Pope Francis and St. John's (Shrewsbury) Prevail in Super 8 Play-in Games

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

North Billerica, Mass. - Up until this past weekend, St. John's (Shrewsbury) had no clue as to what its postseason course would be. The Pioneers went to the the MIAA Super 8 tournament seeding meeting last Saturday unsure if they did enough to earn a spot in the state's most prestigious high school hockey tournament, or if they would be cast off to the Division 1 tournament.

St. John's clung to the belief that its regular season resume was enough to get in, and the MIAA selection committee felt the same, awarding the Pioneers a Super 8 play-in game on Monday night. With opportunity now in its grasp, St. John's did not disappoint, as it blanked St. Mary's (Lynn) 3-0 inside Chelmsford Forum. Seeded eighth, the Pioneers (14-6-3) move on to play No. 1 Central Catholic (21-1) Thursday at Lowell's Tsongas Arena at a time still to be determined.

PHOTO GALLERY: Needham Hoops best Arlington

Photos by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

Led by star Thomas Shaughnessy, Needham bested Arlington in the Comcast Tournament in Woburn. Continue below for pictures from the game, courtesy of our Eamon Convey.

Also note that you can click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

PHOTO GALLERY: Arlington and Hingham Hockey Battle to a Tie at Warrior Ice Arena

Photos by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

BOSTON - On the practice ice of the Boston Bruins, Super 8 hopefuls Hingham and Arlington played a classic, battling to a 1-1 tie in the Catherine J. Malatesta Scholarship Fund Game.

Our Eamon Convey was there at ice level to snap some great shots for ya, so continue below for those, and note that you can click any photo to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

Dominic Black Sends Arlington to the Top of the Middlesex League Liberty Division

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

Arlington, Mass. - Dominic Black made sure that Arlington left little doubt.

Led by Black’s 12 points and 16 rebounds, the Spy Ponders defeated Belmont, 60-51, on Friday night in a Middlesex Liberty Division clash at Arlington High School.

Black racked up eight rebounds in each half, including four offensive. The sophomore then turned those four offensive rebounds into six second chance points.

The Suite 16: Our MIAA Boys' Basketball All-State Team & Award Winners

Division 1 state champion Cambridge is well-represented on our All-State team and among our Award Winners.

By SuiteSports Staff

Another MIAA boys' basketball season has come to a close, and SuiteSports is proud to unveil its first ever All-State Boys' Basketball Team and Award Winners. The team and awards below were selected by a number of editors and reporters from across the state. But, if you feel the need to yell at anybody, you can find editor Joe Parello on Twitter here.

While we certainly encourage debate about our picks, we will not tolerate attacks on individual kids in the comments section. Please, keep it classy folks.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Arlington Tops Central Catholic for Super 8 Title

Video by Zander Dolan (@LongtimenoZs)

Arlington made history against Central Catholic in the Super 8 finals Sunday night at Boston's TD Garden.

Our Zander Dolan and Mike Abelson were there to capture the highlights, so continue below for all the action.

SUPER 8 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Arlington Shocks Malden Catholic in Double OT

Video by Zander Dolan (@LongtimenoZs)

Arlington stunned defending Super 8 champion Malden Catholic in this year's semifinals, and the Spy Ponders needed two thrilling overtime periods to do it.

Our Zander Dolan was there to capture highlights, presented by Mike Abelson.

Continue below for all the action.

Brighton Edges Arlington in Thrilling D2 North Semifinal

By Nate Weitzer (@Nweitzer7)

WAKEFIELD, Mass. – Depth and experience are arguably the two most important qualities for any championship contender.

An while top-seeded Arlington had the talent and certainly the heart necessary to compete with No. 5 Brighton in a D2 North semifinals matchup at Wakefield High, the Bengals used their depth and experience to outlast the Spy Ponders in a hard-fought 71-64 victory. 

The win guarantees a fifth appearance in the sectional finals for Brighton (20-5) over the last seven years and head coach Hugh Coleman hopes that they can go a few steps further and bring home the first state championship for the school since 2012.

Arlington Tops Hingham in its Super 8 Opener

By Mike Abelson (@ABELS0N)

LOWELL, Mass. - It started strong, got rocky in the middle, but turned out alright for the Arlington Spy Ponders.

Arlington scored two goals in the first period, survived an offensive barrage later on by Hingham, and held on for a 4-1 win in its opening round matchup in the Super 8 quarterfinals at Tsongas Center. Adding in the teams' first meeting this year, in the middle of February, the Spy Ponders have now outscored the Harbormen 7-1.

The Spy Ponders' offensive motored along due in large part to the play of Cam Ryan and Kevin Ouellette. Ryan, a sophomore, assisted on the Ponders first three goals and added the empty netter, in the final minute, to seal the victory.

