DOVER - Dover-Sherborn (11-9) defeated Millis (2-18), 54-31, last night in a Division 4 South state tournament boys' basketball game.
Wait a minute. Two and 18? What in the name of Isiah Thomas were the Millis boys doing in the state basketball tournament with a 2-18 regular-season record? Don't you need a .500-or-better record to get into the Massachusetts high school tournament? Isn't a spot in the tournament a reward for a winning season?
Actually, no. This is Massachusetts, which means plenty of loopholes, confusion, and inclusion. Ours is a state with Blue Laws, hideous auto insurance regulations, chaotic roadways, and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's Sullivan Rule.
Maureen Sullivan is director of the Bedford Chamber of Commerce and a junior varsity girls' basketball coach at Concord-Carlisle in the Dual County League. From 1987-2002, she was coach of the Bedford girls' varsity team and she found it unfair that Bedford - a Division 3 school - was annually punished for playing in a league with bigger, stronger schools from a higher divi sion.
"We had to play Lincoln-Sudbury, Newton South, all those schools, and we would automatically go into the season with 10 losses," said Sullivan. "One year we beat Wayland and they wound up going all the way to the Boston Garden. I thought to myself, 'This is crazy.' "
She went to work for a year and a half, soliciting support from other athletic departments. And in 1997-98, a new rule was instituted. The rule states that if a school plays 70 percent or more of its schedule against schools in a higher division, said school shall need only to play .500 or better in games in its own division to qualify for the state tournament.
Which brings us to Millis. The Mohawks play in the Tri-Valley League, along with Dover-Sherborn, Medfield, Hopkinton, Westwood, and other towns in Metro West. Millis has a young team this season and went 0-18 in the Tri-Valley League. Millis's two wins (nonleague) came against Division 4 Marian. That meant Millis was 2-2 in Division 4 (the Division 4 losses were to Dover-Sherborn), which meant Millis qualified for the tournament. The Mohawks were seeded 18th out of 18 teams in Division 4 South.
"I love the rule because it equalizes the playing field," Sullivan said. "Any time you give a kid an opportunity to be part of a state tournament, it's wonderful."
"It provides relief for smaller schools that play in leagues with powerhouse teams from bigger divisions," said Bill McGuirk, assistant director of the MIAA.
Asked if the situation is a tad awkward or embarrassing, Virginia Anderson, associate executive director of the MIAA, said, "We take guidance from our members, and no one seems angry about it. It doesn't happen very often, but there are two or three teams this year. I've had some calls from people at other schools wondering why their 4-16 team didn't qualify for the tournament."
Not every school picks up the option. This year's Stoneham boys' basketball team went 3-17, but finished 2-0 in its division, which meant Stoneham qualified for the Division 3 tournament. Athletic director David Pignone declined the invitation, and it ticked off some Stoneham parents.
"I understand why the rule is there, but I just don't think we were a very competitive team," said Pignone. "I think you have to earn it, and even though our record allowed us to go, I didn't think our competitiveness and sportsmanship this year earned the opportunity."
Low seeds have occasionally conquered. In the spring of 1998, the Hopkinton girls, an 8-12 team seeded 12th in their bracket, won the Division 4 state championship. Lady "Hoosiers." Sullivan thinks 6-18 New Mission (an 87-25 winner over Mystic Valley Monday) has a chance this year. Sometimes teams find new muscles when they move down to their own division after spending the season over their heads.
Millis has about 300 boys and girls in grades 9-12 - smallest in the Tri-Valley by far.
"People look at this system and say that it's crazy, but it does make sense," said Tom Ingraham, Millis's coach for 15 years. "We don't cry about the league we're in. The idea of this tournament is to find the best team in Division 4, and if we played a Division 4 schedule, we wouldn't be 2-18."
Millis lost to Dover-Sherborn by scores of 60-33 and 68-44 during the regular season, but still had hope for a tourney upset. The Mohawks led, 14-13, after one quarter last night, but scored only 8 points in the middle two quarters. Heart and desire could not make up for lack of offensive firepower.
"It's been a heck of a run," said Millis captain Nick Bayliss. "We haven't had the best of records, but there's a great atmosphere around our team. If you came to our practices, you'd think we were 18-2 instead of 2-18. There's so much young talent. These guys will be good next year."
"It was good to get this tournament experience," added sophomore guard Andrew Bonzey. "I like the Sullivan Rule. This is going to help us next year."
Andrew is a center fielder on the Millis baseball team. Bet the Mohawks make the tournament this spring.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is dshaughnessy@globe.com.
