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High School Basketball headlines

  • Maggie Hoffman of Avon notches 50th career win

    Thursday's game might have looked like an easy victory for the Avon softball team, but it marked a milestone for senior Maggie Hoffman, who recorded her 50th career win in a 14-0 shutout against visiting Bristol County. "I work hard during the offseason and stay late at practice every day," Hoffman said, "I knew my 50th career win could come this year, so I've been working really hard to reach that." Hoffman struck out four, walked none, and contributed a home run and double as Avon improved to 12-1. "When I met Maggie she was in seventh grade and I thought she'd be good for JV," said Panthers coach Karen McCarthy. "Then I saw her pitch and said, 'You've got to be kidding me.' "(   05/03/2013 12:00 AM )

  • St. John's Prep cruises by Xaverian, 7-3

    St. John's Prep suffered its first and only loss of the season against Xaverian back on April 4. The No. 1 ranked Eagles did not let history repeat itself in the rematch with the Hawks on Wednesday, cruising to an easy 7-3 road victory in Westwood. St. John's Prep (12-1) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard lit up in this one. Nick Bragole drove a solo home run into the neighboring lacrosse field in the top of the first inning. The drive gave Eagles starter Brandon Bingel a lead to protect early and it was a lead he would not relinquish. The senior struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings of work and sat the Hawks down in order on three occasions. It was a much different outing than Bingel had a week ago against BC High.(   05/01/2013 11:00 PM )

  • Acton's Megan Wiggins still scorching net in return to Bentley lacrosse program

    Bentley women's lacrosse coach Carissa Medeiros never saw Megan Wiggins play the game at Acton-Boxborough Regional, where she was a second team Dual County League all-star as a senior. Even after Wiggins enrolled at Bentley, her freshman season ended abruptly because of back pain that required injections and physical therapy. "But when I first saw her try out as a red-shirt sophomore, Megan's stick skills just blew me away and I was impressed with her speed for a player of her size," recalled Medeiros. The graduate student, who netted a goal and added three assists Tuesday on senior night as the Falcons (11-4 overall, 9-2 Northeast-10) rolled to their fifth straight victory, toppling Merrimack, 19-10, ranks fourth in program history in goals (141) and points (200). (   04/28/2013 12:00 AM )

  • St. John's Prep promotes John Duella to boys' basketball coach

    St. John's Prep varsity basketball coach Sean Connolly stepped down in March, but athletic director Jim O'Leary didn't have to look far for a replacement. The Eagles announced Monday that assistant John Duella will succeed Connolly. "I'm thankful to everyone at St. John's Prep for the opportunity to be head coach and their confidence in me to keep the program going in the right direction," Duella said. "This is something I've always wanted and I couldn't ask for a better team." Duella said he expressed interest in the position as soon as Connolly, who led the Eagles for five years, stepped down. He found out he got the job last week but had to keep it a secret until the official announcement Monday. (   04/09/2013 4:41 AM )

  • Haverhill's Noah Vonleh impresses in McDonald's All-American game

    CHICAGO - Ever since Wayne Selden and Noah Vonleh first crossed paths, they have competed against each other on the basketball court. It started in AAU ball, when Selden, a Roxbury native, joined Leo Papile's Boston Amateur Basketball Club and Vonleh, a Haverhill resident, suited up for Vin Pastore's Mass Rivals squad. And it continued into prep school, where this past season, as seniors, Vonleh's New Hampton School squad twice defeated Selden's Tilton team. On Wednesday night, however, they found themselves donning the same bright red, golden arch emblemed uniforms in the 36th annual McDonald's All-American game at the United Center. With Selden off to the University of Kansas in the fall, and Vonleh committed to Indiana, it will likely be the only time in the immediate future that they will wear the same uniform (   04/07/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Support pours in for fired Walpole girls' basketball coach Decision to let coach go shocks Walpole supporters

