Haverhill, MA (February 27, 2026) – The top seeded Northern Essex Community College men's basketball team punched their ticket to the Region 21/East District championship game for the fifth consecutive year on Friday night as they as they dispatched MassBay by a 101-74 final score. In the process, the Knights improved their overall record to 29-3.

The Region 21/East District Championship game will be played on Sunday at 12:00pm at the Sport and Fitness on the Haverhill campus.

The Knights jumped out to 6-0 lead in the opening minutes led wire to wire for 40 minutes as they took a nine-point advantage to the locker room at halftime leading 42-33.

Jay'von Depina (Brockton) continued his hot start to the post-season as he drained four three pointers on his way to scoring a team high 17 points.

A trio of teammates joined Depina in double figures as Alejandro Delgado (Haverhill) recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Christian Sanders (Boston) and Jacob Mercedes (Salem) each scored 10 points.

The Knights continued their high-pressure defense and forced the Bucs into 18 turnovers in the game.

The game saw a combined 54 fouls called against both teams.