PLAYOFF PREVIEW: NECC to host Quarterfinal Double-Header on Thursday

Haverhill, MA (February 23, 2026) – The Northern Essex Community College men's and women's basketball teams will kick off the post-season on Thursday evening as both programs will host NJCAA Region 21/East District Quarterfinal matchups at the Sport and Fitness Center on the Haverhill campus. The women who are seeded third in the tournament will host sixth seeded Quinsigamond at 5:30pm, while the men have earned the top seed for a fourth consecutive year and will host eighth seeded Bristol at 7:30pm.

WOMEN:

The Knights will enter the post-season with a 10-4 conference (13-11 overall) record and winners of four straight. Three players are averaging double digits in scoring led by Rhaelyn Gutierrez (Methuen) who enters the playoffs scoring 19.4 points per game and is 17 points shy of scoring 1,000 in her two seasons at NECC.

Shaneley Henriquez (Haverhill) has had a breakout second season as she is currently averaging 14 points per game while Kelsie Martinez (Lawrence) averages a double-double with 11.3 points and 10 rebounds per game.

As a team the Knights have been dominate on the glass outrebounding the opponents by nearly 18 boards per game with Rebecca Heathman (Billerica) forming a strong rebounding tandem with Martinez averaging 8.8 rebounds per game.

A win on Thursday would send the Knights to semi-finals for a third straight season and a matchup with Holyoke on Friday evening, with the tournament winner advancing to the national tournament in Brownwood, TX. Full playoff schedule is below.

MEN:

NECC has earned the tournament's top seed and will look to become only the second program in region history to win four straight tournament titles. They enter the post-season with a 20-2 conference record (27-3 overall) and ranked #2 in the final national poll of season released earlier today. The national ranking is the highest in school history. With the top seed the Knights have earned home court advantage throughout their post-season run.

Led by 1,000-point scorer Alejandro Delgado (Haverhill) who enters the post-season averaging a double-double of 18.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.

Christian Sanders (Boston) joins Delgado averaging a double-double with 12.2 points per game and 10.1 rebounds, while Alex Johnson (Worcester) is scoring at 12.5 points per game.

The Knights rank among the nations best in several categories, including ranking fourth in team defense forcing 18.5 turnovers per game, while ranking seventh in scoring at 89.5 points per game.

Advancing through to the semi-finals would see the Knights host a semi-final game on Friday night against the winner of MassBay and CC Rhode Island. The tournament champion will receive one of eight automatic bids to the 12 team national tournament in Herkimer, NY. Full schedule below.

Women's Tournament Seeding & Schedule:
1. CC Rhode Island
2. Holyoke
3. Northern Essex
4. Bristol
5. Bunker Hill
6. Quinsigamond

Quarterfinals – Thursday 2/26
#6 Quinsigamond @ #3 Northern Essex 5:30pm
#5 Bunker Hill @ #4 Bristol 6:00pm
Semi-Finals – Friday 2/27
QCC/NECC Winner @ Holyoke
BHCC/BCC Winner @ CCRI
Championship – Sunday 3/1
Two Semi-Final Winners at highest remaining seed

Men's Tournament Seeding & Schedule:
1. Northern Essex
2. Massasoit
3. Quincy
4. CC Rhode Island
5. MassBay
6. Springfield Tech
7. Roxbury
8. Bristol

Quarterfinals – Thursday 2/26
Game 1: #8 Bristol at #1 Northern Essex
Game 2: #7 Roxbury at #2 Massasoit
Game 3: #6 STCC at #3 Quincy
Game 4: #5 MassBay at #4 CCRI

Semifinals - Friday 2/27
Game 5: NECC/Bristol Winner vs MassBay/CCRI Winner
Game 6: Roxbury/Massasoit Winner vs STCC/Quincy Winner

Championship - Sunday 3/1
Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 6 @ highest remaining seed

Updates throughout the post-season will be made available on the NECC Athletics website, www.neccknights.com and on Instagram and X @neccknights