The MIAA power rankings promised to bring the best of the best to the state tournament’s final rounds. In Year 2 of existence, the promise has held up for girls’ basketball.
All four top 4 seeds survived in Divisions 1, 3, and 5, including Andover, the last undefeated girls’ team in the state, and reigning D3 champion St. Mary’s. Fifth-seeded Foxborough and sixth-seeded Dracut hope to upend the party in Division 2, and No. 7 seed Littleton is the surprise of Division 4.
All state semifinals will be at neutral sites before the state championship games at Tsongas Center next weekend. Here’s a rundown of the semifinal matchups:
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Division 1
Monday — No. 2 Bishop Feehan vs. No. 3 Woburn (at Newton South, 6 p.m.) — They met Feb. 19 in the Comcast Tournament consolation bracket, where Woburn earned a 74-71 comeback win.
Monday — No. 1 Andover vs. No. 4 Wachusett (at Woburn, 7:15 p.m.) — The 24-0 Golden Warriors march on, but in their path is a Wachusett squad that just took down reigning state champion Springfield Central.
Division 2
Monday — No. 2 Medfield vs. No. 6 Dracut (at Worcester State, 5 p.m.) — Kate Olenik (Medfield) and Ashlee Talbot (Dracut) are two of the state’s best guards.
Monday — No. 1 Walpole vs. No. 5 Foxborough (at Bridgewater-Raynham, 6 p.m.) — Both sides have won every state tournament game so far by at least 15 points and boast excellent guard play.
Division 3
Tuesday — No. 1 St. Mary’s vs. No. 4 Rockland (at Quincy, 5 p.m.) — A rematch of last year’s state final that came down to the last possession, with the Spartans winning, 46-44.
Tuesday — No. 2 Norwell vs. No. 3 Bishop Fenwick (at Watertown, 6:30 p.m.) — The Clippers have a balanced squad led by South Shore League Sullivan MVP Maddie Oliver, while the Crusaders can dominate inside with All-Scholastic junior Cecilia Kay.
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Division 4
Tuesday — No. 1 Cathedral vs. No. 4 Notre Dame-Worcester (at Framingham, 5 p.m.) — The Panthers have scored 75 or more in every state tournament game. NDA advanced with a 58-56 triple-overtime win against Cohasset that saw senior captain Avery Marzo net 33 points.
Wednesday — No. 3 Wahconah vs. No. 7 Littleton (at Springfield Sci-Tech, 7:15 p.m.) — Littleton upset second-seeded Tyngsborough in the quarterfinals; Wahconah rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat Malden Catholic.
Division 5
Monday — No. 2 Springfield International vs. No. 3 Sutton (at Palmer, 6 p.m.) — Alicia Mitchell, a 6-foot-4-inch center, is a force for the Bulldogs; the Suzies have a deep group including eighth-grade standout Ava Carroll.
Wednesday — No. 1 Millis vs. No. 4 Hoosac Valley (at Springfield Sci-Tech, 5 p.m.) — Mia Molinari will try to lead Millis past the defending state finalist Hurricanes.