MIAA Playoff Preview: D1 Final 4, Sleepers, and Stars to Watch

The MIAA playoffs are here! Five divisions of MIAA basketball action will commence this week, and over the next handful of days, I'll have previews for divisions one through three—including final four and championship predictions, sleeper teams, and stars to watch. I'll then have additional articles highlighting some players to watch from each of those three divisions.   With the number of teams included in the brackets, it was impossible to see every team play. With that being said, I've done my research and have watched as much MIAA hoops as you can as one human being (think you've watched more? I'll challenge you).   This is one of the most exciting times of the year, and I can't wait to see how this year's tournament plays out.   Let's start with division 1.   The Bracket   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-23-at-2.01.27-PM-crop-1594x1047-1771873327-crop-800x525-1771873370.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-23-at-2.01.27-PM-crop-1594x1047-1771873327-crop-800x525-1771873370.png?w=799" alt="" class="wp-image-3515897" /></a></figure>   Final 4 Prediction   Central Catholic High School   There simply isn't a team as accomplished and solid at Central Catholic in this year's field. They're an extremely well-coached squad that has the star power, depth, and experience necessary to come out of the northwest region. They're led by senior guard and Brandeis commit [player_tooltip player_id='2696662' first='Javi' last='Lopez'], who can score from all three levels and is calm, cool and collected despite the defensive pressure he faces. Backcourt mates Drew O'Keefe and Jeremiah Almanzar provide second-side ball-handling and facilitation for CC, and [player_tooltip player_id='2832781' first='Elkin' last='Pena'] mans the paint but can step out and be versatile as well. Central Catholic could have tough matchups against Catholic Memorial, Malden Catholic, Or Beverly, but I would pick them to win each of those matchups if fully healthy. They're a wagon.   Boston College High School   BC High has had an up and down season, but they've looked like a title contender when they've played their best hoops. They have size, strength and experience, and perhaps they'll find their groove come playoff time. They're led by senior Jacob Seyfried and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3488910' first='Owen' last='Adams'], both of whom have size and length to pair with their outside shooting ability. Both players are also solid facilitators who play at their own pace. BC High has some other role players—Chesi Buliro and Liam Lee, to name a couple—who know their roles on both ends but can also erupt offensively when needed. They should get past their first-round matchup relatively unscathed and don't have the hardest path to the final 4.   Attleboro High School   Attleboro High School seems like a major sleeper to me. You need great players to win in March, and AHS might have the best one-two punch in the entire MIAA. Connor Houle leads the charge from the backcourt with his remarkable ability to elevate in the mid range and from three for difficult makes but also with his underrated athleticism and finishing ability at the rim. [player_tooltip player_id='2716640' first='Ladainian' last='Rodrigues'] mans the paint for Attleboro and is potentially the most physically imposing players in the entire when it comes to protecting the rim defensively and finishing in transition offensively. They fill out their squad with role players who play hard defensively and make outside shots, and Shane Hanrahan is a sleeper for me as a guy who plays at his own pace and has lots of skill.   Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School   I've thought for awhile that BR is the deepest team in the state, and they'll have a chance to prove it in what I would consider the most difficult region of the bracket. It's pretty tough to figure out who their best player is. Cam Santos might be their best and most versatile scorer, but [player_tooltip player_id='3040634' first='Cason' last='Faulk'] is definitely their best perimeter defender and athlete. Aiden Pires can get incredibly hot from three and runs the show comfortably, and Mateo Jackson can bully defenders in the paint when he wants to. They have a host of other players, too, who can score the ball when needed and step up defensively. BR has a chance to let their depth shine, and I think it brings them to the final four.   Championship Prediction   Central Catholic over Attleboro   At the end of the day, I just don't think any team in the state has what it takes to beat Central Catholic. Of course anything can happen in a one game matchup, but I've seen CC compete with excellent teams in games where [player_tooltip player_id='2696662' first='Javi' last='Lopez'] goes off and games where he doesn't. They can win high scoring games, low scoring games, physical games, or high-foul games. It's also always safe to bet on the best player in the state and a team of role players who knows how to excel around him.   Sleeper Teams   Malden Catholic High School   MC is another team who has the potential to look like a top 5 team in the state on any given night. With Jeremiah Figaro and [player_tooltip player_id='2341420' first='Aboubakar' last='Nimaka'] manning the paint, they have potentially the best combination of bigs in D1. When those two are engaged on the defensive end, they can protect the rim with the best of them and run out in transition like the most athletic team in the state. Duke Cherry can lead their backcourt, too, with his quickness and explosiveness on the ball.   