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State finals: High school boys basketball preview and picks

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State finals: High school boys basketball preview and picks


Franklin coach CJ Neely has coached his program to the state title game twice in his career. He is hoping the third time’s the charm.

Led by Hockomock League MVP Sean O’Leary, No. 3 Franklin enters its Div. 1 state title showdown with top-seeded Worcester North looking to capture its first state championship in program history.

Under Neely, Franklin has twice reached the final, falling to Cambridge in 2017 and Mansfield in 2018. This time around, however, the Panthers are deeper. Beyond O’Leary, the Panthers have sharpshooters Henry DiGiorgio and Andrew O’Neill, tough-nosed guard Bradley Herndon, and premier athlete Caden Sullivan. On the bench, the Panthers have Hansy Jacques and Justice Samuels providing key minutes.

Franklin is unbeaten in state with its only loss coming to West Orange (Fla.). The Panthers have defeated all four of their postseason opponents by double figures.

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“It’s not the Super Bowl, but there are a lot more distractions in that you have a lot more fans than you had a couple weeks ago trying to get in and watch the games,” Neely said. “We’ve treated this final four as one of those holiday tournaments you play over the break. You just have to try and deal with what is directly in front of you.”

On the other side is Worcester North, the defending Div. 1 state champion and winners of 44 consecutive games. Amir Jenkins is one of the top guards in the state, with the dynamic duo of Joe Okla and Teshaun Steele inside. North blew through the competition for most of the season but proved it can handle adversity when it overcame a late deficit to beat Xaverian in the Div. 1 state semifinals.

Malden Catholic is hoping to finish off its three-peat on Friday night at 6 when it takes on Sharon in the Div. 2 state title.

The Lancers again are led by Boston Herald all-scholastic Matt Gaffney and Bo Moody. Ben Howard has become a reliable force inside while Messiah Johnson helps stretch the floor. If MC is to bring home head coach John Walsh’s sixth state title, they will have to take down a Sharon team that has weapons of its own.

Guard Jacob McLaughlin has played like one of the state’s best this postseason while forward Nate Katznelson is a 1,000-point scorer. Sharon has shown a flair for the dramatic as evidenced by Jackson Rava’s triple with two seconds left to lead the Eagles past Bedford in the semifinal game.

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All season, Charlestown has played like the top Div. 3 team in Massachusetts and will look to finish it off when they play Old Rochester on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Townies have arguably the best duo around in Jaylen Hunter-Coleman and Jaylin Williams-Crawford. Old Rochester, however, has its fair share of marquee wins, knocking off Scituate, Div. 2 state semifinalist Somerset Berkley, and handling Div. 4 state finalist Bourne its only loss.

Speaking of Bourne, they are hoping to complete a season sweep of Wareham when it faces its longtime rival in the Div. 4 state title on Sunday afternoon. The Canalmen won the regular season matchup, defeating the Vikings, 71-61. Bourne is led by Leo Andrade, Mike Dankert, and South Coast Conference MVP Nate Reynolds.

Wareham, meanwhile, is the defending champion and has four starters back from last year. Ajay Lopes is a superstar as evidenced by his late pass in the lane to Antoine Crosser for the game-winning layup in overtime versus Millbury in the Div. 4 state semifinals.

It’s a battle of the top two seeds in Div. 5 as No. 1 Hoosac Valley takes on second-seeded New Mission on Saturday at 2 p.m. Hoosac’s Joey McGovern put on a show in the state semifinals, scoring 29 points in a win over Mahar. The Titans have won eight straight going back to the regular season and went on a 13-2 run against Pioneer Valley to clinch their spot in the final.

Division 1

Worcester North deserves the label of ‘favorite’ but this Franklin team has shown so far that it can handle anything thrown its way. Offensive rebounding will be the key to the game.

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Pick: 57-52, Worcester North

Division 2

Based on how Sharon has played much of this postseason, this game is more of a ‘toss-up’ than meets the eye. It’s hard to go against John Walsh’s Lancers, however, who have yet to lose a postseason game with him at the helm.

Pick: 61-57, Malden Catholic

Division 3

Charlestown has been a top five team in Eastern Mass. for well over a month now. Jaylen Hunter-Coleman, Jaylin Williams-Crawford, and company put the capper on a terrific season.

Pick: 67-54, Charlestown

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Division 4

We picked Bourne over Wareham in the state final going into the postseason and we are sticking by that. This has been Bourne’s season to remember since the get-go.

Pick: 70-63, Bourne

Division 5

It is hard to pick against New Mission, but Hoosac Valley’s only two losses all year are to a strong Monument Mountain team.

Pick: 68-61, Hoosac Valley

 

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Boston, MA

Woman killed in Mattapan carjacking crash honored at vigil

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Woman killed in Mattapan carjacking crash honored at vigil


Three days after an alleged carjacker hit and killed a woman in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood, members of the community came together to honor her life.

A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday evening for 32-year-old Mabinty Janneh of Dorchester. She died after being hit Saturday afternoon on Blue Hill Avenue.

Ibraim Matos, 37, of Hyde Park, is charged with murder in the crash. He allegedly stole a vehicle and drove it onto the sidewalk, fatally hitting Janneh.

Ibraim Matos of Hyde Park has been charged with murder in the deadly crash.

