Connect with us

Boston, MA

Wednesday’s high school scores and highlights

Published

on

Wednesday’s high school scores and highlights


ROUNDUP

BASEBALL

Aidan Murphy threw a no-hitter, and Ben Meade hit two home runs as Weston topped Bedford 9-0 in Dual County League action. … Matt Mahoney had a monster day for Lincoln-Sudbury, tossing a perfect game with nine strikeouts before hitting a three-run homer to end a 12-0 win over Newton South in five innings.

Sophomore Ronan Sullivan allowed one hit and struck out two over six innings as Dover-Sherborn (7-6) bested Holliston 12-1 in Tri-Valley League play.

Advertisement

Josh Doney struck out nine over a complete-game two-hitter, and Jared Paone hit a two-run double in the fifth inning to lift St. Mary’s (Lynn) (10-0) to a 2-0 Catholic Central League win over Arlington Catholic. … Dillon Darnbrough hit a walkoff single to lift Bishop Feehan to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Cardinal Spellman.

Matthew Cairns surrendered one earned run while striking out eight over six innings, and Andrew Haddigan (3-3, RBI), Nick Studevant (two hits) and Joey Tully (two RBI) paced the Southeastern offense in a 6-4 Mayflower Athletic Conference win over Tri-County.

Junior catcher Brady Hargreaves went 3-for-3 and drove in a run for Xaverian (8-3) in a 6-2 Catholic Conference victory over Catholic Memorial. … Junior designated hitter Gustavo Bosques homered, stole a base, and scored two runs, and senior right fielder Chris Mondesir hit a two-run double, stole three bases and scored a run as BC High (9-2) beat Malden Catholic 14-2 in five innings.

In the Patriot League, D.C. Brown had a 12-strikeout performance as Plymouth North notched its seventh in a row with a 6-0 shutout over Marshfield. … Ryan Baker hit a game-tying, two-run double in the sixth inning, and Dan Joyce walked it off with his own double for Whitman-Hanson (8-4) in a 5-4 win over Silver Lake. … Lucas Bartlett struck out four and surrendered four hits and one earned run on two walks over seven innings pitched as Plymouth South (4-8) topped North Quincy, 4-1.

Cal Youhas hit a bases loaded, two-out walkoff single to give Braintree (11-1) a 3-2 Bay State Conference win over Framingham. … Alex Hee struck out seven and gave up just two hits as Walpole (10-2) won 11-0 over Wellesley in five innings.

Advertisement

Zach Alex got the win with four innings pitched, two earned runs, seven hits allowed, and one strikeout as Swampscott defeated Beverly, 5-4, in a Northeastern Conference contest.

In the Merrimack Valley Conference, Mike Phelps hit his first home run and Luke Yorba got his first win as North Andover defeated Haverhill 4-3. … Sean Napolitano scattered four hits, and Alex Berman and Will Norris finished with three RBI each for Andover in a 10-4 win over Methuen. … Phil Lombardi went 3-for-3 with two doubles and 3 RBI while Cam Kingston collected two hits and 3 RBI to lead Tewksbury to a 12-8 win over Central Catholic.

Gio Martello smashed a home run and Brady Paradis batted 3-for-5 with two RBI for North Attleboro in a 12-0 Hockomock League win over Attleboro.

BOYS LACROSSE

Joey McCarthy scored four goals and dished two assists, pairing with five points from Matt Panttila (three assists) to lead Norwell in a 16-3 South Shore League win over East Bridgewater.

Advertisement

In the Mayflower Athletic Conference, Brendan Cooper, Colton Penticost, and Peyton Volz netted four goals each as Southeastern defeated Westport, 18-2.

Kenny Wisniewski (five goals, five assists), Jake Cusson (three goals, four assists), Kevin O’Connor (three goals, two assists, 14 faceoff wins), Will Levrault (three goals, assist) and Nathan Navaga (three goals) guided Apponequet (7-2) offensively in a 21-8 South Coast Conference win over Dighton-Rehoboth.

