Metro West Final Four Predictions

Metro West Final Four Preview

I fully expect to get all of these wrong. But for what it’s worth, here are my predictions.

8^th Grade Girls

Stoughton vs. Newton

This will be a great battle between two of the best guards in the state: Veronica Burton and Asiah Dingle. In the quarterfinals, these two combined for 52 points in their teams’ victories. I expect that they will both be productive again. In their meeting earlier in the season, Newton prevailed 48-36. I don’t see that happening again. I expect Dingle’s supporting cast to be up to the task and Stoughton to prevail in a nail biter. Newton’s Paige Ollivierre could possibly be the best player on the floor not named Veronica or Asiah, but I believe Jordan Motley, Gigi DiNapoli and Val Whalen are all going to step up in the victory for Stoughton. SH Pick: Stoughton.

Milton vs. Foxboro

I watched Kendall Currence and Ashley Ducharme get a big boost from their supporting cast this past weekend as they squeaked by North Attleboro. Foxboro’s Nicole Gallagher was a machine scoring and created all sorts of problems for Easton’s back court. Foxboro has the guards to match what Currence will produce with Gallagher, Ashley Sampson and Lily Sykes. The question has always been is Foxboro’s front court formidable enough? With much-improved Shannon Smalley and  Grace Tamulionis’s length, I think they have enough to continue their undefeated season. SH Pick: Foxboro.

Championship: Stoughton vs. Foxboro

Foxboro ran the table this season and beat Stoughton earlier in the year, 55-40. The stakes are higher this time around and I’ve seen Asiah Dingle rise to the occasion far too many times in the past year to convince myself to pick Foxboro.  However, if any team has the contingent to slow Dingle and company down, it’s Foxboro, right? They have defensive specialist Lily Sykes, the Energizer bunny on both ends Nicole Gallagher and as good player there is in the state in Ashley Sampson. I just convinced myself to pick Foxboro. I fully expect this thrown in my face if/when I’m wrong. SH Pick: Foxboro.

8^th Grade Boys

Needham vs. Winchester

After watching Winchester beat Attleboro, I left very impressed with Winchester. They are cool and calm under pressure and are extremely fundamentally sound. After watching Needham, I left thinking “who is going to beat this team?” Needham boasts high end talent in Thomas Shaughnessy, Brandon Monheimer and Cam Nelson (who didn’t even play last week) and also has plenty of quality role players. Perhaps Needham can be beaten, but I don’t think it’s going to be at the hands of Winchester. SH Pick: Needham.

Brockton vs. Newton

Brockton is a mystery to me. They didn’t nominate any players for the showcase and I didn’t watch their game last week because they were up by so much. Not sure if they had a good match up, or they’re just that good - probably somewhere in the middle. I did watch Newton and do really like what they did against a tough Southboro team. Ethan Wright appeared pretty banged up post game, and if he isn’t right, then Newton could be in for a long game. After watching Wright and Robbie Hodin will their team to victory last week, it’s hard to pick against them. SH Pick: Newton.

Championship: Needham vs. Newton

If Newton makes it to this game, they’ve had a great run. However, I don’t believe they have the horses, especially in the front court, to beat Needham. There are a lot of great players in this game, but I would expect Brandon Monheimer to have a MONSTER performance. Needham is the most complete team and deserves to end their careers as champions. SH Pick: Needham.

7^th Grade Girls

Norton vs. Westwood. SH Pick: Norton.

Wellesley vs. Walpole. SH Pick: Wellesley.

Norton vs. Wellesley. SH Pick: Norton.

7^th Grade Boys

Brookline vs. Arlington. SH Pick: Brookline.

Wellesley vs. Easton. SH Pick: Easton.

Easton vs. Brookline. SH Pick: Brookline.

6^th Grade Girls

King Philip vs. Walpole. SH Pick: King Philip.

Franklin vs. Milton: SH Pick: Milton.

King Philip vs. Milton. SH Pick: King Philip.

6^th Grade Boys

Newton vs. Mansfield. SH Pick: Newton.

Westwood vs. Attleboro: SH Pick: Westwood.

Newton vs. Westwood: SH Pick: Newton.