MIAA Playoffs: Sweet 16 & Elite 8

I went to two games for the 2025 Massachusetts State Playoff games. On Tuesday March 4th Division 1 #3 Newton North hosted #14 Marshfield Rams. Marshfield tried to speed Newton North up and it worked causing overtime being down 5 under a minute to go in regulation. Newton North would be victorious winning 58-55 and moving on Friday March 7th to take on #11 Braintree in the Elite 8. In the Elite 8 game Braintree was down 7 after the 1st quarter but continuously crawled back into the game being down 3 at the half. They would gain serious momentum in the 3rd and early 4th quarter but [player_tooltip player_id='1532631' first='Teagan' last='Swint'] proved to be too much for Braintree to handle. Newton North won 48-40 after garbage time fouls but Braintree played well as a team during the game and throughout the year. Braintree will be interesting next year as they only return Ethan Elie a valuable player and one other player on the varsity roster. Marshfield will return Luke Richardson an upside lengthy player and Brody Hession, a quick pesky player each who played decent minutes. Marshfield also will have two players listed below and four other underclassmen. Newton North will return 5 players, two listed below, along with Luke Washek, Bryson Mercedes and Julian Zakak. A few others will return on the varsity roster but none that got any playing time.    A well-rounded athlete also playing on the Marshfield varsity football team. I loved watching his high motor get up, down and side to side of the court. A slow start in the scoring category for Jake but turned it on in the 2nd quarter. Rebounded well for his size especially being one of the smaller players on the court. Defensively he can match up with anyone on the Newton North team. The two traits he had that excelled was his vision to make accurate passes while handling the ball and active pivot foot in the paint kept numerous plays alive.     This Junior put in solid minutes, 1 of 4 underclassmen on this Marshfield team that played significant minutes. I truly believe he will be a captain next year. He carries himself with a quiet but confident aggressive nature. Intelligent player knowing to run the baseline after made hoops to create space. On the defensive side, anticipates the ball well and plays a tight, aggressive on the ball defense. Shot the ball well in transition, finished with acrobatic touches and sheds the defender well to finish at the rim.     Was the high scorer for Marshfield against Newton North and I would assume in the top 3 in each game all year for this #14 D1 ranked playoff team. A varsity baseball player in Marshfield who has strong hands. When he gets into trouble stays calm keeping an active pivot foot and making good passes. He avoids offensive fouls by using his shoulder to take the hits from defenders while keeping the ball on the outside hand. I bet he also gets close to double doubles on a regular basis with his hustle in points and rebounds as he was in this Sweet 16 game.     A true floor general, accurate passer hitting teammates in the box regularly and could be a D3 player someday. He is quick, moves the ball up the floor with pace especially with numbers. He does get some zip on the ball for a leaner frame. I predict he has a chance to break records in steals and assists in the future or get within top 10 for Newton North all-time records. I can see him being a good scorer in the next couple of years as he has good rhythm, footwork and can even shoot tougher shots like fadeaway's. He creates space off the bounce or through a jab step. Especially in the Elite 8 game against Braintree he played for the highest percentage shot.       An annoying defender and tough to keep off the offensive class. Nick moves with fluidity in the offense, constantly in motion getting into spots where teammates find him. He is one of the top 3 scorers on this Newton North team. His release while shooting from deep always looks like the ball is going in, he gets his feet set and holds the release point. Even though his career might end after high school he could play for a low level D3 school if he wanted to. A great kid who always is smiling and happy. A teammate with an aura that under pressure or down in a game would help propel a team out of a bad situation with his positivity.     I would guess a captain next year for this Newton North team. A consistent scorer around the paint. In both games against Marshfield and Braintree got 4 offensive boards while being close to double digits in total rebounds. He didn't always get the offensive rebound but at times tipped the ball to cause even more chaos for opposing team. He got a lot of paint touches off drives, caused numerous fouls and just overall pressure he put on the defense was a huge impact in both games.     I first saw him as a sophomore being a shooter only but with upside. Fast forward a couple years, is now a scorer, a Johns Hopkins commit and will finish his high school career a 1000+ point scorer. The impact he had on his team was immense. Newton North leaned on him heavily in the Braintree game. A solid college ready frame, sees the ball well off the rim rebounding understanding the trajectory, anticipation of where to jump and get the ball. Strong hands difficult to get the ball from either dribbling, rebounding or loose balls. Scoring as he has a nice follow through, makes fadeaway's and finishes with the opposite hand at the rim when needed. He has a coaching type mentality where he can give feedback to teammates leading to more auspicious decisions.     The leading scorer on this Braintree team that made deep shots, fadeaway elbow jumper and an And 1 that all seemed effortless. His footwork helped him get into great shooting positions. He protected the ball well with his body giving him access to a handful of paint touches. He communicates well on defense. A wide receiver and defensive back on the Braintree varsity football team. An athletic player if he chooses could play D3 basketball who could improve even more.     An athlete on the varsity football team playing tight end and defensive line. Loved his positive feedback to teammates from the bench. Strong player with strong hands getting tips on the ball defense and a few steals. At times is either the 2nd or 3rd scoring option for this team. He is fully aware of where everyone is on the floor which leads to good decision making. Made tough shots around the rim with players draped on him.       A floor general and 6th man on this Braintree team. He took care of the basketball, changed his pace/tempo while dribbling even slow stepping defenders with a hip swivel here and there. The best part of his game was his motor on defense, diving on the floor leading to a huge three pointer and momentum. He walls players up, making it a challenge to beat him off the bounce. I would love to see him have another high school year. I could definitely use a guy like him on my team and believe he can change the complexion of any game. A soccer player as well.

I went to two games for the 2025 Massachusetts State Playoff games. On Tuesday March 4th Division 1 #3 Newton North hosted #14 Marshfield Rams. Marshfield tried to speed Newton North up and it worked causing overtime being down 5 under a minute to go in regulation. Newton North would be victorious winning 58-55 and moving on Friday March 7th to take on #11 Braintree in the Elite 8. In the Elite 8 game Braintree was down 7 after the 1st quarter but continuously crawled back into the game being down 3 at the half. They would gain serious momentum in the 3rd and early 4th quarter but Teagan Swint Teagan Swint 6'4" | SF Newton North | 2025 State New E proved to be too much for Braintree to handle. Newton North won 48-40 after garbage time fouls but Braintree played well as a team during the game and throughout the year. Braintree will be interesting next year as they only return Ethan Elie a valuable player and one other player on the varsity roster. Marshfield will return Luke Richardson an upside lengthy player and Brody Hession, a quick pesky player each who played decent minutes. Marshfield also will have two players listed below and four other underclassmen. Newton North will return 5 players, two listed below, along with Luke Washek, Bryson Mercedes and Julian Zakak. A few others will return on the varsity roster but none that got any playing time.