    The e-mails and calls of support and outrage are pouring in for Stacy Bilodeau, the Walpole High School girls' basketball coach who was let go in late March after 11 years in the job. "It's been very nice to hear and I'm very pleased about the support from former players, and players and parents," said Bilodeau, who said she was caught by surprise when she learned that school principal Stephen Imbusch was not renewing her one-year contract. "I'm just really sad right now about not being able to coach the girls." School superintendent Lincoln Lynch issued a press release Thursday saying that both he and the School Committee support Imbusch's decision, and that the principal had met with Bilodeau to tell her why her contract wasn't renewed. "The issues behind the decision had been brought to her attention several times over the past years," the release said. Her team went 13-8 this season and won the Bay State Conference Herget Division title. (   04/07/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Lauren Petit, Medfield High girls' basketball prepped for another title run

    When the buzzer sounded on Medfield High's 54-36 win over Nashoba Regional last Saturday at the DCU Center, and the Warriors were crowned Division 2 state champions, Lauren Petit's emotions ran the gamut. "The last two minutes we were up a fair amount so we just wanted the game to be over and we wanted to win, but we also didn't want our season to be over. It was kind of mixed feelings, but it was awesome." Luckily for Petit, that was not the end. The Warriors will return almost their entire roster to make a run at a second consecutive state title. Led by Petit, a junior and the Tri-Valley League's Most Valuable Player this season, Medfield will have nine of its 12 varsity players back, including four starters. (   03/23/2013 11:50 PM )

  • For Archbishop Williams girls, a new era begins

    The state champion Archbishop Williams girls' basketball team is entering a new era with new stars. (   03/23/2013 11:47 PM )

  • Globe South: Players of the Week, Top 10 boys' and girls' basketball teams

    Tim Healey's Players of the Week and Top 10 boys' and girls' hockey teams from high school programs south of Boston. (   03/23/2013 11:40 PM )

  • GlobeWest: Players of the Week and Top 10 boys' and girls' basketball teams

    Phil Perry's Players of the Week and Top 10 boys' and girls' basketball teams from high school programs west of Boston. (   03/23/2013 11:35 PM )

  • GlobeNorth: Players of the Week, Top 10 boys' and girls' basketball teams

    Pat Bradley's Players of the Week and Top 10 boys' and girls' basketball teams from high school programs north of Boston. (   03/23/2013 11:32 PM )

  • Central Catholic girls basketball team returns to the winner's circle

    Last Saturday, as the yellow school bus carrying the team turned from Auburn Street on to Fairmont Street in Lawrence and down the hill into the Central Catholic parking lot at 9:07 p.m., a loud joy-filled rendition of the schoo's Alma Mater rang from the windows. The bus pulled to a stop, and 12 players flooded into Central Catholic's Memorial Gymnasium, where hundreds of Raiders - students, family, alumni and friends - cheered for their new champions. They had done it - sealing it with a 53-48 victory over Holy Name High School. "I've never had a team come together quite like these girls did," said a near-speechless Sue Downer, now completed with her 17th season as head coach of the team. (   03/23/2013 11:27 PM )

  • Six Danvers teammates together since elementary school

    Every night, Lisa McKenna heard the thumping of a bouncing basketball as she tried to fall asleep. Her son, Nick, senior captain of the Danvers boys' basketball team, and his five teammates spent endless nights in the McKenna yard. Nick McKenna and seniors Nick Bates, Eric Martin, Jake Cawlina, Duncan D'Hemecourt, and Evan Eldridge all live within two blocks of each other. In Nick McKenna's backyard, their hoop dreams were crafted on a blacktop half-court with a basketball net at each end. Together, the six seniors forged a bond that followed them from McKenna's backyard, through Great Oak Elementary School, and into the Danvers High gymnasium. Last Saturday, their dreams culminated with a second consecutive Division 3 State Championship title when they beat Smith Academy. (   03/23/2013 11:18 PM )