Jack Connolly netted a hat trick, and Kurt Moniz and Devon Mahoney scored two goals each as Sandwich bested Whitman-Hanson 8-5 in a nonleague matchup.

GIRLS LACROSSE

Somerset Berkley earned the program’s first win in its inaugural season, beating Seekonk 6-5 in South Coast Conference action behind a hat trick and an assist from Addie Finlaw. … Cece Levrault (five goals), Addie Taylor (four goals), Cynthia Morales (two goals) and Celia Hiller (two goals) bolstered the Apponequet (8-1) offense in a 17-16 win over Dighton-Rehoboth.

Advertisement

Clare Latham (six goals), Allie Buonaccorsi (five goals, three assists), Maddy Fitzgerald (three goals, two assists) Emmette Barry (two goals, two assists) and Delaney Berube (two goals) fueled Bishop Feehan (7-4) offensively in a 21-8 Catholic Central League win over Archbishop Williams. … Elle Murphy struck for five goals, and Erin O’Donnell scored three goals and dished two assists as Cardinal Spellman edged Bishop Stang, 9-8. Ava Smith made 12 saves for the Cardinals.

Avery Cobban notched five goals and two assists and Kyla Darmon scored four goals and one assist as Sandwich remained undefeated in a 18-5 non league win over New Bedford.

In a Cape Ann League matchup, Evie Bernard netted six goals and had 15 draw controls as Pentucket defeated Hamilton Wenham, 13-12, in overtime.

Sofia Grasso scored five goals and had two assists as South Shore Tech topped Old Colony, 13-5, in the Mayflower League Conference.

During a game dedicated to Alyssa Fluet, Brooke Carter (four goals), Kiera Fitzpatrick (four goals), and Kate Fitzpatrick (three goals) all found the net as Methuen bested Dracut, 18-2, in a Merrimack Valley Conference contest.

Advertisement

SOFTBALL

Abby Bettencourt’s 11-strikeout no-hitter not only led Peabody to a 6-0 Northeastern Conference win over Marblehead, but also broke the school’s record for career strikeouts with her 625th.

Julia Cohen was the winning pitcher with two strikeouts as Bishop Feehan shut out Cardinal Spellman, 10-0, in the Catholic Central League. … Michaela Walker and Roma Braid homered, and Gabby Marichal went 2-for-3 with four RBI and three runs scored for St. Mary’s (Lynn) (5-3) during an 18-3 victory over Arlington Catholic.

Taylor Marino went 2-for-5 with three RBI at the plate and got the win in the circle by working around a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the 7th as Oliver Ames edged Foxboro 7-6 in a Hockomock League clash.

Emma Penniman struck out nine and finished with two hits and four RBI at the plate, while Kyla Story (grand slam, five RBI) and Alex McManus (three runs scored) added to the offensive explosion for Triton (6-3) in a 21-0 Cape Ann League win over Georgetown.

Advertisement

Sophomore Gracie Delucia (three-run home run), junior Katie Anderson (solo home run, two-run triple) and junior Olivia Klaus (3-for-3, two RBI) powered Medway (6-3) to a 10-7 Tri-Valley League win over Hopkinton.

Senior Kaelyn Chase (4-for-4, three runs), senior McKenzie Foley (three hits, double, two runs, two RBI), junior Noey Giardina (2-for-3, two walks, two runs, four RBI), senior Erin Condon (two hits, three RBI) and sophomore Abby Minasi (2-for-3, double) cashed in on the fun offensively, and sophomore Paisley Stevens won her first start for Hanover (4-5) in a 17-5 nonleague win over Scituate.

Shakura Lynch drove in two runs and Sadie Steuterman batted 2-for-4 to lead Milton (9-0) in a 7-3 Bay State Conference win over Natick. … Junior Caroline Doran (2-for-4, three RBI) and senior Susie McAdams (2-for-2, two runs) set the tone for Walpole in a 6-1 win over Wellesley.

