Franklin claimed the top two spots in my power rankings for most of the winter. North has not lost to an MIAA team this season, while Franklin has just, its regular-season finale against Xaverian.
The matchup also features arguably the two best players in MIAA – Franklin’s Caden Sullivan and Newton North’s Teagan Swint. Both are uber-talented seniors headed to play Division 3 hoops – Sullivan at Endicott, Swint at Johns Hopkins – who are high-level scorers, playmakers and experienced on this stage. Sullivan led Franklin to last season’s state final, while Swint has now played 15 tournament games since he was a freshman.
Both teams, despite their near spotless records, have been tested in this tournament, including Newton North needing overtime to prevail in the round of 16 against Marshfield. No situation will bother these squads. And while Sullivan and Swint are the engines, this game could come down to secondary options stepping up. Justice Samuels and Jake Olmstead have been key for Franklin, while Nick Spinelli and Bryson Mercedes have lifted North throughout the tournament. It’s unlikely either team will beat themselves; both are well-coached with rosters that understand and accept their roles. I’m expecting a down-to-the-wire finish. Before the tournament, I picked Newton North, and I have no reason to change my mind now.
Prediction: Newton North 63, Franklin 61
RELATED: Preview and predictions for 2025 MIAA girls championships
Division 2
No. 1 Malden Catholic vs. No. 6 Somerset Berkley
Sunday, 4 p.m.
When this bracket came out, this is the championship matchup I predicted. It made too much sense, with both teams experienced and seasoned on this stage. Malden Catholic, of course, is seeking its fourth consecutive championship. But the Lancers’ biggest test in last season’s run came against this Somerset Berkley team. MC barely survived with a 50-48 victory in last season’s Final Four, where SB’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer missed and the Lancers went on to win another title.
Now, we get the rematch. Both squads barely made it to the championship after thrilling semifinals; SB trailed by 14 at halftime before storming back with a dominant third quarter to beat No. 7 Masconomet, and MC trailed much of its semifinal against Oliver Ames before prevailing for a 62-61 win in overtime.
GOING FOR FOUR: Inside Matt Gaffney's pursuit of storybook ending at Malden Catholic
Somerset has lost just once this season after returning much of its roster from last season’s Final Four team. The Raiders turned their semifinal game with their full-court press. Their high tempo and pace – led by senior Brendan McDonald, who’s a blur with the ball in his hands in the open court – will be key for MC to contain, but they have composed guards in Matt Gaffney and Mamadou Camara who can handle those pressure moments. Inside, Somerset’s Finn Bjork and MC’s Aboubakar Nimaka should be a fun matchup – both were unstoppable in the semifinals. But senior forward Ben Howard – who missed most of the season due to injury – has returned with some cameos in the playoffs, and could be an X-factor.
This should be another one that comes down to the final minute. Somerset – which is making its first state final appearance since 1954 – will certainly be motivated after what happened last winter, but Malden Catholic has proved time again it has the finishing touch in these moments.
Prediction: Malden Catholic 67, Somerset Berkley 63
Division 3
No. 2 Norwell vs. No. 20 Old Rochester
Friday, 8 p.m.
March is made for Cinderella stories, and this year’s moment belongs to No. 20 Old Rochester, which became the lowest seed in the brief history of the statewide tournament to make a final. After trailing by 13 at halftime, the Bulldogs knocked off top-seeded St. Mary’s in the semifinals – fueled by 16 second-half points from senior captain Gavin Martin – to reach their second straight Division 3 championship game. What a job by head coach Steve Carvalho.
Waiting for them on Friday night is undefeated Norwell, which is 24-0 after taking down Taconic in the semifinals. The Clippers have won all but one of their tournament games by double digits, led by senior captains Ronan Coffey and Nick Adams. They’re one of the deepest teams in the field and boast four seniors – including Will Bostrom and co-captain Oliver Rice – who give them great experience.
Old Rochester won’t be intimidated by the moment, especially after last season’s run and beating the top seed in the bracket. But Norwell hasn’t lost all season, and its depth should be the difference here.
Prediction: Norwell 66, Old Rochester 60
Division 4
No. 5 Monument Mountain vs. No. 6 Georgetown
Saturday, 2 p.m.
An unlikely championship matchup unfolded in Division 4 after Monument Mountain and Georgetown took down the top two seeds in the semifinals. Monument Mountain – which lost by 30 on its home floor to Holland Tech. in last season’s Elite Eight – exacted revenge with a 68-65 semifinal victory over the top-seeded Bulldogs to reach its first championship game. Georgetown knocked off No. 2 seed Bourne, one of the D4 favorites all season, with a 69-66 victory.
Georgetown has relied on its defense, which included a 49-48 Elite Eight victory over No. 3 Clinton. Monument Mountain has the offensive power – led by senior Manny Brown, who scored a game-high 21 points in the semifinals – to make this a really fun matchup of styles. Ultimately, I like Monument Mountain’s experience, and the Spartans have been battle-tested time and again in the tournament. I’ll take them in their first state final.
Prediction: Monument Mountain 70, Georgetown 62
Division 5
No. 1 Pioneer Valley vs. No. 2 Hopedale
Saturday, 12 p.m.
The only No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the boys championships matches up undefeated Pioneer Valley (25-0) – the Western Mass. Class D tournament champions who have obliterated every opponent in the state tournament – and Hopedale, which escaped No. 11 Westport in the semifinals behind Patrick Madden’s last-second game-winning layup.
Pioneer Valley – led by seniors Brayden Thayer and Kurt Redeker – have the best defense in Division 5. In their 25 wins, the Panthers have held opponents to 38.8 points per game, which has included seven wins holding opponents to fewer than 30 points. They’ve done it in three of their four tournament wins, including a 49-23 win over No. 4 Drury in the semifinals. But Hopedale’s defense is good, too. The Blue Raiders held last season’s champion, New Mission, to 50 in their Elite Eight win.
I picked Pioneer Valley to win in my initial predictions, and I’m not going back on that now. The Panthers have been on a mission after falling in last season’s Final Four to New Mission, and I think they complete it.
Prediction: Pioneer Valley 55, Hopedale 46
