Rounds one and two of the 2019 Rec. Basketball playoffs have passed. Only four teams remain while the rest of the league just sits and watches, some with a box of tissues in case they are reminded of their crushed dreams. The winner of the Knicks and Warriors will play the winner of the Thunder and Rockets for the championship game at Walpole High School on Sunday March 3, at 2:40 p.m.

The ninth seeded Knicks will take on the fifth seeded Warriors in the first of the two semi-final matchups at Walpole High School, Saturday March 2, at 4:45 p.m. This game will showcase the talents of Andrew White, Aidan Murray, Jay Goodrich, Michael Connelly and Jonathan White for the Knicks against the talents of Jack Magane, Will Jarvis and Brendan Killeen of the Warriors.

(9) Knicks (7-5) The Knicks began their playoff run with an upset against the Celtics, winning 55-44. Senior Brendan Moser’s contribution of over 30 of the Celtics’ 44 points was no match for the swift talents of seniors Andrew White and Aidan Murray of the Knicks. On Sunday, the Knicks went in looking for their second upset in a row, leaving with exactly that as they beat the number one overall seed Mavericks, 59-57. Against the Mavericks, the Knicks kept themselves in the game through White’s delicious three point shooting and Murray’s dazzling layup and ball control package. For the Mavericks, junior Niall Gallagher went home early after fouling out in the fifth quarter, which made the Knicks job a whopping 200 pounds easier. “I think the team is coming together at the right time. We still have not played a complete game but if we all play to our potential we are unbeatable. We are playing the Warriors in the semi-finals and I expect nothing less than a W. Anything less than a championship is unacceptable,” White said. Right beside White, Murray said, “we have had the goal to make a deep playoff run and we are playing our best basketball at the best time. White is showing why he is the MVP and I think everyone has us as the team to beat after knocking out the number one seed.”

(5) Warriors (10-3) In their first game of the postseason, the Warriors went up against the 76ers who put up a good fight that was not enough as the Warriors won, 80-70. Moving on, the three headed giant Warriors of juniors Jack Magane, Will Jarvis and Brendan Killeen handled the Cavaliers in the 48-42 victory. Senior Matt Donato and junior Dan Colbert of the Cavaliers did as much as they could but like every other team that lost, it was not enough. “I think we are playing at a high level and if we play like that we can win the whole thing. Murray and the rest of the Knicks are not ready,” Magane said. Magane’s right hand man, Jarvis said, “our team is going to beat Murray’s team easily and I do not see either team in the other semi-final beating us.”

The sixth seeded Thunder will take on the seventh seeded Rockets in the second of the two semi-final matchups at Walpole High School, Saturday March 2, at 5:45 p.m. This game will showcase the talents of James Berton, Gautam Narayan, Harry Katsaros and Paul and Charles Sacramona for the Thunder against the talents of Pat Kearns, Matt Schultz, Pat Sullivan, Greg O’Connell and Ted Harrington of the Rockets.

(6) Thunder (9-3) The Thunder started their campaign as they struck the Wizards with the might of Thor’s hammer as they rumbled through the matchup with ease, winning 60-40. Next up was the Bulls who had quite a large hole to fill as they were missing senior Ben Scannell for the second game in a row due to his love for traveling the world. Good for Scannell but not good for the Bulls, as the Thunder won, 54-49, in a game where Walpole native Austin Prendergast and junior Paul Vozzella put up a good fight. Rumor has it Prendergast was playing with a possible broken collarbone, but no reports have come out as medical records have not been released. Seniors James Berton, Gautam Narayan, Harry Katsaros and Paul and Charles Sacramona of the Thunder are looking for a statement win against a strong Rockets team. “I feel like our team has been playing well up to this point but we still have not played our best game yet. Saturday needs to be that game if we want to come out on top,” Berton said. Berton’s teammate, Narayan said that “versus everyone you need to guard five, but versus us you need to guard ten. That is how deep we are and no one is going to stop us.”

(7) Rockets (8-4) The Rockets took on the Spurs in their first round matchup in which senior Pat Kearns led the charge with over 20 points in the 72-59 win. For their next game, the Rockets arrived at the sold out Johnson Middle School gym expecting a tough game. The Magic seemed to have an off night as they put up their second fewest points in the whole season in addition to allowing the most points from an opponent. Kearns has made a strong case for league MVP after putting up 22 points along with 10 rebounds and one assist for his second double-double in a row in their first two playoff games. “After the regular season ended, I feel like our team really began to click. We started playing defense and now we are rolling and scoring lot of points, which makes us hard to beat,” Kearns said. Starting point guard for the Rockets, senior Matt Schultz said, “people thought we would get knocked out in the first round and now we are averaging the most points in the playoffs with two easy double digit win, Berton and the Thunder are not ready.”