Cam Cloonan (4-for-5, two RBI, 3 runs, Caleigh Cloonan (2-for-3, RBI, three runs, one walk), Lucy Latour (3-for-4, double, five RBI, 2 runs), and Haleigh Kelley (2-for-4, three-run home run, four RBI, one run) played big roles in Dighton-Rehoboth’s 18-hit attack en route to an 18-4 South Coast Conference win over Somerset Berkley.

Jackie Giordiano fanned 11 and allowed four hits over seven innings, while Ella Puleo went 2-for-3 with an RBI single as Brooks downed St. Paul’s (New Hampshire) 2-0 in NEPSAC action.

Advertisement

Aislin Davis, Juliana Cappiello and Avery Della Piana homered as Tewksbury (8-2) rolled to a 16-5 Merrimack Valley Conference win over Dracut.

Emerson Boyd (triple, two singles), Callie Smith (double, two singles) and Ellie Snyder (two triples, two RBI) delivered multi-hit performances, while Shelby Boyd went the distance with five strikeouts and four hits allowed for Plymouth North in a 10-4 Patriot League victory over Marshfield.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Anthony Rubim (16 service points, two aces, 22 assists,12 digs) and Keegan Doherty (nine kills) set the tone for Greater Lawrence (7-3) in a 3-0 Commonwealth Athletic Conference win over Innovation.

Parth Pawar dished 47 assists and Sai Nallajennugari posted 22 kills as Acton-Boxboro edged Lincoln-Sudbury 3-2.

Advertisement

James Levesque (15 kills) and Drew Eason (14 kills) helped power Methuen (11-1) to a reverse sweep of Chelmsford, 3-2, in Merrimack Valley Conference action.

Owen Fulks and Jaithian Medina notched 13 kills each, and Michael Nguyen provided 25 assists as Central Catholic defeated Greater Lowell 3-2 in a nonleague contest. … Mason Cleary buried 16 kills as BC High topped Latin Academy 3-1. … Chris Milfort posted 23 kills and Josh Sanon added 18, helping Danny Matuszek to a season-best 43 assists and Durfee to a 3-1 win over Taunton. … Henry Bonney erupted again for 23 kills for Cambridge in a 3-1 win over St. John’s Prep.

Larry Claudio supplied 28 assists, and Ruben Rodriguez recorded 10 kills as Revere defeated Medford 3-1 in the Greater Boston League.

 

SCORES

Advertisement

BASEBALL

Andover 10, Methuen 4

Apponequet 5, Greater New Bedford 0

Barnstable 5, Nauset 0

Billerica 10, Lawrence 8

Advertisement

Bishop Feehan 4, Cardinal Spellman 3

BC High 14, Malden Catholic 2 (5i)

Braintree 3, Framingham 2

Cambridge 10, Wayland 4

Cape Cod Tech 5, Old Colony 1

Advertisement

Clinton 2, Tyngsboro 1

Dartmouth 1, New Bedford 0

Dover-Sherborn 12, Holliston 1

EMK 8, Roxbury Prep 4

Franklin 7, Milford 6

Advertisement

Hanover 8, Scituate 4

Hingham 11, Duxbury 2

Hopkinton 5, Medway 0

King Philip 3, Taunton 1

Leominster 4, Chelmsford 0

Advertisement

Lincoln-Sudbury 12, Newton South 0 (5i)

Lowell 5, Dracut 2

Mansfield 2, Canton 1

Marblehead 7, Saugus 4

Millis 10, Medfield 8

Advertisement

Nantucket 3, Rising Tide 1

North Andover 4, Haverhill 3

North Attleboro 12, Attleboro 0

Pembroke 4, Quincy 0

Pingree 11, Bancroft 0

Advertisement

Plymouth North 6, Marshfield 0

Plymouth South 4, North Quincy 1

Shawsheen 9, Gr. Lawrence 1

St. John’s (S) 8, St. John’s Prep 2

St. Mary’s (L) 2, Arlington Catholic 0

Advertisement

Somerset Berkley 1, Dighton-Rehoboth 0

Southeastern 6, Tri-County 4

Swampscott 5, Beverly 4

Tewksbury 12, Central Catholic 8

Walpole 11, Wellesley 0 (5i)

