For those teams seeking a Western Massachusetts boys basketball championship in 2017, the time is now.
The MIAA released the seeds Saturday, and every team that made the playoffs in Hampshire County knows its first step to the coveted championship.
All dates and times for games in the quarterfinals are to be determined.
In Division 1, Amherst (15-5) drew the second seed and will host East Longmeadow.
The game is at Amherst Middle School currently, but the Hurricanes will try to move the game to Amherst College.
Amherst beat East Longmeadow twice during the regular season.
“It’s going to be tough to beat that team three times,” Amherst coach Jim Matusczo said. “It’s what we expected as far as seeding.”
Jeric Cichon is averaging 15.8 points a game for the Spartans (10-10).
“It’s not going to be an easy task,” Matuszco said.
The Hurricanes’ and 1,000-point scorer Meikkel Murray will look to return to the Division 1 finals after falling short against Putnam the past two years.
No. 3 Northampton (14-6) faces the daunting task of hosting Taelon Martin and the Beavers. During the regular season, Northampton beat Putnam 61-49.
The Blue Devils boast a lot of depth, they will be able to play fast and aggressive.
Center Andy Grygorcewicz said the depth along with the home-court advantage will help the Blue Devils in the playoffs.
“We are going to physical defense and get fast transition points to tire them out,” Grygorcewicz said. “We are going to come out with a lot of energy because I am guessing we are going to have a big crowd.”
Northampton is back in the tournament for the first time since 2014.
The most consistent scorer for Northampton during the season was Elijah Davis, who added a steady outside shot to his repertoire.
South Hadley (10-10) made the postseason by beating Chicopee Comp in its final regular season game.
The third-seeded Tigers will travel to Taconic, where they have already lost this season.
“We got beat pretty good at their place,” South Hadley coach Juan Maldonado said. “But we are familiar with them. They are guard driven. Hopefully our momentum will carry into the playoffs.”
The Tigers boast a good inside-out tandem in Nate Poirier and Matt Grochowalski.
Poirier’s 3-point shooting has been good, and clutch, all year. Leading scorer Calvin Bridges is one of the best one-on-one players in Western Mass for the Tigers.
Two preliminary games are set.
Sixth-seeded Hampshire Regional (13-7) hosts Monument Mountain (12-8) on Monday at 7 p.m.
At the same time in Easthampton, the eighth-seeded Eagles (12-8) will host Wahconah (12-8).
Top-seeded Hopkins Academy (18-2), led by Sam’i Roe is the favorite.
The Golden Hawks have won the last two years under Angelo Thomas and will look to make it three.
John Earle provides the outside shooting for Hopkins, while Jon Morrison mans the post.
Also in Division 4, 1,000-point scorer Zach Gorham and the Granby Rams (12-8) will host Hampden Charter (11-9) on Monday at 7 p.m. in a preliminary game.
