WORCESTER, Mass. - The high school basketball season kicked off with a bang in Central Massachusetts. 

South High has got to be the most improved team in the state, Head coach Diago McClain and assistant coach Sam O'Gara have turned the Colonels into one of the best teams in Central Mass .and a squad that will certainly make noise in the state playoffs at the end of the year.  They play a suffocating brand of defense. They press and trap and create a lot of turnovers, and they are an aggressive up tempo team on offense, that has scorers at every position. 

St. Paul is a young squad that does not have a lot of experience at the varsity level, but head coach Barry Finneran always does a great job teaching the girls and his Knights team will definitely get better week to week and game to game.  South was too much on this night with an impressive 58-33 win. 

Across the way, it was a typical big game at Doherty High School: sold out, the doors locked and a huge group of kids waiting outside and hoping they can somehow get in.  Inside, the Wachusett and Doherty teams didn't disappoint fans. It was a game of runs, and went back and forth all night.

Wachusett made the final run over the last two minutes and came away with a hard fought 48-42 win.  It's a rematch our Kevin Shea is already looking forward to. He has all the highlights from both games in the video above.