Massachusetts
Eight takeaways from Friday’s high school playoffs action, including four 1,000-point scorers – The Boston Globe
Find the full scoreboard here, along with everything we wrote Friday night:
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▪ Cathedral senior Keyona Raines scored 15 points, including the 1,000th of her career, as the No. 5 Panthers handled No. 28 Hudson, 60-43, in the first round of the Division 4 girls’ basketball tournament.
▪ Sutton junior captain Ava Carroll netted her 1,000th career point during a 29-point effort in a 49-31 Division 4 first-round win over Easthampton.
FINAL: Sutton 49, Easthampton 31
Junior captain Ava Carroll records a game-high 22 points (including her 1,000th career point) as Sutton secured a Division 4 MIAA tournament Round of 32 win.
Business is Boomin’ for the Suzies. pic.twitter.com/vjRnzu2eLA
— Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) February 28, 2026
▪ With a layup in the waning seconds of the first half, Anna Freeman became the 10th Medway player, and first since Riley Childs in 2018, to score 1,000 career points. She finished the 55-24 Division 3 first-round win over St. Paul with 17. Her father, Matt Freeman, scored 1,000 points at Bishop Feehan.
▪ Burlington boys’ basketball senior Matty Gray reached 1,000 career points during a 25-point performance in a 95-58 Division 2 first-round rout of Holliston. He reached the mark on a first-quarter layup.
Now for Matty Gray! Scores his 1000th point and no surprise on a steal! Just does it all. Such a special player and person. Humble, hard-working, kind, and tough. Lucky to coach him! A kid who certainly could have left, but chose to put his town across his chest and he’s…🧵 pic.twitter.com/UXFsEuZH6R
— BurlingtonBasketball (@Burlingtonhoop) February 28, 2026
▪ Falmouth boys’ hockey senior Kody Pokraka rode two assists to 100 career points during a 5-4 Division 2 first-round win over Plymouth South.
It was a chalky day, with only one significant upset: No. 22 Greater Lawrence girls’ basketball easily handling No. 11 Hamilton-Wenham, 65-45, in the Division 4 first round thanks to 13 3-pointers as a team and a combined 47 points from Serenity West (24) and Maliah Caban (23).
The only other lower seeds to win were No. 18 Marshfield boys’ basketball, which took out No. 15 Cambridge, 66-63, in overtime in the Division 1 first round, and No. 34 Arlington Catholic boys’ basketball, which survived No. 31 Duxbury, 64-60, in Division 2 preliminary-round action.
The finish of the night came in No. 17 South Hadley’s 61-60 win over No. 16 Madison Park. Trailing 60-59 and inbounding with 10.3 seconds left, the Tigers got an off-balance 3-pointer, but junior Noah Hambley crashed the boards and in one fell swoop secured the rebound and put it back up off the glass for the winning bucket as time expired in a boys’ basketball Division 4 first-round matchup.
The Oliver Ames boys got four free throws from Jacob Lok in the final 26 seconds to squeak past Canton, 45-42, in the first round of the Division 2 bracket. The Acton-Boxborough girls also needed overtime to complete a 53-49 Division 1 first-round triumph over Brookline.
The only overtime hockey game of the night saw the Diman boys net an equalizer in the final minute of regulation before Marlborough’s Ethan Guo supplied the heroics just 2:08 into the extra frame, propelling the No. 8 Panthers into the Division 3 second round with a 6-5 victory. Anthony Tramontozzi and Chace Lozano each scored twice for Marlborough
Caroline Arruda, Marshfield — The sophomore poured in 32 points to push the Rams to a 68-63 preliminary-round win over Westborough.
Gaby Bassett, Nauset/Monomoy — The senior capped her hat trick with the winning goal in a 4-3 Division 2 opening-round win over Burlington.
Brody Bumila and Jake Webster, Bishop Feehan — The seniors took control of an 85-67 Division 1 first-round victory, with Bumila providing 32 points and 14 rebounds and Webster going for 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Avery Gamble, Oliver Ames — The senior’s 3-point shot wasn’t falling, but she didn’t let that get in the way of a 34-point performance, 2 off her career best, during a 59-50 Division 2 first-round win over Bedford.
Eileen Lowther, Hingham — The junior controlled the glass, pulling down 15 rebounds and blocking six shots to go with 12 points in a 54-43 Division 2 first-round win.
Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan — The senior from Dighton delivered 21 points, 9 steals, and 5 assists as the No. 2 Shamrocks rolled to a 71-30 Division 1 first-round victory over Peabody.
Maura Quirk, Acton-Boxborough — The sophomore was cleaning the glass to the tune of 17 rebounds while adding 13 points in a 53-49 overtime win in the first round of the Division 1 bracket.
Senior Sophia O’Donnell made history, becoming the first St. Mary’s athlete to sign to become a Division 1 rower. O’Donnell will row for Merrimack.
