Fitchburg, Worcester to host basketball semifinal games
By Sean Sweeney Journal Correspondent

FRANKLIN - The full house at Friday afternoon's Central Mass. Tournament Pairings Meetings got a little more information than they anticipated getting out of the gathering, and for once it was good news from the MIAA.

Central Mass. Tournament Director Roger Bacon announced to the standing room only crowd that the Central- Western State Semifinals will be played in Worcester County this year, with the three girls' state semis being played at Fitchburg State College's Recreation Center on Tuesday, March 13.

It is the first time that the city of Fitchburg, located in northern Worcester County, has hosted the state semifinals, while the city of Worcester, well known for its postseason high school tournaments, will host the boys' games.

The Division 1 boys' state semifinal will be played at the Hart Center on the campus of Holy Cross, while the Division 2 boys' games will be played at the Laska Gymnasium on the campus of Assumption College, located on Salisbury Street in Worcester.

Those sites will host games on Wednesday, March 14.

For numerous years, Bacon said, there had been issues with holding the state semis in Worcester County, as many venues were already booked with other events during the early part of the third week in March, such as the Patriot League's conference tournament at Holy Cross. But this year, the planets aligned nicely, and the Central Mass. champions will not have to drive all the way out to Amherst and the Mullins Center to face the Western Mass. champions.

"The way it was supposed to work out was that it was one year in Central Mass., then one year in the west and vice versa," Bacon said. "About five years ago, because we had no place in Central Mass. to host the state tournament, we went to the west. We were using the (DCU Center), but we ran into NCAA games and circuses and other commitments the building had.

"But now we're trying to get back on track of every other year, and the feeling was we'd find some local colleges to host them."

Bacon said he's only been up to Fitchburg State's new building, once since it opened in 2000, and said he is impressed with it. The building, located on North Street near the city's downtown area, has a small amount of parking - there is a small, gravel lot adjacent to the building as well as a longer, paved lot on the side headed toward the main campus.

There is also a smaller lot across the street, which is bounded by a residential area. The city also built a new commuter parking lot at the intersection of North and Main Streets, with the Recreation Center only a three-minute walk from the MBTA-owned facility.

"Parking is a problem at all the colleges," Bacon admitted. "WPI (for the Central Mass. semis and finals) especially, as you know. Assumption's parking is pretty good. Holy Cross has parking, but they are going to be in session, so that'll take up the parking, too."