Advertisement

West Bridgewater 4, Fairhaven 3

Westford 7, Boston Latin 1

Weston 9, Bedford 0

Whitman-Hanson 5, Silver Lake 4

Xaverian 6, Catholic Memorial 2

Advertisement

GIRLS GOLF

Duxbury 6, North Quincy 0

Wellesley 6, Framingham 0

BOYS LACROSSE

Acton-Boxboro 16, Franklin 11

Advertisement

Apponequet 21, Dighton-Rehoboth 8

Cohasset 13, Abington 4

Marblehead 15, Danvers 3

Mashpee 13, Hull 5

Milford 7, Oliver Ames 6 (2ot)

Advertisement

Nantucket 14, Archbishop Williams 3

North Attleboro 17, Attleboro 1

Norwell 16, East Bridgewater 3

Pentucket 17, Hamilton-Wenham 4

Reading 15, Watertown 0

Advertisement

Sandwich 8, Whitman-Hanson 5

Sharon 20, Stoughton 4

Southeastern 18, Westport 2

Winchester 17, Wakefield 5

GIRLS LACROSSE

Advertisement

Apponequet 17, Dighton-Rehoboth 16 (ot)

Attleboro 17, North Attleboro 4

Belmont 13, Burlington 12

Bishop Feehan 21, Archbishop Williams 8

Cardinal Spellman 9, Bishop Stang 8

Advertisement

Dracut 8, North Andover 7

Methuen 18, Dracut 2

Nobles 14, Thayer 8

North Reading 9, Winthrop 2

Oliver Ames 21, Milford 16

Advertisement

Pentucket 13, Hamilton-Wenham 12 (ot)

Rivers 12, St. Mark’s 4

St. Mary’s (L) 11, Tewksbury 8

Sandwich 18, New Bedford 5

Somerset Berkley 6, Seekonk 5

Advertisement

South Shore Voke 13, Old Colony 5

Winchester 11, Wakefield 6

SAILING

Nauset 4, Sandwich 0

SOFTBALL

Advertisement

Apponequet 10, Greater New Bedford 2

Bedford 16, Latin Academy 4

Bishop Feehan 10, Cardinal Spellman 0

Bishop Fenwick 3, Archbishop Williams 2 (10i)

Boston International 12, Charlestown 4

Advertisement

Braintree 21, Framingham 5

Brooks 2, St. Paul’s (NH) 0

Central Catholic 31, Lowell 3

Danvers 16, Swampscott 8

Dartmouth 4, New Bedford 3

Advertisement

Dighton-Rehoboth 18, Somerset Berkley 4 (5i)

Essex Tech 13, Hamilton-Wenham 3

Excel 15, Madison Park 12

Fenway 6, TechBoston 6

Hanover 17, Scituate 5

Advertisement

Hingham 5, Duxbury 4

Lynnfield 15, Ipswich 3

Medfield 10, Millis 9

Medway 10, Hopkinton 7

Methuen 10, Andover 2

Advertisement

Milford 11, Franklin 6

Milton 7, Natick 3

Nauset 23, Barnstable 8

Needham 10, Newton North 4

Newburyport 1, Manchester Essex 0

Advertisement

Norton 11, Norwood 3

Oliver Ames 7, Foxboro 6

Peabody 6, Marblehead 0

Plymouth North 10, Marshfield 4

Plymouth South 17, Quincy/North Quincy 1

Advertisement

Rising Tide 19, Nantucket 17

St. Mary’s (L) 18, Arlington Catholic 3

Sturgis 19, St. John Paul II 7

Tahanto 7, Ayer Shirley 5

Taunton 5, King Philip 1

Advertisement

Tewksbury 16, Dracut 5

Triton 21, Georgetown 0 (5i)

Tyngsboro 14, Clinton 2 (5i)