  • Lynnfield High boys' basketball squad has foundation for promising future

    As the final seconds of the Division 4 state championship ticked away Tuesday afternoon at the TD Garden, the Lynnfield High boys were staring at a six-point deficit against Bishop Connolly. Lynnfield senior Patrick Kearney, however, collected the inbound pass on the fly, pushed the ball upcourt, dribbled around a defender who half-heartedly stepped in his way, pulled up, and drained a 3-pointer as time expired for the 65-62 final. Kearney was swarmed by his teammates on the court. It was the final salvo for a relatively young Pioneer squad that earned fourth seed in the North sectional and then toppled Manchester Essex (63-50), Lowell Catholic (70-57), and Snowden (58-44) to earn a ticket to the state final. It was a squad that seemingly has a bright future. (   03/17/2013 12:16 PM )

  • Danvers tops Smith, 66-50, to win Division 3 boys' state title

    On the wings of Vinny Clifford's 11 points and Danvers' timely offensive production, the Falcons long journey toward back-to-back state titles came to fruition with a 66-50 win against Smith Academy to capture the MIAA Division 3 boys basketball state championship at the DCU Center Saturday. (   03/17/2013 7:26 AM )

  • City champ Brighton adds a Division 2 boys' state title

    WORCESTER -- Less than a minute remained on the clock in the fourth quarter as Malik James headed to the bench, where he was greeted by hugs and smiles from his teammates and coaches. Last year's trip to the MIAA Division 2 state championship didn't end as planned for Brighton, but Saturday's game at the DCU Center was much different for the Bengals, who won their first state title in school history with a 59-41 triumph over South Hadley (17-8). (   03/17/2013 7:25 AM )

  • Mansfield boys' basketball team loses to Putnam in state final

    WORCESTER -- Mansfield stood along the foul line at the DCU Center after the Division 1 state championship game as cheers from the audience filled the arena, but it wasn't the Hornets fans. It was the Putnam crowd celebrating as the Beavers survived a rally, knocking out Mansfield, 50-48, in an overtime shootout to win the first state title in school history. Down by three with 7.5 left in the fourth quarter, Mansfield faced the pressure of drawing up a play to avoid heading home disappointed. The Hornets, a team that strives off 3-point shooting, found sophomore Ryan Boulter (14 points) in the corner who was fouled as he was shooting a 3-pointer, sending him to the line. (   03/17/2013 7:24 AM )

  • Archbishop Williams defeats Lee to win Division 3 girls' state title

    The Archbishop Williams girls basketball team used a distinct height advantage to dominate the boards -- not to mention the scoreboard -- in a 60-33 win over Lee (19-6) in the MIAA Division 3 state championship. It's the Archies' first state title since 2008, fourth overall, and last before moving up to Division 1 next season. (   03/17/2013 7:21 AM )

  • Central Catholic defeats Holy Name for Division 1 girls' title

    WORCESTER -- Senior forward Casey McLaughlin's dominating 27-point game led Central Catholic to a 53-48 victory over Holy Name in the MIAA Division 1 state championship game at the DCU Center on Saturday. The title was the Lawrence school's first since 2009. Holy Name battled back in the fourth quarter to close the gap to 48-43 with 2:55 remaining, but that was the closest the Naps would get in the final quarter. Though Holy Name resiliency kept them in the game, their slow start was too much for them to overcome. "I think the start [hurt us], I mean you get yourself in the whole right away," Holy Name coach Barry Finneron said. (   03/17/2013 7:20 AM )

  • Medfield defeats Nashoba to win Division 2 girls' state title

    The Medfield girls' basketball team has owned the Tri-Valley League championship for the past five seasons, but the Warriors coulcn't make it farther than the league title. never saw another championship after that. This season, they changed that. First it was the South Sectional championship at UMass-Boston, then it was the Eastern Mass. championship at the Garden. On Saturday, it was a 54-36 victory over Nashoba to become the Division 2 state champions for the first time in school history. (   03/17/2013 7:19 AM )