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Heartbroken family, friends and community members gathered near the site of the crash to remember Janneh Tuesday.

“We need justice for Mabinty,” said her aunt, Mbalu Tarawally.

“I just felt like I needed to be present,” said Rev. Dr. Barbara Simmons. “If the family lost a person, the least I can do is come here and show my face.”

“She was young, vibrant. Hard worker. Wants to do everything,” said Ahmad Thorley, a family member of Janneh.

The suspect in a deadly carjacking and crash in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood appeared in court to face charges including murder.

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Witnesses said Matos dragged Janneh several hundred feet after hitting her.

The stolen Toyota RAV4 crashed into an MBTA bus, and people at the pulled Matos out of the car and holding him there until police arrived.

Matos pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of leaving the scene of personal injury and death and motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, along with murder and carjacking. His defense attorney spoke briefly on Monday, saying they will evaluate “where we stand” in a few weeks after the mental health evaluation.



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Your next Uber ride in Boston could be a taxi

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Your next Uber ride in Boston could be a taxi


Boston taxis will be able to pick up passengers who request Uber and Lyft rides under a new pilot program announced by Mayor Michelle Wu Tuesday.

Customers who get a cab through a ride-hailing app will still see the cost upfront on their phone as opposed to the typical taxi fare structure. 

“The goal of the pilot is to give Boston passengers more options to hail a taxi and to allow Boston’s licensed taxis to participate directly in meeting the demand for trips generated through Uber and Lyft,” the city said in a news release.

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Wu said the yearlong pilot will allow cab drivers to earn more while reducing wait times for passengers. 

“We’re thankful for the collaboration and advocacy from our taxicab drivers to introduce this new transportation service, and excited to support the people who keep our city moving,” the mayor said.

The program excludes taxi trips to Boston’s Logan Airport, and allows the Hackney Division to make exceptions during some special events in the city.

Uber’s website informs users “you might get matched with a Boston taxi driver.”

“If so, you’ll enjoy the same 24/7 availability and affordable prices you know with UberX while riding to your destination in a cab,” Uber says.

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The city said it expects taxi drivers will now be able to “access a significantly larger number of trips than most currently serve.”

“This change is a major boost for taxi drivers in Boston and the passengers we serve,” said Balwinder Gill, who has owned and operated a Boston taxi for 25 years.



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Editorial: With Boston’s World Cup win, could we host Olympics?

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Editorial: With Boston’s World Cup win, could we host Olympics?


The World Cup economic windfall boosting Boston gives rise to a question: Could the Hub host the Olympics?

Certainly Bostonians have more than risen to the occasion in terms of welcoming international visitors to our city and showing them a good time (and vice versa, Tartan Army). But it takes more than great hosts and a convivial atmosphere to pull off an epic sporting event.

It takes money, lots of it, political transparency, and a process open to public scrutiny and feedback. In other words, no, we couldn’t.

Public reception to the 2014 Olympics bid was tepid at best, as it would entail multiple construction projects. And when big construction projects are presented in Boston, taxpayers get suspicious. Big Dig, anyone?

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Boston 24 announced it estimated the Games would produce at least $4.8 billion in revenues from television broadcast rights, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and other revenues, the Associated Press reported. They assumed nearly $4.6 billion in costs, including $176 million for a temporary Olympic Stadium, $90 million for the athletes’ village, about $754 million to build other Olympic venues and another $132 million to rent other locations.

They reportedly announced all this to answer critics who said the privately funded Boston 2024 withheld details of the bid to prevent the public from assessing whether the Games could be staged, as promised, without the need for taxpayer money.

We learned the answer to that soon enough.

In this case, as the Herald reported that year, details from Boston 2024’s so-called bid book indicated that plans sent to the U.S. Olympic Committee called for the Hub to fund “land acquisition and infrastructure costs” at Widett Circle, where a temporary Olympic stadium was being proposed. It came after months of promises that the group planned to run a privately funded Olympics.

“They’ve been saying for months, ‘No taxpayer (money),’ ” said Evan Falchuk, a vocal bid critic who pushed for a statewide ballot question on hosting the games. “Then you read what they told the USOC. … It’s a devastating blow to their credibility. There’s a reason why voters don’t trust what they’ve heard and (Boston 2024 has) got a lot of work to do to earn that trust.”

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And all this talk of money came before any cost overruns made an appearance. London’s budget for the 2012 Summer Games escalated by about 300%, ending somewhere in the $14 billion range. What were the chances we’d fare any better?

No wonder Bostonians gave the Olympics idea the cold shoulder.

But what of the city’s World Cup success story? For starters, Gillette Stadium is already built, and the only large element requiring a cash infusion was the MBTA, which shelled out $35 million to upgrade Foxboro Station in advance of the Cup. They’ll make a nice chunk of that back, as the T spiked round-trip Commuter Rail ticket prices between South Station and Gillette Stadium for fútbol fans to $80.

In this case, Bostonians are on the winning side, reaping benefits from free-spending (and thirsty) visitors, and reveling in the good vibes.

It would be great for the city if megaprojects, or even minor ones, came with the guarantee of financial transparency before shovels hit the dirt. Optimists should look at White Stadium before calling it a day.

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Editorial cartoon by Gary Varvel (Creators Syndicate)

 



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