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State finals: High school boys basketball preview and picks

Published

2 years ago

March 15, 2024

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.

“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.

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.

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

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

Portion of Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road will close nightly through August – The Boston Globe

Published

11 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Portion of Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road will close nightly through August – The Boston Globe

An inbound stretch of Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road will be closed each night through August for tunnel repairs, officials announced.

Starting Monday, the closures will begin at 8 p.m. and last until 5 a.m., state officials said.

Road closures begin at North Harvard Street in Allston and stretch along the Charles River Esplanade to Mugar Way in Boston, near the Hatch Memorial Shell, officials said.

Traffic will be detoured into Cambridge over the Anderson Bridge, along Memorial Drive, and then be routed into Boston over the Longfellow Bridge.

The closures will allow ongoing repairs to the Storrow Drive Tunnel in the Back Bay. The work is the first phase of a two-stage project to extend the lifespan of the tunnel, which carries roughly 50,000 drivers to and from downtown Boston daily.

The outbound portion of the tunnel and accompanying roadways will not be affected.

State transportation officials said changes to the work schedule will be made when necessary to minimize impacts during major local events at TD Garden, Fenway Park, or during the FIFA World Cup and 250th anniversary celebrations scheduled for this summer.

Additional changes may be made without notice due to weather.

Transportation officials have not specified when the closures will end.

Bryan Hecht can be reached at bryan.hecht@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @bhechtjournalism.

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Boston, MA

Ole Miss softball to play Boston in NCAA tournament Lubbock Regional

Published

23 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

Ole Miss softball to play Boston in NCAA tournament Lubbock Regional

This story has been updated with new information

OXFORD — Ole Miss softball is back in the NCAA Tournament after making the Women’s College World Series a season ago.

The Rebels (34-24) will play Boston (46-13) on May 15 (1 p.m. CT, ESPNU) in the Lubbock Regional. Ole Miss is the No. 2 seed in the regional, and Boston is the No. 3.

Texas Tech (52-6), the No. 11 overall seed and regional host, will face No. 4 Marist (37-19).

The Rebels went 6-18 in SEC play this season, and have a largely new-look roster from the team that made the WCWS last season.

Ole Miss beat South Carolina and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament to improve its seed.

Freshman Madi George has burst onto the scene in the SEC. The first-year infielder leads Ole Miss with a .385 batting average. She has a team-high 21 home runs and 58 RBIs.

Seniors Emilee Boyer (3.86 ERA), Kyra Aycock (3.97 ERA) and junior Lily Whitten (3.04 ERA) are the primary options in the circle for coach Jamie Trachsel.

Trachsel is in her sixth season leading the Ole Miss program. She led the Rebels to their first WCWS appearance in program history in 2025.

What to know about Boston, Texas Tech and Marist in Lubbock Regional

Boston entered the Patriot League Tournament as the top seed and the Terriers delivered. Boston beat No. 2 Colgate 12-1, becoming the second team in Patriot League history to four-peat as conference champions. Boston is on a 12-game winning streak. Kylie Doherty leads the team with a .396 batting average and 26 home runs.

Texas Tech made the 2025 WCWS championship series, losing to Texas in three games.

Texas Tech lost just three Big 12 games this season but lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. The Red Raiders are a strong threat to get to the WCWS again. There are four Texas Tech batters hitting over .400. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady leads the Red Raiders with a 1.24 ERA. She has 209 strikeouts.

Marist plays in the MAAC and won the conference tournament. Marist split a two-game series against South Carolina early in the season. Ava Metzger (12-3, 2.51 ERA) and Peyton Pusey (.404 batting average) lead the team.

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

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Boston, MA

‘This is really just the start of it all’: Mojo Boston makes splashy debut at City Hall Plaza – The Boston Globe

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

‘This is really just the start of it all’: Mojo Boston makes splashy debut at City Hall Plaza – The Boston Globe

Attendees held umbrellas as The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

Mojo, a music brand and concert organizer, was founded in 2021 by Charley Blacker, Alex Parker, and Emily Donovan while they were students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The trio of friends decided to create Mojo out of their shared love for music and house shows.

“We saw there were so many local musicians that were so talented, but they didn’t have the platform we thought they really deserved,” Blacker told the Globe during Saturday’s festivities. “So we thought if we could do the behind-the-scenes work of organizing photographers and [provide] a social media platform, we could give these musicians the platform they deserve.”

Attendees danced as The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

Five years later, the team behind Mojo is sticking to their mission, tackling their biggest venue yet with this weekend’s event at City Hall Plaza, which previously served as the original location for Boston Calling before it moved to the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston. Boston Calling announced last year that it is taking a one-year hiatus in 2026, with plans to return in 2027.

In addition to getting the chance to work on such a big event with his best friends, Blacker hopes Mojo Boston can help “lead to a lot more opportunities for local music.”

People browsed food vendors at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

There was a wide range of genres represented at Saturday’s event, from the pop-rock stylings of The Bends to house and garage music from DJ AC Slater. Prior to the Boston debut, Mojo brought a festival to Pennsylvania’s Happy Valley in April and returned to Amherst later that month to host another event.

Mojo Boston attendees and former UMass Amherst students Emily Bowler and Max Debeau have been familiar with Mojo since its inception, watching the organization go from hosting basement shows to full scale music festivals. Debeau noted how many of the acts at Saturday’s event have worked with Mojo in the past, performing at UMass and other shows around the Bay State.

“To see it all come together has been great,” Debeau said. “This is the stage that they all deserve.”

“It’s crazy how quickly they were able to erect something so amazing,” Bowler added.

Amanda Giroux danced away from the stage while The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

Formed in New Bedford, the band Autumn Drive was one of 18 acts that performed at Mojo Boston, and they are no strangers to a Mojo show.

“We’ve done, I think, every single Mojo that there is, so we’re very tight with them,” said guitarist and singer Charlie Gamache. “When we found out they were doing a big festival [in Boston], I was like, ‘We want in no matter what.’”

The band emphasized how much their relationship with Mojo has meant to them over the years, with Autumn Drive drummer Joe Gauvin praising the organization for “always putting us in front of a crowd that’s there to see music and hear us.”

Michael Asulin, of Stoughton, and Jackie Ludicke, of Miami, Fla., talked while wearing ponchos at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

From a makeshift stage out of wooden pallets in his basement to Boston’s City Hall Plaza, Blacker is is proud of Mojo’s success and is already looking ahead at what’s to come.

“This is really just the start of it all,” said Blacker. “We have very lofty ambitions and goals, and we have nothing but confidence in our ability to accomplish everything we set out to do.”

Gitana Savage can be reached at gitana.savage@globe.com. Follow her on X @gitana_savage.

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