  • For Milford High boys' basketball, emotional ending to a long journey

    When it was all over, the Milford High players met their fans in the stands at the DCU Center in Worcester and embraced them. For the team's eight seniors, Tuesday's loss to Putnam in the Division 1 state semifinals, 52-39, was the unhappy end to a long and emotional journey that began when they first bounced a basketball. "They were devastated," said coach Steve Manguso. "It's emotional, it's a life lesson, but the whole thing is not whether or not you win the whole thing. It's a journey, and it was a great journey for those guys." It was the last time they would play together, wearing their school's colors, with the friends and neighbors who had followed their careers watching in the stands. A dramatic come-from-behind win against Wachusett, 46-44, in the Division 1 Central semifinal symbolized for the coach what his senior class was all about. (   03/17/2013 12:00 AM )

  • GlobeWest: Players of the Week, Top 10 boys' and girls' basketball teams

    Phil Perry's Players of the Week and Top 10 boys' and girls' basketball teams from high school programs west of Boston.(   03/17/2013 12:00 AM )

  • For winless Bridgewater-Raynham and South Shore Vo-Tech basketball teams, not all is lost Losing is a learning thing

    For three months this winter, Valerie Hoyle and her teammates on the Bridgewater-Raynham girls' basketball team took the court day after day, week after week, with first-year coach Meg Driscoll. The Trojans and their senior captain learned what high school athletics was all about -- growing as athletes, growing as young women, growing together -- and had some fun doing it. But 19 times the Trojans tipped off against another team, and 19 times B-R walked off the court without a win. Bridgewater-Raynham was one of two high school varsity girls' basketball teams in the area to earn the undesirable distinction of a winless season, joining South Shore Voc-Tech in Hanover. But by all accounts, though, not all was lost. (   03/17/2013 12:00 AM )

  • GlobeSouth: Players of the Week, Top 10 boys' and girls' basketball teams

    Tim Healey's Players of the Week and Top 10 boys' and girls' basketball teams from high school programs south of Boston.(   03/17/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Preview of Saturday's MIAA basketball state finals at DCU Center

    The best of the MIAA's basketball teams will end the season in Saturday's state finals at DCU Center. (   03/16/2013 4:05 AM )

  • North Andover, other student cheering sections playing head games with foes

    Brighton High junior guard Nick Simpson was trying to finish off a three-point play in Saturday's Division 2 North boys' basketball final at Tsongas Arena. That prompted the student section from North Andover High, self-proclaimed "The Black Hole", to dial up its own rendition of Twisted Sister's 1984 hit "We're Not Gonna Take It.""You're not gonna make it," they chanted. "No! You're not gonna make it. You're not gonna make it, anymore." During the state tournament, boisterous student sections often set out to rattle opposing teams, or players, creating a tense, jolting, and festive atmosphere. That booming vocal support can help push a team over the top. But when the words are over the top, they can also cause headaches for school administrators on site. (   03/14/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Malik James leads Brighton past Scituate

    Malik James helps Brighton punch a ticket to the Division 2 state final with a win over Scituate (   03/13/2013 8:15 AM )

  • Danvers beats Martha's Vineyard for Division 3 EMass title

    Danvers beat Martha's Vineyard to earn a second straight trip to the Division 3 boys' basketball state championship game Saturday. (   03/13/2013 8:15 AM )

  • Bishop Connolly beats Lynnfield for Division 4 boys' state title

    Thomas Keyes fueled a fourth-quarter surge to help Bishop Connolly beat Lynnfield, 65-62, to win the Division 4 boy's basketball state championship. (   03/13/2013 8:15 AM )

  • Mansfield holds off Central Catholics late charge to win Division 1 Eastern Mass. final