Ursuline 3, O’Bryant 2

Walpole 6, Wellesley 1

Advertisement

BOYS TENNIS

Andover 5, Billerica 0

Arlington 5, Reading 0

Attleboro 4, North Attleboro 1

Beaver Country Day 5, Berwick 0

Advertisement

BC High 5, Catholic Memorial 0

Central Catholic 3, Haverhill 2

Durfee 5, Middleboro 0

Hopkinton 5, Medway 0

Melrose 3, Wilmington 2

Advertisement

Marblehead 3, Gloucester 2

Milton 4, Natick 1

Nauset 4, Dennis-Yarmouth 1

Newton South 3, Lincoln-Sudbury 2

North Andover 4, Lowell 1

Advertisement

North Quincy 3, Plymouth South 2

Oliver Ames 3, Foxboro 2

Plymouth North 5, Marshfield 0

Quincy 5, Pembroke 0

St. John’s Prep 5, Xaverian 0

Advertisement

Wellesley 5, Walpole 0

Westford 3, Boston Latin 2

Weston 3, Bedford 2

Whitman-Hanson 3, Silver Lake 2

GIRLS TENNIS

Advertisement

Belmont 4, Wilmington 1

Beverly 3, Swampscott 2

Braintree 5, Framingham 0

BB&N 6, Thayer Academy 3

Central Catholic 5, Chelmsford 0

Advertisement

Clinton 4, Littleton 1

Danvers 5, Winthrop 0

Diman 3, Wareham 2

Duxbury 3, Hingham 2

Lexington 5, Winchester 0

Advertisement

Lynnfield 5, Triton 0

Malden 5, Medford 0

Marblehead 5, Gloucester 0

Milton 3, Natick 2

Monomoy 5, Barnstable 0

Advertisement

Nauset 5, Dennis-Yarmouth 0

Newton North 3, Braintree 2

Newton South 3, Lincoln-Sudbury 2

North Quincy 5, Plymouth South 0

North Reading 3, Malden Catholic 2

Advertisement

Norwell 5, Sandwich 0

Oliver Ames 5, Foxboro 0

Pembroke 4, Quincy 1

Tewksbury 5, Lowell 0

Wellesley 5, Walpole 0

Advertisement

Weston 5, Bedford 0

BOYS TRACK

Central Catholic 94, Haverhill 51

Ipswich 73, Hamilton-Wenham 70

Lawrence 83, Billerica 62

Advertisement

Natick 74, Wellesley 62

Pentucket 104, Essex Tech 32

Weston 97, Boston Latin 45

Xaverian 90, St. John’s (S) 46

GIRLS TRACK

Advertisement

Essex Tech 79.5, Pentucket 56.5

Ipswich 77, Hamilton-Wenham 66

Lowell 88, Andover 57

Plymouth North 76, Whitman-Hanson 60

Walpole 69, Brookline 67

Advertisement

Weymouth 81.33, Braintree 54.66

Wellesley 92, Natick 44

Weston 110, Boston Latin 29

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Acton-Boxboro 3, Lincoln-Sudbury 2

Advertisement

BC High 3, Latin Academy 1

Cambridge 3, St. John’s Prep 1

Central Catholic 3, Greater Lowell 2

Durfee 3, Taunton 1

Greater Lawrence 3, Innovation 0

Advertisement

Lowell 3, Westford Academy 0

Lynn Classical 3, Everett 1

Malden 3, Chelsea 0

Medfield 3, Norwood 0

Methuen 3, Chelmsford 2

Advertisement

North Quincy 3, Brockton 1

Randolph 3, Madison Park 2

Revere 3, Medford 1

Wellesley 3, O’Bryant 0

Coaches are encouraged to report their scores and highlights in a timely manner to hssports@bostonherald.com

Advertisement



Source link

Boston, MA

Boston police officials dominate the list of highest-paid city workers in 2025 – The Boston Globe

Published

on

Boston police officials dominate the list of highest-paid city workers in 2025 – The Boston Globe


That was more than what every other city department spent on overtime combined, though it was a slight drop from the $103 million the police department spent on overtime in 2024.

