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LEXINGTON | Peabody came oh-so-close to punching its ticket to the Division 1 North semifinals last night.

But ultimately, the visiting Tanners couldn't hold off a late rally by host Lexington and said their season end with a 46-43 quarterfinal loss.

PEABODY | The past two seasons, the Peabody High girls basketball team has been a victim of first round upsets in the state tournament.

Not this season, though.

The Tanners cleared their first postseason hurdle with a 64-38 win over Billerica last night in the first round of the Division 1 North playoffs at Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse.

Peabody is accustomed to winning the Greater Boston League title but now the girls can add an Northeastern Conference Large title as well.

Playing in the conference for the first year, the Tanners (12-2 in NEC, 13-3 overall) used their rebounding advantage to take a 48-45 victory on the road. Peabody outrebounded Lynn English by 20, 53-33.

This isn't a case of David vs. Goliath in girls basketball circles.

What it is, this Northeastern Conference between visiting Peabody (10-2) and host Winthrop (10-1), is a collision of two top notch teams who have already qualified for their respective state tournament brackets.

In addition to cramming for school exams all week the Swampscott girls basketball team was also preparing for a huge test on the court.

The classroom grades may not have been handed out yet, but the Big Blue can breath a little easier knowing they passed their on-court exam last night with a 75-67 defeat of Peabody.

There is a huge NEC matchup between Peabody and Swampscott next Friday night.

The Tanners will come into the game at 10-1 while Swampscott will likely be 11-1.

This game will be a great measuring stick for both teams. Peabody hasn't lost in the NEC, but some would argue that the Tanners are playing an easier schedule in the Large division. Swampscott, meanwhile, is a Small division team that has to play powerful Winthrop twice. It is widely believed that the Big Blue and Vikings are the two best teams in either NEC division.

It remains a goal, not their top priority, but a major one of the Peabody High girls basketball team each season. Qualify for the state tournament as early as possible. The Tanners, behind balanced scoring from a dozen different players, did just that last night, routing host Saugus, 74-48, to punch their tournament ticket for the sixth straight season.

PEABODY | Even when they don't play their best, it's usually enough for the Peabody High girls basketball team to prevail.

While Peabody head coach Jane Heil wasn't happy about some aspects of the game, her Tanners played well enough to earn their sixth straight win in Northeastern Conference play, beating a scrappy Gloucester team, 62-50, at the Veterans Memorial gym.

Old rivals Peabody and Bishop Fenwick will meet today in the Tanner City Holiday Tournament, but not in the finals as both teams had hoped. Instead, they will battle in the consolation game at 3:30.

Peabody suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of last year's New Hampshire state champion Winnacunnet Regional, 56-42, while Fenwick lost by three points to Melrose.

Among North Shore girls basketball coaches, Jane Heil may be the only one who has been coaching long enough to remember when the high school game was broken up into four quarters. She also may be the only coach who doesn't have any gripes about the MIAA going back to that format this season.