Catholic Memorial High School   Like Malden Catholic, Catholic Memorial has looked incredible at times but very beatable at others. In addition to their star guard [player_tooltip player_id='2965967' first='Jacari' last='Jenkins'] (who I'll discuss in the "star players" section), they have senior forward Kise Flannery, who's playing football at Harvard next year and dominates the paint with his size and strength. He's a threat offensively because of his athleticism and passing ability, and his size allows him to be versatile defensively too. CM also has lots of other guys with size and athleticism.   Brockton High School   Brockton has, at times, competed with some really high level MIAA teams. Led by Clervens Peltrop and Nyisah Miranda, the Boxers are balanced in both the backcourt and front-court. Peltrop makes amazing effort plays with his size, length and athleticism, and Miranda has been known to get super hot from all three levels on a number of occasions. If those two can catch fire at the right time, you never know what can happen.   Lexington High School   I'm very high on Lexington. They're a well-balanced team that plays high IQ basketball and can find offense from a number of guys. Sam Myerberg is a senior star who can stroke it from three and the mid range, [player_tooltip player_id='2530303' first='Klei' last='Alimadhi'] plays at his own pace and has excellent skill for his size, Amari Mow runs the show as the PG and makes excellent reads in transition, and Nazir Mendes-Stephen can get hot shooting at any given moment. They're a talented squad that can beat anyone.   Stars To Watch    Lopez is, in my opinion, the best player in the MIAA. He has experience going against double teams, blitzes, box-and-ones, and tons of different pressure defenses, and he knows how to beat them all. He can hit shots from the mid range and three, and he has excellent strength going to the hoop. Every defense he faces in the tournament will be geared towards stopping him, but he'll still find a way to be effective on the offensive end. The Brandeis commit certainly wants to end his HS career on the right note, and he has the supporting cast to do so.     While Lopez might be the best player in the MIAA, Roux is probably the best shooter. Andover's star junior does a phenomenal job coming off screens and getting his feet set for shots, but he can also handle the ball in the pick and roll and get his looks off from three that way. What has impressed me this season, too, is his ability to attack closeouts and finish in the paint with contact. Roux leads an Andover team that should be a title contender, but they have a tough road.     Montanari leads a solid New Bedford squad that got the 5th seed in this year's tournament. The 6-foot-2 guard is one of the most athletic combo-guards in the state and is an explosive jumper at the hoop. He can finish above the rim with contact, but he also has the handle and feel necessary to put himself into positions to score in the paint. His outside shot needs some work, but he can get hot from there too. Montanari will need to handle a massive offensive workload, and effectively, if New Bedford is going to have a chance.     Houle is a stud who seems to be underrated in the MIAA hoops scene despite putting up excellent numbers. He's a better athlete at the rim than people realize and he does as good a job getting his shot off from the mid range and three than almost any guard his size in the entire state. He also has super active hands defensively and can even contest shots at the hoop. With his partner in crime [player_tooltip player_id='2716640' first='Ladainian' last='Rodrigues'], Houle and Attleboro should make a title run.     Klass leads a talented Beverly squad that started the year as one of the MIAA favorites. The 6-foot-1 guard has had an excellent season scoring the ball from all three levels; he takes contact very well at the rim and gets fouled quite a bit, but he can also get hot from the mid range and three. He needs to do a better job getting his teammates involved like [player_tooltip player_id='2696662' first='Javi' last='Lopez'] does, because Klass has good enough teammates to make a title run with Beverly.     Bumila is a 6-foot-9, 250 pound center who's committed to play D1 baseball for Texas next season. Wow. But on the basketball court, he has been one of the most dominant bigs in the state. He's an above the rim athlete, and he uses his strength and power to bully defenders under the rim for easy finishes with his strong left hand. I'm not sure Bishop Feehan has enough around Bumila to compete for a title, but he's one of the best players in D1 and should put on some incredible performances in the coming weeks.     Jenkins is only a sophomore, but the 5-foot-10 guard has what it takes to make a real statement in the MIAA playoffs. I've seen him rise to the occasion again and again—whether it be with athletic takes to the rim or deep makes from three—and he can also help his teammates score when the defense overplays him. Jenkins is going to come to play when the games matter the most, I can guarantee you that.     28 seed Brookline has to win a play-in game in order to get into the tournament, but it's possible with Haynes at the helm. The junior guard is ridiculously quick and athletic and has consistently put up amazing performances on both ends for BHS this season. He might not have enough around him to make a true playoff run, but he can be the best player on the court in any game he plays, so you never know.

The MIAA playoffs are here! Five divisions of MIAA basketball action will commence this week, and over the next handful of days, I'll have previews for divisions one through three—including final four and championship predictions, sleeper teams, and stars to watch. I'll then have additional articles highlighting some players to watch from each of those three divisions.