State finals: High school boys basketball preview and picks

Franklin coach CJ Neely has coached his program to the state title game twice in his career. He is hoping the third time’s the charm.

Led by Hockomock League MVP Sean O’Leary, No. 3 Franklin enters its Div. 1 state title showdown with top-seeded Worcester North looking to capture its first state championship in program history.

Under Neely, Franklin has twice reached the final, falling to Cambridge in 2017 and Mansfield in 2018. This time around, however, the Panthers are deeper. Beyond O’Leary, the Panthers have sharpshooters Henry DiGiorgio and Andrew O’Neill, tough-nosed guard Bradley Herndon, and premier athlete Caden Sullivan. On the bench, the Panthers have Hansy Jacques and Justice Samuels providing key minutes.

Franklin is unbeaten in state with its only loss coming to West Orange (Fla.). The Panthers have defeated all four of their postseason opponents by double figures.

“It’s not the Super Bowl, but there are a lot more distractions in that you have a lot more fans than you had a couple weeks ago trying to get in and watch the games,” Neely said. “We’ve treated this final four as one of those holiday tournaments you play over the break. You just have to try and deal with what is directly in front of you.”

On the other side is Worcester North, the defending Div. 1 state champion and winners of 44 consecutive games. Amir Jenkins is one of the top guards in the state, with the dynamic duo of Joe Okla and Teshaun Steele inside. North blew through the competition for most of the season but proved it can handle adversity when it overcame a late deficit to beat Xaverian in the Div. 1 state semifinals.

Malden Catholic is hoping to finish off its three-peat on Friday night at 6 when it takes on Sharon in the Div. 2 state title.

The Lancers again are led by Boston Herald all-scholastic Matt Gaffney and Bo Moody. Ben Howard has become a reliable force inside while Messiah Johnson helps stretch the floor. If MC is to bring home head coach John Walsh’s sixth state title, they will have to take down a Sharon team that has weapons of its own.

Guard Jacob McLaughlin has played like one of the state’s best this postseason while forward Nate Katznelson is a 1,000-point scorer. Sharon has shown a flair for the dramatic as evidenced by Jackson Rava’s triple with two seconds left to lead the Eagles past Bedford in the semifinal game.

All season, Charlestown has played like the top Div. 3 team in Massachusetts and will look to finish it off when they play Old Rochester on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Townies have arguably the best duo around in Jaylen Hunter-Coleman and Jaylin Williams-Crawford. Old Rochester, however, has its fair share of marquee wins, knocking off Scituate, Div. 2 state semifinalist Somerset Berkley, and handling Div. 4 state finalist Bourne its only loss.

Speaking of Bourne, they are hoping to complete a season sweep of Wareham when it faces its longtime rival in the Div. 4 state title on Sunday afternoon. The Canalmen won the regular season matchup, defeating the Vikings, 71-61. Bourne is led by Leo Andrade, Mike Dankert, and South Coast Conference MVP Nate Reynolds.

Wareham, meanwhile, is the defending champion and has four starters back from last year. Ajay Lopes is a superstar as evidenced by his late pass in the lane to Antoine Crosser for the game-winning layup in overtime versus Millbury in the Div. 4 state semifinals.

It’s a battle of the top two seeds in Div. 5 as No. 1 Hoosac Valley takes on second-seeded New Mission on Saturday at 2 p.m. Hoosac’s Joey McGovern put on a show in the state semifinals, scoring 29 points in a win over Mahar. The Titans have won eight straight going back to the regular season and went on a 13-2 run against Pioneer Valley to clinch their spot in the final.

Division 1

Worcester North deserves the label of ‘favorite’ but this Franklin team has shown so far that it can handle anything thrown its way. Offensive rebounding will be the key to the game.

Pick: 57-52, Worcester North

Division 2

Based on how Sharon has played much of this postseason, this game is more of a ‘toss-up’ than meets the eye. It’s hard to go against John Walsh’s Lancers, however, who have yet to lose a postseason game with him at the helm.

Pick: 61-57, Malden Catholic

Division 3

Charlestown has been a top five team in Eastern Mass. for well over a month now. Jaylen Hunter-Coleman, Jaylin Williams-Crawford, and company put the capper on a terrific season.

Pick: 67-54, Charlestown

Division 4

We picked Bourne over Wareham in the state final going into the postseason and we are sticking by that. This has been Bourne’s season to remember since the get-go.

Pick: 70-63, Bourne

Division 5

It is hard to pick against New Mission, but Hoosac Valley’s only two losses all year are to a strong Monument Mountain team.

Pick: 68-61, Hoosac Valley