By Lorenzo Recupero
The Crimson Tide boys’ basketball team is on the verge of major milestones as they vie for a Division 1 North Championship in the MIAA playoffs.
The top-seeded Tide (19-1) are riding a 15-game win streak into the playoffs, where they’ll get to invite to their home court the winner of the Chelmsford-Medford preliminary round game. The victor will meet at Everett on Thursday, March 1 for a 7 PM start to the MIAA D.1 North First Round matchup.
The playoff implications aside, stakes are high for the Tide, who have the opportunity to see both a player and a coach make personal history at home.
Longtime head coach John Dibiaso, in his final season with the team, with just one more win could pick up his 500th basketball victory in his 20 plus seasons at the helm.
And with 1,956 total career points scored, senior guard and dynamic scorer Ghared Boyce needs 44 more points to become just the second athlete and the first male in Everett basketball history to post 2,000 or more points. He finished the regular season averaging a team-high 29 points per game.
If the Crimson Tide advance to the sectional quarterfinals, they will play the winner of the Chelsea-Waltham game on Saturday at Everett High School. After that, all tournament games will be played at neutral sites.
Lawrence (18-2), Cambridge (18-2) and Lowell (16-4) round out the top four seeds in Div. 1 North. Cambridge, the two-time defending state champions, has lost only twice over the past three seasons.
Mansfield, Needham, Brockton, and Newton North are the top four seeds in Div. 1 South. Catholic Memorial, which won the South title in 2016 and ’17, is the No. 5 seed.
Franklin, which fell to Cambridge in last year’s Div. 1 state title game, is the top seed in the Central bracket, while undefeated Springfield Central (20-0) is the No. 1 seed in the West sectional.