Winter Musings!
I can't remember the last time Groton-Dunstable Regional HS boys and girls varsity basketball teams were not playing in post season tournaments. Attending those games used to make winters so much more enjoyable. Fortunately, there is a multitude of sporting venues still available for sport enthusiasts to enjoy.
In MIAA Girls Basketball Central Division 2 Girls basketball final, no surprises. Tyngsborough (20-0) will meet Nashoba Regional (18-2) March 9 at Fitchburg State University.
In Central-Mass Division 2 boys basketball play, a real Cinderella story. Thirteenth seed Gardner, with an 8-12 record, will face second seed defending D-2 champions, St. Bernard's (18-4) in the finals Saturday, March 9. The Wildcats defeated No.4 Oxford, No.12 Blackstone-Millville and yes, No.1 seed Clinton, who came into the tournament at 19-2! What is interesting is despite their three tournament wins, the Wildcats still have a losing record.
Gardner will be playing for their first district title in 23 years and it is nice to see good things happening for their athletes considering the fiasco involving the Gardner High School's Girls' Swim team and the MIAA. Go Wildcats!
From MIAA site: Mass. Interscholastic Athletic Association MIAA is a private, non-profit association organized by its member schools to govern, coordinate and promote education based programs for high school students. The core mission of MIAA is to promote educational athletic opportunities within our member schools. With that in mind, I continue.
Knowing their ideals and some of the membership personally, I have almost always respected and supported their views. But their recent position with Gardner and with boy's gymnastics has soured me.
MIAA Board of Directors did vote this month to end MIAA sponsorship of boys' gymnastics, upon conclusion of this current winter season. (Globe)
MIAA spokesman Paul Wetzel's remark that gymnastics is "a girls sport" was at best crude and just plain wrong! After much backlash from gymnasts including several Olympians including Tim Daggett and Aly Raisman, Wetzel later apologized. MIAA should be finding ways to preserve and promote the boys program.
Nice to see Ryan and Kyle Romich playing college B-Ball in the D-2 Northeast 10 Conference. Ryan plays forward for LeMoyne (14-13) and Kyle, guard for St.Anselm's (23-4).
Crusaders played Marlborough in MIAA Central D-3 Hockey semi-finals March 6. If they defeated Panthers they will move on to C-Mass finals Mon., 3/11 and meet the Shrewsbury/Wachusett winner.
Am I the only person who thinks the Red Sox will be an exciting team this season and win 90 plus games? The influx of quality, hard-nosed, good character players (hopefully) that GM Ben Cherrington has assembled should help. And if Lackey, Buchholz and Lester pitch to what they are earning, that will make Farrell's fanatics proud.
After a very pedestrian 5-7-1 start, UMass-Lowell Riverhawks hockey team (21-9-2, 15-8-2) has had a fantastic second half of the season surge! They overpowered Merrimack College this past weekend winning both games (4-0 and 3-1) and taking sole possession of first place in Hockey East with 32 points. But with two regular season games to be played this weekend, one can't get too excited because only two points separates UML and the fourth place team, Providence College (14-11-7, 12-7-6), who the Riverhawks will be playing. UNH (31 pts.), BC (30 pts.) and BU with 28 points are waiting for someone to stumble. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday at Tsongas Center in Lowell.
All grumblings regarding my ramblings should be sent the MIAA office. NOT!
