Winter 2025 State Championship Lookahead: Boys Basketball

The MIAA Basketball State Championships are back for the fourth year in a row at Tsongas Center in Lowell. The 2025 boys championship slate features one game on Friday, March 14, followed by a pair of back-to-back games on Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16.

At least four new champions will be crowned, while another will be looking to add to its recent dynasty. In all, seven of the 10 teams playing this weekend are new faces from a season ago.

Here is a look at what is ahead:

Division 3

Friday (March 14), 8 p.m.
Norwell High School vs. Old Rochester Regional High School

Norwell, the No. 2 seed, will be playing the second half of a girls-boys doubleheader for the school and looking to complete a perfect season. This is the Clippers’ first appearance in a boys basketball state championship game.

Meanwhile, No. 20 Old Rochester is the lowest seeded team playing at Tsongas this weekend. The Bulldogs are on a Cinderella run after a 9-9 start to the season, and looking to avenge last year’s loss to Charlestown (61-40) in the state finals. ORR does have a state title from 2015 (61-47 over Hoosac Valley).

ROAD TO TSONGAS: Norwell – beat Medway (68-44), Lynnfield (70-48), Hanover (57-52), Taconic (65-46) … Old Rochester – beat Tantasqua (58-47), Norton (71-48), Greater Lawrence (52-49), St. Mary’s (70-63).

Division 5

Saturday (March 15), 12 p.m.
Pioneer Valley Regional School vs. Hopedale High School

Much like Norwell, Pioneer Valley will be looking to complete a perfect season. The No. 1 seed is back in the state final for the first time since making three consecutive appearances from 1996-98. The Panthers have titles from 1996 (vs. Winchester) and ‘97 (vs. Bishop Stang).

No. 2 seed Hopedale is playing in a state final for the first time since 2000, when the Blue Raiders fell to Newburyport (50-43). Hopedale does have a co-state championship (with Abington) from 2020, when the state finals were canceled because of COVID.

ROAD TO TSONGAS: Pioneer Valley – beat Prospect Hill Charter (78-28), Old Colony (75-43), Ware (75-29), Drury (49-23) … Hopedale – beat Hampden Charter School of Science (72-44), Monsoon (72-24), New Mission (54-50), Westport (57-56).

Division 4

Saturday (March 15), 2 p.m.
Monument Mountain Regional High School vs. Georgetown High School

This game features two teams with the least amount of combined past championship experience.

Monument Mountain, the No. 5 seed, is making its first appearance in a state final. The Spartans reached the state quarterfinals in 2024 before falling to Burke, but avenged that defeat in this year’s semifinals over the school now called Albert D. Holland School of Technology.

Georgetown, the No. 6 seed, technically has never been in a state final, and not in the MIAA era. When the school was known as the Perley Free School, it played in the 1955 state championship game, losing to Weston (77-58).

ROAD TO TSONGAS: Monument Mountain – beat Gardner (87-47), Cathedral (74-60), Cohasset (76-41), Albert D. Holland School of Technology (68-65) … Georgetown – beat High School of Commerce (98-65), South Hadley (82-55), Clinton (49-48), Bourne (69-66).

Division 2

Sunday (March 16), 4 p.m.
Malden Catholic High School for Boys vs. Somerset Berkley Regional High School

Malden Catholic is the only 2024 champion making a return trip this year, and the Lancers are hoping to build on a recent dynasty. The No. 1 seed is gunning for a fourth straight state championship following wins in 2022 (95-40 over Norwood), 2023 (72-54 over Mansfield) and last year (65-42 over Sharon).

No. 6 seed Somerset Berkley also has never lost in a state final, but the school (then known as Somerset) last appeared in 1954 – beating Weston (56-42). Somerset also won the 1948 state championship over Oliver Ames (53-26).

ROAD TO TSONGAS: Malden Catholic – beat South High Community (81-44), Milford (83-59), Doherty (78-52), Oliver Ames (62-61 in ot) … Somerset Berkley – beat Minnechaug (84-58), Leominster (89-47), Pope Francis (88-60), Masconomet (66-58).

Division 1

Sunday (March 16), 6 p.m.
Franklin High School vs. Newton North High School

The final game of the 10-game weekend features a pair of teams that have experienced heartbreak on this stage in the statewide tournament era, but only one will be able to walk away with a championship.

No. 1 seed Franklin was here a year ago, when it lost to North High School (59-43). The Panthers will be chasing the program’s first state title, previously dropping back-to-back finals in 2017 (70-43 vs. Cambridge Rindge & Latin) and 2018 (67-54 vs. Mansfield).

Newton North does have past championship success, but more recently it was a 71-59 loss to Boston College High in the 2022 final at Tsongas. The No. 3 seed Tigers did win back-to-back state titles in 2005-06, beating High School of Commerce (74-65) and Holy Name (67-58), respectively.

ROAD TO TSONGAS: Franklin – beat Shrewsbury (86-49), North Andover (62-54), Bridgewater-Raynham (63-50), Central Catholic (52-44) … Newton North – beat Cambridge (56-42), Marshfield (58-55 in ot), Braintree (48-40), Springfield Central (53-49).