Division 1-2 high school boys basketball preview and players to watch

Somerset Berkley Regional came within a basket of playing for the state championship last winter. This season, it has the horses to get over the top.

Featuring a roster that has nine returners from a season ago, Somerset Berkley figures to be a force in Eastern Mass. and a prime contender for the Division 2 state title.

“It’s a tight knit group in every respect,” said Somerset Berkley coach Bob Slater. “The kids know to enjoy this. We have five kids that score at all times, and they all trust each other.”

The Blue Raiders will have to stay above water during the early season as Finn Bjork suffered a broken collarbone during the football season that will sideline him until at least mid-January. Returning Boston Herald all-scholastic guard Brendan McDonald will set the tone offensively as he closes in on 1,000 career points. Around him are three-point sharp shooter Dom Taylor, Colten Pacheco and returning starter Max Finlaw.

Last season, the Blue Raiders fell to Malden Catholic by two points in the state semifinals and there is no question Division 2 goes through the three-time defending champion Lancers. John Walsh’s group is led by Boston Herald Dream-Teamer Matt Gaffney, the top returning player in Eastern Mass.

Mike Vaughan’s Mansfield group is a perennial contender and this season will be no different. The Hornets are deep and versatile, highlighted by senior point guard Nate Creedon and shooting threat Riley Sigman.

One of Mansfield’s Hockomock Davenport foes – Oliver Ames – is expected to be significantly improved. The Tigers have guard Cole Craffey back in the fold. Craffey was a league all-star as a sophomore before being at Brimmer & May last year.

Westwood won 18 regular season games and returns senior TVL All-Star point guard Eli Ifrah and junior Robert Liriano from that group.

Colin Halpin’s Wakefield bunch will rely on its three captains, Matt Beaver, Jackson Fitzpatrick, and Jack Millward. Burlington will need to retool with the loss of Cedric Rodriguez.

Middleboro and Bedford are both worth keeping an eye on.

Attleboro is the talk of the town in Division 1 and for good reason. The Blue Bombardiers return three Hockomock Kelley-Rex all-stars in senior Hayden Crowley and juniors Connor Houle and LaDainian Rodrigues. Surrounding them is Dante Monestime, who averaged 10 points a game last year, 6-foot-5 stretch four Emmett Hill and Raheim Orleans.

“We’ve played hard and put ourselves in position to make the state tournament the last few years, but this group has not won anything yet,” Attleboro coach Mark Houle said. “We think this group can compete at a high level and win the Hockomock League, and that’s what the kids are focused on right now.”

The defending champion of the Kelley-Rex, Franklin, figures to be a force. The Panthers came up short in the Division 1 state championship and lost a large share of their production but will still return Caden Sullivan and Justice Samuels.

The Merrimack Valley Conference is a blood bath annually and this season figures to be no different. Lowell is a statewide contender courtesy of the three-year backcourt tandem of Jack Soucy and Jason Kamau. North Andover needs to replace Dream Teamer Zach Wolinski, but is a veteran group highlighted by three-year starters Cam Bethel and Niko Catalano.

Dave Fazio’s Andover group should be one of the better defensive teams in Eastern Mass, and offensively can rely on sophomore guard Josh Roux to be one of top underclassmen in the Commonwealth. Javy Lopez and his returning 18.5 points per game makes Central Catholic an automatic contender.

Methuen is a team to watch with combo guard Isaiah Andino and Lennon Abreu-De La Cruz.

In the Catholic Conference, the aforementioned Lancers are the clear favorite. Catholic Memorial has star guard Aiden Pires but will have to replace the graduation of Ryan Higgins and transfer of Josiah Adamson. BC High will be undergoing the youth movement this winter with a handful of freshmen expected to make an impact alongside returners Juju Sustache and James Jones.

Xaverian came a second away from a state championship berth a season ago but will have to fill out a completely new starting five. Senior Manny Duran and juniors Andrew Dean and Antonio Ciampa are expected to help fill out Ryan Sheehan’s new starting lineup.

