Men’s Hoops Battles Bunker Hill in Region 21 Semifinals

BROCKTON, Mass. --- The Massasoit men's basketball team will take on top seed Bunker Hill in the Region 21 Tournament semifinals on Saturday at 4 PM, hosted by Massasoit.

The Warriors and Bulldogs will face off for the fourth time this season. Massasoit captured the first meeting, 68-66, but has since fallen by scores of 65-54 and 77-47.

The 2016-17 Region 21 Tournament marks the first time that Massasoit will host it as a Division III program, having been a Division II program since 1990 prior to this season.

The other semifinal contest features No. 2 Bristol vs No. 3 MassBay at 6 PM.

The Region Championship game will take place on Sunday at 2 PM in Brockton.

Below is a breakdown of each of the men's teams in the tournament:

#1 BUNKER HILL (20-5, 17-3)

HOW THE BULLDOGS GOT HERE: BHCC earned the top seed in the tourney utilizing a balanced offensive attack. The Bulldogs average 80.9 points a game with only two players netting 10ppg. In total, eight players score north of 6.3 points as head coach Nkrumah Jones features the deepest team in the region. BHCC earned the top seed over Bristol despite sharing identical 17-3 records due to a tiebreak victory against MassBay.

>> The Bulldogs own a 5-3 record against tournament opponents. Bunker Hill split with Bristol, MassBay and Massasoit during the regular season and topped both the Warriors and the Bucs to win the MCCAC Championship last week at Quinsigamond.

>> BHCC gets after it on the glass, pulling down 47.6 rebounds per game, 18.4 being offensive. The team average ranks seventh in the NJCAA in that statistic.

>> The Bulldogs are currently on a five-game win streak.

Player to Watch: Taris Wilson Jr., G (13.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.9 apg)

#2 BRISTOL (17-5, 17-3)

HOW THE BAYHAWKS GOT HERE: Bristol produced an impressive regular season, tying with Bunker Hill with a league-best record of 17-3. The high-powered offense of the Bayhawks averaged a league-high 87.6 ppg, reaching the century mark on three occasions. Defensively, the Bayhawks are very active, averaging 10.1 steals per game.

>> Bristol went 3-4 during the season against tournament opponents. The Bayhawks will face MassBay for the fourth time this season, losing all three previous meetings, including in the MCCAC Semifinals last week.

>> The Bayhawks are 8-2 over their last 10 games, with the two losses coming to MassBay. 

Player to Watch: Armani Baker, F (17.3 ppg, 10 rpg)

#3 MASSBAY (17-12, 13-7)

HOW THE BUCCANEERS GOT HERE: MassBay has had an interesting 2016-17 season with regards to its record. The Bucs earned the No. 3 seed despite losing only one league game. However, an ineligible player forced MassBay to forfeit six wins to finish 13-7 in the region. Despite being the No. 3 seed, MassBay has one of the talented teams in Region 21.

>> The Bucs narrowly edged No. 6 seed Gateway, 84-83, in Framingham on Wednesday in a tournament play-in game to reach the semifinals.

>> MassBay owns a 5-3 record against tourney opponents. Bucs are 3-0 vs Bristol.

>> MassBay leads the league in 3pt percentage, free throw percentage and rebounding. The Bucs rank in the top-10 nationally in all three team statistics.

Player to Watch: Kameron Jimenez-Fox, F (21.6 ppg, 14.6 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.8 spg, 1.2 bpg)

#4 MASSASOIT (14-11, 12-8)

HOW THE WARRIORS GOT HERE: Massasoit topped UConn-Avery Point, 57-53, in a home Region 21 Tournament play-in game on Wednesday and will battle Bunker Hill for the fourth time this season. The Warriors produce an enforcing front court with five players 6-foot-3 or taller.

>> The win vs UCAP snapped Massasoit's 4-game losing streak.

>> Massasoit is 2-5 against tournament teams, with a 86-84 regular season win vs. Bunker Hill at home and picking up a forfeit win vs MassBay. The Warriors are 1-2 against the Bulldogs on the year.

>> The Warriors receive a bulk of their scoring from three players in Mike Ward (20 ppg), Ian Wade (11.2 ppg) and Jovani Harper-Lopez (10.8).

Player to Watch: Mike Ward, C (20 ppg, 8.5 rpg)