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What a winter it was for our local basketball players.

The playoff atmosphere is something every high school athlete should experience, and there was plenty of postseason basketball for our hoopsters considering 80-percent of our boys and girls teams all went dancing. Only Georgetown did not qualify for the tournament for both boys and girls, but Triton, Newburyport, Pentucket and Amesbury all had at least one bout in the bracket.

Unfortunately, most of our local teams had to square off with one another early, but it made for some white-knuckle action on the court especially for the Triton boys, who won close over Pentucket before losing a heart-breaker on the road against Newburyport.

We even had a team play on the parquet at the TD Garden for the first time since the Pentucket boys two years ago thanks to an incredible run by the Amesbury girls.

Before we turn the page on the season, here are some final thoughts on our local squads, beginning with those mighty Indians.

Its safe to say the Amesbury girls were the second best team in Division 3 basketball considering the Archbishop Williams team the Indians nearly beat in the semis went on to destroy Hoosac, 62-37 in the final. A 22-2 overall record is quite the accomplishment.

So what made the red-and-white such a machine?

Balance and big time playmakers.

Head coach Matt Willis had the luxury of going to the hot-hand on a game-to-game basis. Sophomore Flannery OConnor and senior captain Maddie Napoli were consistent offensive performers from wire-to-wire, as indicated by their selection as the Cape Ann League Baker co-Players of the year, but the Indians relied heavily senior captains Julia LaMontagne and Abbie Sartori, fellow senior Mikayla Porcaro, freshman Alli Napoli and sophomore defensive specialist Chelsea Lynch.

It was fitting to see the elder Napoli close out her high school basketball career with an incredible playoff run. When I first started here, she was a sophomore and important piece on the softball team that won a Division 3 North title, so it was nice to see her play so well in another tournament run.

Seeing the team take down Bishop Fenwick was special for many reasons.Fenwick got the better of Amesbury last year, and while she wouldnt admit it, you could tell the victory meant a lot to former Crusader Mikayla Porcaro and her current teammates.

The loss to Archbishop Williams was a tough one. Amesbury held the lead for the majority of the game, and would have likely defeated Hoosac in the final, but closing out their careers at the TD Garden will be something the girls can remember for the rest of their lives.

With the loss of such crucial seniors, how will Amesbury be going forward?

Hard to replace the captains, but its also near impossible to stop OConnor. As she continues to develop an already impressive touch around the rim and repertoire of post moves, OConnor will be one of the top players in the CAL next winter. Alli Napoli, the other half of the Indians splash sisters, gives Willis a powerful, one-two punch with OConnor going forward.

The best news for Tribe fans is the way the two underclassmen delivered in the playoffs.

Next up is coach Tom LItaliens Clipper boys, who made it all the way to the Division 3 North semifinals to finish at 19-4.

After the first two games of the regular season, its hard to imagine Newburyport would go on to win 13 straight and earn a No. 2 seed in the D3 North tournament.

But thanks to a commitment to LItaliens system by every man on the squad, the Clippers experienced tremendous success on the court including a satisfying victory over Lynnfield late in the regular season and then the thrilling triumph over Triton in front of a massive crowd at the NHS gym.

Like the Indian girls, Newburyport relied on many important players, led by the seniors and a stellar sophomore. Senior captain Nick Rogers was the most dangerous man from downtown in the area as he developed into more than just a spot-up shooter. He hit many a contested, pull-up trifecta and was a nightmare for opposing defenses, while senior captain Brendan Powers and seniors Cam MacRae and Rob Shay were instrumental in the teams success.

Then there was Casey McLaren. After struggling some with his shot early in the season, the sophomore shook off the slump and became one of the best two-way players I saw this winter, and he rose to the big moments in the playoff wins over Lynn Tech and the Vikings.

With McLaren for two more years, Newburyport has something to build around despite the loss of the seniors. George Coryell is another guy to keep an eye on as he is an outstanding defender who has shown flashes of offensive ability. Hes energy guy, and with a few developmental tweaks to his offensive game, a definite candidate for CAL all-star next year.

If I were picking a front-runner for the most successful squad in 2017/2018, for both boys and girls, it would be the Pentucket ladies.

