What You Need to Know About the Hornets' State Title Game Against Putnam.

Time and Place

The Hornets will play the Putnam Beavers for the MIAA Division 1 State championship at 7:30 p.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster for $17 for adults and $11.50 for students and seniors. Children under five may watch the game for free.

For those looking to avoid Ticketmaster fees, they may buy tickets at the DCU Center box office. Tickets will cost $8 for students and seniors and $13 for adults. The box office is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on the day of the game.

Transportation and Parking

There will be one fan bus leaving Mansfield High School at 6 p.m. the first 40 students who bring in their permission slip and $5 fee this week will ride the bus.

For those driving to the game, the DCU Center has provided a list of nearby places to park.

For directions to the DCU Center from Mansfield, click here.

Getting to Know the Beavers

At 23-1, the Putnam Beavers beat Milford 52-39 to advance to the state championship. Behind tough defense and great rebounding, the Beavers have won every tournament game this year by double digits.

KayJuan Bynum has been a scoring force in the low post for the Beavers and has lead the team in rebounding. The Hornets will have to keep an eye on Dizel Wright and his talents as an offensive rebounder. Against Milford, many of his 17 points came off of second and third chance points.

Who is Stepping up This Time?

Last time it was Kevin Conner and any of the players in the Horners rotation could have a big game. The selfless play of the Hornets means the player with the best look is getting the shot no matter who it is.

Talking to reporters about the win against Central Catholic, Conner said, "My team is great at passing, great a being unselfish and dishing the ball off to each other. It was a team effort overall. It was more of the team play than just me."

Hockomock League MVP Brendan Hill is hoping to make an impact after remaining quiet for most of the tournament. Mansfield coach Michael Vaughan said he told Hill before the State semifinals he needed to score more and encouraged the sophomore to be more aggresive.

Cover it Live Will be Back!

Fans who cannot make it to Worcester but would like to get the latest updates can do so though Mansfield Patch's Cover it Live blog. Anytime the Hornets score, go on the fast break, or slam down a dunk, we'll let you know. Coverage on our website starts 30 minutes before the scheduled game time