    Down by three with under a minute left in the fourth quarter of the Division 1 Eastern Mass. final at the TD Garden, Central Catholic's Tyler Nelson (15 points) drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 50. But every time the Raiders thought they had the momentum, Mansfield responded. On the next possession, Kevin Conner (14 points) put his team back ahead by two and Central Catholic just couldn't recover at that point, as the Hornets won the Division 1 EMass Championship, 55-50, moving onto a state title game against Springfield Putnam Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester. (   03/13/2013 8:13 AM )

  • Archbishop Williams rolls past Pentucket in Division 3 girls' basketball

    Three years ago, Pentucket and Archbishop Williams met at the TD Garden in the Division 3 girls' basketball championship game, and the Sachems left holding the trophy.at this very location and Pentucket defeated the Archies. Monday, the teams met again, and this time This time, year, it was a different result. (   03/12/2013 5:36 AM )

  • Fenway wins again

    Tajanay Veiga-Lee ended her brilliant career at Fenway by leading the Panthers to a second consecutive Division 4 girls' basketball championship. (   03/12/2013 5:36 AM )

  • Courtney walsh's free throws help Central Catholic hold off Braintree

    Courtney Walsh drained two free throws with 7.8 seconds left to seal the Division 1 EMass championship for Central Catholic. The Raiders defeated Braintree, 55-51, in a dramatic finish at TD Garden on Monday. (   03/12/2013 5:35 AM )

  • Medfield edges Reading in OT, ends Rockets' 48-game winning streak

    Last year Reading edged out Scituate in overtime to win the EMass championship at the TD Garden, and went on to win which eventually led them to a state title. But in Monday's Division 2 EMass championship game, Reading wasn't the team celebrating, it was Medfield did the celebrating, beating Reading, which outfought the unbeaten 59-51, in overtime overtime victory on the parquet to advance to the state championship and end the Rockets' 48-game winning streak (   03/12/2013 5:23 AM )

  • Greater New Bedford, Fenway set for Garden rematch

    Nakira Examond scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to pulled Greater New Bedford to a 60-55 victory over Millis in the Division 4 South girls' final. (   03/10/2013 7:31 AM )

  • Archbishop Williams defeats Ashland; Pentucket tops Watertown

    Archbishop Williams coach Jim Bancroft knows the UMass-Boston court all too well. But The 10-year head coach's last two appearances ended with a three-point loss losses to Fairhaven in 2012 and a seven-point loss to Coyle and & Cassidy in 2011. This year it was different. This year, it was a 59-42, victory over Archbishop Williams defeated Ashland, 59-42, Saturday to become the Division 3 South champions for the second first time in four years. since 2010 on Saturday at UMass-Boston. (   03/10/2013 7:29 AM )

  • Bishop Connolly holds off Cohasset

    Bishop Connolly held off Cohasset, 67-61 in the boys Division 4 South final and will play North champion Lynnfield on Tuesday. (   03/10/2013 7:29 AM )

  • Central Catholic defeats Westford

    When the game was on the line, the Central Catholic girls' basketball team played its best. In the final five minutes, of play, the Raiders (20-5) went on a 13-2 run to beat Westford in the Division 1 North final, 60-51, at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. "We have had an easy run up to this point in the tournament and we have struggled winning some tight games this season. So that we persevered in this environment and this big game, it's amazing. I'm just so incredibly proud," said Central Catholic head coach Susan Downer. (   03/10/2013 7:28 AM )

  • Cenrtal Catholic, Mansfield advance

    Tyler Nelson finished with 26 points, leading the Raiders to a 83-58 win over Lynn English, advancing them to the EMass championship against Mansfield Tuesday night at TD Garden. (   03/10/2013 7:27 AM )

  • With focus on Healy, Haase leads Reading to Div. 2 North section title

    Sarah Haase scored 19 points and pulled in 11 rebounds to lead the Reading Rockets to a 50-33 victory against North Andover to win their second consecutive Division 2 North championship at the Tsongas Center Saturday. (   03/10/2013 7:26 AM )