Redmen Roundup: Hockey Teams Crack Top 25

The Tewksbury High boys and girls ice hockey teams are off to strong starts this season with just one loss between them.

They were rewarded this week when they each cracked the Top 25 in the Massachusetts High School Hockey Rankings published by Boston Herald columnist Jim Clark in his "In The Slot" blog. The rankings are calculated using the Ratings Percentage Index.

As of Jan. 8, the RPI rating system has the Tewksbury boys (5-1-1) ranked No. 21. Catholic Memorial is ranked No. 1, followed by St. John's Prep, BC High and Reading. Chelmsford High, the only team to beat the Redmen this season, is ranked No. 10.

The Tewksbury/Methuen girls team, uneaten at 3-0-2, is ranked No. 23 according to the RPI. Duxbury is No. 1, followed by Woburn, Hingham and Falmouth.

Boys Basketball

Central Catholic 89, Tewksbury 60

The Redmen got off to another slow start and once again it cost them. Central Catholic bolted to a 27-14 lead after one quarter, built the advantage to 47-26 at the half and cruised to victory.

Tewksbury dropped to 4-5 on the season with the loss. The Redmen were led by Alex DiRocco, who dropped in 18 points.

Girls Basketball

Central Catholic 42, Tewksbury 13

Just one game after holding an opponent under 20 points themselves, the Redmen were on the receiving end of a dominating defensive effort. CC ran out to a 19-4 lead after one quarter and were never threatened.