Bring on the tournament!

In a basketball season filled to the brim with success, the girls and boys varsity teams concluded their regular seasons riding winning streaks they hope will set the stage for long runs in the MIAA Division 3 tournament starting next week. 

But this post-season is a little different than years past when the boys teams dominated the South Coast Conference.  This year, the girls varsity team is the one coming into the tournament with the best SCC record.

Career rebounding leader and 1,000-point-scorer Ally Watkins joins point guard Lexie Silvia to drive the 20-1 (16-1 in the SCC) Vikings.  The only blemish on their otherwise perfect season was a close 50-48 defeat at the hands of Old Rochester Regional High School on January 25. 

They are entering the post season having won eight straight games, and finished the regular season on Tuesday with a solid win over Greater New Bedford Regional High School, 87-64.

The girls have a strong mix of experience and youth.  Seniors Ally Watkins, Kira Correia, and Brianna King are joined by junior Lexie Silvia and freshman Amber Filkins in the starting lineup, with freshman Breanna Muir providing energy and intensity off the bench.

In Silvia's words: "It feels really good. We realized our strengths and really came together."

The boys varsity team carries the challenge of being the defending Division 3 State Champions, but they enter the tournament with an inexperienced post-season team. 

The Viking boys returned less than a handful of players from last year's championship group, and only sophomore Darrien Fernandez and senior Juwaun Gamble have tournament experience.  After several early season missteps while teammates became comfortable with each other, the Viking boys appear to be finally hitting their stride at just the right time.

The boys finished the regular season tied for the SCC lead with Dighton-Rehoboth at 14-5 (15-7 overall).  They finished the regular season winning six of their last seven games, and pounded Durfee 74-59 on Monday in their final regular season game. Fernandez has emerged as the team's most reliable scorer and tenacious defender, but he is joined by a strong group of seniors, including Gamble, Sheldon Frye, Dwight Senna and Tyler Gomes.

Wareham Week will post the tournament pairings for both the girls and boys team on WarehamVillageSoup.com as soon as they are available.