Milton Academy graduate Cormac Ryan signed a two-way NBA contract with the Bucks on Thursday, making him the fourth former member of the Middlesex Magic AAU program currently in the NBA, along with The Pistons’ Duncan Robinson, Hornets’ Pat Connaughton, and Knicks’ Tyler Kolek.
Ryan, who hails from New York, was a three-time All-NEPSAC selection at Milton Academy before playing at Stanford, Notre Dame, and North Carolina. He spent the last two seasons in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue and Wisconsin Herd. He played with the Thunder’s Summer League team in 2024.
Quinnipiac junior Anna Foley, a 6-foot-3-inch Andover graduate, was celebrated for reaching 1,000 points during a ceremony Friday. She passed the mark on Feb. 12 in a 62-40 victory over Siena. A two-time All-MAAC second team selection, she’s averaging 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
8. Basketball leaderboard
Avery Gamble, Oliver Ames, 34
Caroline Arruda, Marshfield, 32
Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 32
Weston Bunnell, Stoneham, 29
Joe Baraky, Duxbury, 28
Zach Georges, Pioneer Charter I, 27
Kelsi Lanza, Silver Lake, 27
Josh Roux, Andover, 26
Ava Bailey, Newburyport, 25
Allie Danis, Newton North, 25
Angie Djoko, Danvers, 25
Noah Feldman, Marshfield, 25
Matty Gray, Burlington, 25
Jackson Hines, Arlington Catholic, 25
Connor Houle, Attleboro, 25
Katelyn Troilo, Mansfield, 25
Alex Ste. Marie, Manchester Essex, 24
Serenity West, Greater Lawrence, 24
Noah Bayersdorfer, Winthrop, 23
Maliah Caban, Greater Lawrence, 23
Josh Jenkins, Barnstable, 23
Reagan Maniscalco, Tewksbury, 23
Colin Trimble, Foxborough, 23
Eva Andrews, Needham, 22
Alaysia Drummonds, Foxborough, 22
Trevor Manning, Ipswich, 22
Gia Porazzo, Foxborough, 22
Sarah Powers, Wayland, 22
Ryan Tullish, Middleborough, 22
Chase Gara, Sutton, 21
Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan, 21
LaDainian Rodrigues, Attleboro, 21
Rex Satter, Ipswich, 21
Jake Webster, Bishop Feehan, 21
Aboubakar Nimaka, Malden Catholic, 20
Dylan Raffle, Milton, 20
Maeve Horsman, Oliver Ames, 18
Eva Andrews, Needham, 17
Maura Quirk, Acton-Boxborough, 17
Tony Dean, Stoneham, 15
Eileen Lowther, Hingham, 15
Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 14
Angie Djoko, Danvers, 12
Camden Strandberg, Bridgewater-Raynham, 11
Avery Teixeira, Bishop Feehan, 11
Sophie Gallivan, North Reading, 10
Shannon LaMorticelli, Bishop Feehan, 10
Aboubakar Nimaka, Malden Catholic, 10
Zarah Ochi, Burlington, 10
Ashley Varnum, Bridgewater-Raynham, 10
Lila Polansky, Bridgewater-Raynham, 8
Duke Cherry, Malden Catholic, 7
Sophie Gallivan, North Reading, 7
Erin Reilly, Burlington, 7
Jake Webster, Bishop Feehan, 7
Caroline Connors, Millis, 6
Egan Gill, Bishop Feehan, 6
Rex Satter, Ipswich, 6
Marcus Tayag, Pioneer Charter I, 6
Rayana Laurent, Pingree, 5
Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan, 9
Reagan Maniscalco, Tewksbury, 6
Ella O’Keefe, Oliver Ames, 5
Dylan Raffle, Milton, 4
Ava Sicari, Burlington, 4
Rex Satter, Ipswich, 3
Eileen Lowther, Hingham, 6
Maeve Horsman, Oliver Ames, 5
Zarah Ochi, Burlington, 4
Gaby Bassett, Nauset/Monomoy, 3
Griff Callahan, Martha’s Vineyard, 2
Max Cronen, Monomoy/Mashpee, 2
Addy Harrington, Duxbury, 2
Jaxon Hoey, Norwell, 2
Chace Lozano, Marlborough, 2
Mackenna Metell, Martha’s Vineyard, 2
Christos Rogaris, Dover-Sherborn/Weston, 2
Mark Trahon, Norwood, 2
Anthony Tramontozzi, Marlborough, 2
Bryce Campanale, Norwell, 3
Maeve Turner, Falmouth, 3
Violet Cox, Falmouth, 2
Ryan Heidt, Martha’s Vineyard, 2
Cam Long, Norwell, 2
Kody Pokraka, Falmouth, 2
Bailen Darack, Martha’s Vineyard, 22
Sammie Precourt, Dennis-Yarmouth, 16
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts
Editorial: Want to end poverty in Mass.? Don’t drive away wealthy
If you want to help people in poverty, don’t drive the wealthy out of state.
