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Newton North Boys BB, South girls track team win

E-mail|Link|Comments () Posted February 28, 2009 08:58 AM

Two of Newton's school sports teams scored victories in tournament contests, with the Newton South girls track team sharing the All State track title and Newton North edging out Needham in boys basketball.

The North boys basketball edged out Needham 42-39 Saturday afternoon, before an audience that included a loud Needham contingent that came to North's gym to cheer on the Rockets.

North led 33-26 at the half. The score tightened, but Needham missed two free throws with 10 seconds left and Newton leading 41-39.

North now advances in Div. 1 tournament play. See the boys basketball brackets here.

Meanwhile, the day before at the All-State track meet at the Reggie Lewis Center Friday, teams such as Newton South, Mansfield, Oliver Ames, and Lincoln-Sudbury were in the hunt for the team title.

What came unexpectedly was a tie between the Lions and Hornets.

Newton South came into the meet projected to score 38 points and Mansfield 37, but both teams tallied 38 to share the title. L-S finished third (24) and Oliver Ames was fourth (18).

"It's not unjust," said Newton South coach Steve McChesney. "We are state champs and so are they. The fact that Mansfield gets to share this with us is great."

The Lions were paced by first-place finishes from Bridget Dahlberg in the mile (4:56.16) and Nalis Mbianda in the shot put (41 feet 9.25 inches), second place in the 4 x 800, and fourth-place finishes from Kelsey Karys (2 mile) and Kathy O'Keefe (1,000).

The All-State victory was the latest for the Lions. The girls team won the Dual County League championship and the Div. 1 state meet, according to the Lions Roar.

See results from the MIAA track meet here.

Mansfield got a surprise victory by Emily Broyles (40.46) in the 300 meters, Meghan Ferreira won the 55-meter hurdles (8.36), and the 4 x 400 team edged out Andover.

Broyles, seeded fourth, was the only underclassman to win an event, beating second-seeded Shannon Cunningham, a senior from Foxborough.

"It was huge," said coach Derek Ellis. "That girl has more courage than anyone. It's amazing for a sophomore to come out here and win an All-State title."

Framingham's Camille Murphy, who placed fourth in last year's All-State meet, took first in the 1,000 meters (2:51.99), beating L-S's Ellie Hylton (2:52.37).

Murphy let Newton North's Margo Gillis (third) set the pace through the first 400 meters before taking over. Murphy finished with the fifth-fastest time in the country this year.

"It was nice not to have to lead the whole race," said Murphy.

The only other meet record to fall was in the 4 x 800-meter relay. L-S's Claire Arthur, Jess Griffin, Hylton, and Andrea Keklak ran the fastest time in the country this year (9:15.17), besting the meet record held by Newton South (9:23.67).

A version of this story was published in the Boston Globe Saturday Feb. 28.