The Bay State tandem of Needham and Newton North are sure to be in the mix. Paul Liner’s group has Foster Wilinski to go with senior guards Jeremy Gould and Max Goodrow. The Tigers, meanwhile, employ returning conference MVP Teagan Swint along with sharpshooter Nick Spinelli.

Cambridge looks poised to jump back into statewide contention. Jaydaan Correia, Morris Lichtenstein, Aaron Abebe and Imam Firmin Jr all got key minutes as sophomores and will be bigger contributors this winter. Senior captains Parris Moses and Dante Howard lead the Falcons.

Div. 1 Players to Watch

C: Kauau Desa (Barnstable), Alan Shi (Brookline)

F: Brody Bumila (Bishop Feehan), Niko Catalano (North Andover), Paul Conway (Lincoln-Sudbury), Jaydaan Correia (Cambridge), Collet Kinobe (Acton-Boxboro), Nolan Martindale (Lincoln-Sudbury), Paris Moses (Cambridge), Vishal Rampur (Westford Academy), Ben Sherry (Durfee), Teagan Swint (Newton North)

G: Lennon Abreu-Delacruz (Methuen), Isaiah Andino (Methuen), Jack Assini (King Philip), Nick Barnes (St. John’s Shrewsbury), Cam Bethel (North Andover), Jake Brilliant (Marshfield), Jack Charchaflian (Winchester), Troy Chase (Plymouth North), Hayden Crowley (Attleboro), Ethan Day (Revere), Zach DesRochers (North Andover), James Dingman (Arlington), Deshawn Faulk (Bridgewater-Raynham), Ka’Ron Ford (Barnstable), Connor Houle (Attleboro), Dante Jeremic (Natick), Jacob Klass (Beverly), Cody Lambert (Brockton), Mateo Lee (Newton South), Javi Lopez (Central Catholic), Justin Marino (Medford), Calum McClorey (Braintree), Sam Myerburg (Lexington), Kobe Nguyen (North Quincy), Brandon Nicastro (King Philip), Thomas O’Brien (Woburn), Noah Perry-Lewis (Bridgewater-Raynham), Gabe Pichardo (Barnstable), Danny Pierce (Beverly), Aidren Pires (Catholic Memorial), Tzar Powell-Aparacio (Lowell), LaDanian Rodrigues (Attleboro), Josh Roux (Attleboro), Nick Spinelli (Newton North), Jahmier Stephenson Durfee), Caden Sullivan (Franklin), Julian Sustache (BC High), Dylan Tarini (Chelmsford), Seth Thompson (Brookline), Jariel Tolentino (Peabody), William White (Boston Latin)

Div. 2 Players to Watch

C/F: Finn Bjork (Somerset Berkley), Sam Dadagian (Hopkinton), Jackson Davenport (Middleboro), Rowan Glowac (Scituate), Ben Howard (Malden Catholic), Al Marzullo (Plymouth South), Ryan McDonald (Walpole), Jack Millwald (Wakefield), Robbie Rudisill (Ashland), Tyson Teixeira (Bishop Stang), Jhoan Valdez (Dartmouth), Jamason Vella (Masconomet), Mekhi Volcy (Bedford)

G: Kevin Ahearn (Danvers), Anthony Alessi (Stoughton), John Arens (Melrose), Joseph Berardi (Nauset), Cole Craffey (Oliver Ames), Eli Efrah (Westwood), Jimmy Farrell (Masconomet), Trevor Forman (Bedford), Matt Gaffney (Malden Catholic), Robert Liriano (Westwood), Brendan McDonald (Somerset Berkley), Jack Murphy (Reading), Devin O’Brien (Masconomet), Jonnie Obuchowski (North Attleboro), Dylan Raffle (Milton), Andrew Rivera (Milford), Riley Sigman (Mansfield), Dom Taylor (Somerset Berkley)