High overtime spending inside the police department has long been controversial and a source of frustration for police-reform advocates. Last year’s nine-figure total comes as Mayor Michelle Wu warns of a challenging budget season to come for the city, which is grappling with inflation and the possibility of more federal funding cuts.

In a December letter, Wu told the city council that she instructed city department heads to find ways to cut 2 percent of their budgets in the next fiscal year. She also imposed a delay on new hires. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper has also proposed cutting somewhere between 300 and 400 positions next fiscal year due to budget constraints.

Overall, the city spent about $2.5 billion on employee salaries in 2025, up around 1.5 percent from $2.4 billion in 2024. The city employs roughly 21,000 workers, according to a public dashboard.

Advertisement

In a statement, Emma Pettit, a spokesperson for Wu’s office, attributed the payroll increase to raises, and in some cases, employees receiving retroactive pay, that were part of contracts the city negotiated with its various labor unions.

“We’re grateful to our city employees for their hard work to hold Boston to the highest standard for delivering city services,” Pettit said.

When Wu won her first mayoral race in November 2021, all of the city’s 44 union contracts had expired. Since then, Wu’s office has negotiated new agreements with all of them, and last year, agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, the city’s largest police union.

But as the city heads back to the bargaining table to negotiate extensions or new contracts with others, city leaders should keep cost at the forefront of those conversations, said Steve Poftak, president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, a business-backed budget watchdog group.

“As budgets tighten, I’m hopeful that it increases the scrutiny on these collective bargaining agreements,” Poftak said.

Advertisement

The top earner on the city’s payroll last year was Boston Police Captain Timothy Connolly. In addition to his $194,000 base salary, Connolly took home nearly $230,000 in overtime, about $26,000 in undefined “other pay,” and roughly $49,000 as part of a higher-education bonus, for a total of $498,145 in compensation.

Skipper, as BPS superintendent, was the 55th-highest earner among city workers, coming behind 54 members of the police department. She made a total of $378,000 in 2025.

Nearly 300 city employees made more than $300,000 last year. In contrast, Wu made $207,000, though her salary increased to $250,000 this year. More than 1,700 city employees made more than the mayor in 2025.

Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, argued that the high overtime costs in the police department are, in part, a result of understaffing.

The department is short roughly 400 rank-and-file police officers, Calderone said, meaning the department has to pay its staff to work overtime and fill vacant shifts. The average salary for an officer in the BPPA is roughly $195,000, Calderone said.

Advertisement

With several large events approaching, including a Boston-based fan fest around this summer’s World Cup matches and the return of a fleet of tall ships to Boston Harbor, Calderone said most of the members of his union are likely to be working the maximum allowable 90 hours a week.

“We just don’t have the bodies on the street,” he said.

The Boston Police Department and the Boston Police Superior Officers Federation — the union that represents the department’s sergeants, captains, and lieutenants — did not immediately return requests for comment Monday.

Jamarhl Crawford, an activist and former member of the Boston Police Reform Task Force, said while high spending on overtime is not new for the police department, it’s a pressing problem the city should tackle.

The police and fire departments are “essential components of the city and society in general … [and] folks should be getting a fair wage. But it also has to be within fiscal responsibility,” Crawford said.

Advertisement

“In another 10 years,” he continued, “with pensions and everything else, this type of thing can bankrupt the city.”


Niki Griswold can be reached at niki.griswold@globe.com. Follow her @nikigriswold. Yoohyun Jung can be reached at y.jung@globe.com.





Source link

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

Red Sox rotation contender strikes out four in dominant outing

Published

on

Red Sox rotation contender strikes out four in dominant outing


FORT MYERS, Fla. — Johan Oviedo’s first outing of the spring last week didn’t go great, as the right-hander walked three over 1 2/3 innings in a performance manager Alex Cora described as “erratic.”

His second outing on Monday went much better.