That might be something the state senators in the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities should keep in mind after they advanced a sweeping bill going full bore at reducing the state’s poverty rate.
Sen. Sal DiDomenico told the State House News his proposal (S 3095) “is a compilation of many bills that have already been filed.” According to his office, the bill, as originally filed, included provisions that would increase the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children cash benefits for pregnant people, families and caregivers; increase Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children cash benefits; codify related benefits and allowances; and bar the government from taking any amount of child support payments from low-income parents.
His office also said the bill would direct the state to replace Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cash benefits “stolen by criminal rings through skimming or phishing”; ensure access to free menstrual products in public schools, homeless shelters, prisons and county jails; raise farmworker wages to at least the state’s minimum wage; establish a “baby bonds program”; and “enhance” the attorney general’s ability to “ensure companies pay their employees the wages they deserve and hold employers accountable when they steal workers’ wages.”
It’s a tall order, and an impressive one. But the hurdle isn’t just getting it on the Senate’s agenda before the July 31 deadline, it’s how to pay for it.
The idea of front-loading assistance appears sound: helping people escape poverty means they won’t need to rely on social services down the line. But it will still take a sustainable revenue source to keep it all going.
And Massachusetts has been shooting itself in the foot when it comes to keeping revenue inside state borders.
According to Moneywise, Massachusetts millionaires took $4.2 billion in income out of the state in 2023, new Internal Revenue Service data revealed.
As reported by Bloomberg, that’s an 8% increase from the year before, and it comes just as the state began enforcing a new 4% surtax on incomes above $1 million. Higher-income households are now accounting for a larger share of total departures from the state. In 2023, top earners accounted for roughly 70% of total income outflow. That doubles their share from just a few years earlier.
We need to keep them, and their tax payments, here.
But that won’t happen if efforts to lower taxes are met with derision, and the notion that tax breaks only benefit the very rich. The deep-pocketed set that’s heading to tax-friendlier states are gifting their new home turf with a cumulative windfall, even if the individual tax amount is lower than the Bay State.
The same goes for companies who see better opportunities elsewhere.
The senators working on anti-poverty measures have some great ideas, and they should have a budget to implement them. Lifting people up from poverty uplifts the state.
But we can’t pay the bill if we keep driving out high-earning taxpayers. To help the poor, we must keep the rich.
Massachusetts
Marlborough Ice Cream Shop Lands On MA Ice Cream Trail
Trombetta’s Farm, at 655 Farm Rd., is listed as a Central Massachusetts stop on the Massachusetts Ice Cream Trail, a state-backed guide launched in 2024 to promote ice cream shops, farm stands, and dairy farms that use Massachusetts dairy products, according to GBH.
The trail features more than 100 destinations across Massachusetts and is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. The map includes dairy farms with ice cream stands, farms selling packaged ice cream, and shops selling Massachusetts ice cream products, according to the tourism office.
Massachusetts
This Massachusetts beach has the ‘best etiquette’ in the state.
Medford native Maria Menounos hosting ‘Heal Squad Day of Reset’ in Yarmouth
Medford native and celebrity Maria Menounos is hosting ‘Heal Squad Day of Reset’ at Red Jacket Beach Resort & Spa in Yarmouth.
Looking for a beach where fellow beachgoers have good manners?
Travel website Exoticca conducted a survey and found the beach with the best beach etiquette in each state, including Massachusetts, so you can know the place where Bay Staters treat both the beach and each other with the most respect.
“We surveyed 3,011 Americans to find out where beachgoers are seen as having the best etiquette, and the results say quite a lot about what people actually want from a beach vacation,” Exoticca said.
In Massachusetts, voters said to head to the North Shore.
Crane Beach — Ipswich, Massachusetts
The extremely popular Crane Beach in the North Shore town of Ipswich was voted the best for beach etiquette by Exoticca’s readers.
Exoticca said that the places that scored the highest in positive beach etiquette were places where people focused on the clarity of the water and the beautiful scenery rather than external distractions like seaside restaurants or shops on the boardwalk, where “everyone around seems to understand that nobody wants the place spoiled.”
Crane Beach is known for its white sand and conservation. It’s one of the nesting places for piping plovers, according to The Trustees.
“To protect threatened shorebirds during your visit, we ask that you avoid the fenced nesting areas and the wrack, the line of washed-up organic debris where the birds feed and hide,” the Trustees said.
Despite having 350,000 people visit annually, according to the Trustees, Crane Beach still achieved the top spot of beach etiquette.
How to visit Crane Beach
Barring going on Martin Luther King Jr. Day or on Veterans’ Day for families with veterans, visitors do have to buy tickets for vehicle entry and parking. Tickets are cheaper if visitors arrive via motorcycle, biking, or walking.
“Strict rules apply: no drop-offs, re-entry for nonmembers, or outside food delivery; dogs and horses are not allowed April 1–September 30,” the ticket selection webpage said.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@usatodayco.com.
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