The next rung up the ladder.

This is by far the best time of year for high school basketball fans, as the stakes go up in each successive game of the MIAA basketball tournaments.

Jack Colby is fouled

while shooting.

(Kara Colby photo)

Last night at Taunton High, I watched the Mansfield Hornets put on a clinic against a talented boys' team from Needham, winning 73-52 to advance to Friday's Division 1-South final against Brockton. The challenge was to prove how much you had learned about your opponent between the opening game of the Mansfield Roundball Classic (won by Mansfield 63-58) and last night, and the Hornets proved themselves the better students.

In the first game, the Rockets threw in 12 three-point baskets, five of those coming in a fourth-quarter rally. This time out, the Hornets did a better job of challenging the outside shot and limited Needham to just four in the game.

Mansfield got out to a fast start, leading 22-16 after a racehorse first quarter, but both teams slowed the pace some in the second and that worked in Needham's favor, leading to a 13-9 edge for the Rockets and a two-point Mansfield lead at the half.

Coaches always say that a fast start to the third quarter often bodes well for the rest of the game, and so it was for the Hornets. They embarked upon a 17-2 run, and back-to-back three-pointers by Sam Stevens (20 points) made it 46-33 -- and essentially, that was it for Needham. T.J. Guy played a strong, focused game in the paint and finished with 17 points, and Matty Boen added 15 points and 12 rebounds in another complete effort. Andrew Rooney also turned in another great defensive effort, limiting Will Dorion to 16 points, three below his output from the previous game.

The Hornets will play again Friday in their fourth straight D1-South final, meeting second-seeded Brockton, a 70-60 upset winner over BC High. Nayvon Reid and Todd Robinson netted 15 points apiece and Diamond Blakely added 11 as the Boxers capitalized upon some truly questionable offensive decisions by the Eagles to gain control in the second half.

Meanwhile, my attention shifts today to the girls' Division 2-South semifinal, also at Taunton's Rabouin Field House (5:30 start), as the No. 2 Foxboro Warriors meet No. 3 Old Rochester for the second time in two weeks.

The first meeting was in the championship of the Warrior Classic at Foxboro, and while Foxboro came away with a hard-earned 34-26 victory in which only four Bulldogs scored, the real concern has to be their defensive ability. ORR guard Maggie Brogioli stuck to Foxboro's Katelyn Mollica like glue and limited her to eight points -- something that obviously must be of some concern to Coach Lisa Downs and her staff.

Another factor that can't be dismissed is the emotional one. Old Rochester coach Bob Hohne has announced that he will retire after 41 seasons at the helm, so clearly, his Bulldogs want to go out as winners.

I'll be there for Foxboro Cable Access, and I expect a terrific game. But rarely at this time of year do I see a game that isn't.