Source link

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

Monster effort from Neemias Queta helps pave the way for Celtics in win over 76ers – The Boston Globe

Published

on

Monster effort from Neemias Queta helps pave the way for Celtics in win over 76ers – The Boston Globe


Queta has been a revelation for the Celtics this season and helped them improbably surge into second place in the Eastern Conference. But it is unlikely he or his team envisioned nights like Sunday, when he crafted the best game of his career to propel Boston to a 114-98 win over the 76ers at TD Garden, its 11th in 13 games.

The 26-year-old center finished with 27 points and 17 rebounds and received ‘MVP’ chants several times in the fourth quarter.

Advertisement

“I thought he’s had great ownership and responsibility to what it calls for to be a starting center for the Celtics, and he’s got to continue to get better,” Mazzulla said. “He works at it. He cares. So, it’s a credit to him.”

The Celtics, who entered the night averaging 17.1 second-chance points per game, poured in 30 Sunday, with Queta leading the charge. With 76ers center Andre Drummond often playing up and trying to congest the lanes for Boston’s talented ballhandlers, Queta forcefully and quickly found space around the rim.

“We just gave him the ball and trusted him to make the right decision every time, and he was able to get it going,” forward Jaylen Brown said. “He had some nice up-and-unders in the seam and stuff like that that helped propel us to a win.”

Brown added 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists for Boston.

Tyrese Maxey had 33 points to lead the 76ers, but they did not come easily. The All-Star guard played 43 minutes and made just 12 of 34 shots. Philadelphia was without star center Joel Embiid (oblique).

Advertisement

“He didn’t have a ton of layups, didn’t have a ton of free throws,” Mazzulla said of Maxey. “I thought he obviously missed some good shots, but when you have the ball as much as he did, I thought we did a really good job just being disciplined, defending without fouling, keeping him out of transition.”

The Celtics improved to 40-20, with just 22 games remaining in the regular season. After the game, there was a visible reminder of what could be on the way.

Star forward Jayson Tatum, who could be nearing a return from last May’s Achilles injury, sat at his locker and laughed and joked with team staffers. He also posted the latest clip from the NBC docuseries about his comeback on his social media accounts.

Jayson Tatum, who has yet to play this season, liked what he saw from the Celtics bench.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

For now, of course, the Celtics continue to plow forward without him. On Sunday, Boston quickly wiped away an early 10-point deficit behind Queta. He registered five offensive rebounds in the opening period, and flashed an unusual amount of offensive creativity during his dominant second quarter.

During one stretch, he danced through the lane for a basket, converted a putback, then dazzled the crowd by trailing a fast break, taking a pass from Brown, and converting an acrobatic scoop shot that gave Boston a 40-35 lead.

Advertisement

“We don’t want him to get too carried away with some of those,” Brown said, smiling. “But he was converting them tonight and it looked good.”

Queta reminded everyone that much of his value comes from his defensive work when he swatted a Kelly Oubre Jr. shot out of bounds, and he received a rare standing ovation when he checked out moments later.

Neemias Queta’s performance put a smile on Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

Finally, after a well-executed two-for-one opportunity, Brown found Baylor Scheierman, who played with a splint on his broken left thumb, in the right corner; he hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave Boston a 62-50 lead at the break. Scheierman gave a high thumbs-up with his bandaged digit.

The Celtics led by 16 early in the third quarter, but the 76ers continued to push back. Three-pointers in the final minute by Quentin Grimes and Maxey made it 89-83 at the start of the fourth.

The 76ers trailed by 6 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter but missed their next five shots, any one of which could have put real pressure on Boston.

With 2:56 left, Queta converted a layup as he was fouled, stretching the lead back to 105-97. He received ‘MVP’ chants for the second time in the quarter when he went to the foul line. Then, with 1:56 left, he put an exclamation point on his memorable night by grabbing yet another offensive rebound and throwing down a two-handed dunk that made it 109-98.

Advertisement

“I thought Neemi matched and exceeded the [76ers] physicality,” Mazzulla said.

Jaylen Brown has become the leader of the Celtics while Tatum has been away. Will Tatum returning cause locker-room drama?

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.





Source link

Continue Reading

Trending