Head coach John McNamara continues to churn out successful season after successful season, and this was another strong winter for the CAL Kinney champion Sachems despite how it ended when the team lost at home to eventual D2 North champ and state runner-up Arlington Catholic.

Well start with the seniors.

McNamara said his four eldest players and team captains Colleen Jameson, Alyssa Demeule, Natalie Davis and Katie Giusti were four of the best captains hes had in a while, and while only Jameson and Demeule were heavy presences on the court this year, the entire group will be missed going forward.

The biggest reason for optimism is the young talent.

Liv Cross, a sophomore, emerged as a talented, two-way player and very good rebounder as she will be the focal point in the paint going forward. But its the young guards coupled with junior Isabella Doyle, that must have McNamara grinning wide at the prospect of next year.

Freshman Casey Hunt, sophomore Maddie Doyle, sophomore Jess Galvin, freshman Angelica Hurley and freshman Angelina Yacubacci all got valuable experience for the Sachems this year and each brings a interesting offensive skill set and serious defensive intensity to the table.

The Triton boys (15-8) nearly pulled off the improbable upset of Newburyport in the playoffs in a year in which coach Dave Clays guys were able to rally from a disappointing end to 2015/16 to qualify for the postseason this winter.

Senior captain Jack McCarthy was one of the most improved guys on the court from a year ago among local players as he developed into a really tough slasher while playing excellent defense, which is required of any guy who wants to play for Clay. Senior captain Liam Spillane wasnt the most skilled guy on the court in any game, but his set of intangibles and overall physicality was a big reason why the Vikings were such a formidable foe.

Then there was junior captain Will Parsons, who might have the best offensive game of any local player, and his willingness to sacrifice his body at the other end resulted in a dozen charges taken for the forward. Parsons, like Ports McLaren, is one of the guys to watch in the league next year.

Rounding out the girls playoff teams are Triton (13-9) and Newburyport (11-10)

The Vikings dispatched Melrose at home in the postseason thanks to an incredible performance by Tessa Lafrance in what was a historic season for the senior captain as she etched her name in the program record books by eclipsing the 1000-point bench mark.

Head coach Dan Boyle will certainly miss Lafrance and fellow senior captains Erin Savage and Melanie Primpas, but he will return some tough players in Alex and Meredith Kennedy, Bridget Sheehan, Colleen McCarthy and Caitlin White and Izzy Cambese who are all familiar with Boyles system.

The Clipper girls were one-and-done after falling to Pentucket in the opening round, but its hard to get down on Port considering the team lost sophomore star Anna Hickman to a knee injury midway through the season.

Hickman will be back next year along with gifted point guard Krysta Padellaro, while the evolution of forwards Katie Hadden (sophomore) and Paige Gouldthorpe (junior) make the Clippers a very dangerous team headed into next year.

Senior captains Olivia Olson and Kaitlin Ahern are the two seniors graduating.

The last two boys teams are Pentucket and Amesbury, who both qualified for the tournament before falling in their respective first games.

The Indians will have to replace Kyle Martin, Will Parady and Eric Dawes, the three senior captains, but the Indians have some promising guys returning in Billy Sydlowski, John Sydlowski and Zach Labrecque.

Pentucket should be in good shape moving forward with Nathan McGrail, Spencer Pacy and Gus Flaherty all coming back, but replacing Jimmy Cleary and Conor ONeil will be no easy task.

The two teams who didnt qualify were the Georgetown squads.

Hunter Lane and Colin Dow give the Royals (6-14) a lot to feel good about inside moving on to next year and the team should only improve under head coach Brian Shields, who was in his first season with the squad as head coach.

The girls meanwhile went 3-19, but have some players with high character and solid skill returning, led by the Donoghue sisters Brenna and Caitlin, who both earned second team CAL all-star honors.

Full Court Press is a column on local high school basketball that runs in the Daily News during the winter season. Contact sports editor Dan Harrison at 978-961-3150, dharrison@newburyportnews.com and follow him on Twitter at DanHarrison_NDN.

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THAT'S A WRAP: Final thoughts on the local boys and girls basketball seasons - The Daily News of Newburyport