Arlington Takes Down Defending D2 Champion New Mission in Thrilling Quarterfinal

By Karl Capen (@Capen316)

ARLINGTON, Mass. – To be the best, they say you have to beat the best.

Standing all alone at the free throw line with no time left on the clock and the roof about ready to explode off from the Arlington gymnasium, New Mission senior Charlie Mitchell had a chance to tie the game and continue the Titans run towards another Division 2 state championship.

Mitchell's first free throw rimmed out and the place erupted as top-seeded Arlington defeated No. 8 New Mission, 64-61, advancing to face Brighton in the Division 2 North semifinals.

Final Regular Season MIAA Top 25 Boys Basketball Poll

Jerrod Clark and No. 6 Brighon strut into the state tournament after winning a BCL title

Our rankings of the best basketball teams in the state at the end of 2016-17 regular season, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 2/24)

1. Cambridge (19-0; Last Ranking  –  1): The Falcons extended their winning streak to 40 at the Tuscan Brands Round Ball Classic before edging Central Catholic, 70-61, to finish their season. They’ll enter the D1 State Tournament as the odds-on favorites to repeat.

2. BC High (18-2; Last Ranking  –  2):  Travis Evee and Carl Pierre were transcendent in Comcast Classic wins over Newton North (63-62) and Brighton (77-73) as the Eagles sharpened their talons ahead of the state tournament.

3. Mansfield (20-2; Last Ranking  –  3): The Hornets will enter the D1 South bracket as the number one seed, but do they have what it takes to finally get past Catholic Memorial in a potential quarterfinals matchup?

Arlington Hockey Edges Marshfield for Burns Tournament Title; Weymouth Tops Andover in Consolation Game

By Mike Abelson (@ABELS0N)

ARLINGTON, Mass. - It was a battle between two of the top public school programs in the state, and it did not disappoint.

Arlington and Marshfield went up and down for the full 45 minutes, but it was the host Spy Ponders that came out with a 3-2 win and the Ed Burns Tournament title.

With the game tied at two coming out of the second intermission, it was Arlington’s veteran core that provided the needed edge against the Rams. The Ponders took a three-on-two across the Marshfield blue line, then completed a tic-tac-toe play from Kevin Ouellette to Mic Curran to Sean Tomaszewski, who slid it home from the edge of the crease for the eventual game-winner.

Arlington Outlasts Malden Catholic to Claim D2 Boys Title at the Comcast/Board 27 Classic

Arlington poses with the Comcast/Board 27 Championship Trophy for Division 2 Boys

By Nate Weitzer (@Nweitzer7)

MALDEN, Mass. - The rising tide lapped around the young Spy Ponders, threatening to drown them in a sea of disappointment.

They had just given up a 19-3 run to host Malden Catholic in the Division 2 boys’ final of the Comcast/Board 27 Classic, resulting in a 63-63 game with under a minute to play.

Arlington’s most important possession of the game seemed to be going nowhere, as the shot clock ticked down to three seconds and forward Dominic Black couldn’t find anywhere to go with the basketball from the elbow. Yet in desperation, the junior co-captain created some separation and hoisted a deep two that hit nothing to give the Spy Ponders a 65-63 lead with 2.7 seconds remaining and seal the win.

Arlington Hands Marlboro 4th Consecutive Loss at Comcast Tournament

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

MALDEN, Mass. -The Arlington Spy Ponders advanced to the finals of the Division 2 bracket in the 2017 Comcast I.A.A.B.O. Board 27 Basketball Tournament by taking down the Marlborough Panthers, 59-54, in overtime on Sunday afternoon at Malden Catholic high school.

With the win, Arlington (18-1) extends its winning streak to ten games, while Marlborough (12-7) has now lost four straight contests. The Panthers have not picked up a win since they clinched the Midland-Wachusett B regular-season title on February 3rd with a win over division rival Nashoba.

MIAA Top 25 Boys Basketball Poll: 2/14/17

Mansfield has won 9 in a row and the Hockomock Kelley-Rex.

Our rankings of the best teams in the state during the 2016-17 basketball season, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 2/13)

1. Cambridge (15-0; Last Ranking  –  1): The defending D1 champs have defeated every in-state opponent they faced by at least 25 points since edging Concord-Carlisle, 71-63, in their season opener.    

2. BC High (15-1; Last Ranking  –  2):  Eagles will look to avenge their first loss of the season when they travel to Catholic Memorial this Tuesday. 

3. Mansfield (16-2; Last Ranking  –  4): Hornets avenged a home loss to Franklin by defeating the Panthers in convincing fashion for their ninth consecutive victory and another Hockomock Kelley-Rex Division League Title.