Austin Prep tops Ipswich for First Ever Sectional Crown

By Michael Abelson (@ABELS0N)

Woburn, Mass. -- It was a night for history at Woburn High, as the Austin Prep boys lacrosse team rolled to its first ever sectional crown, knocking off defending state champion Ipswich 13-7 to win the Division 3 North title.

The Cougars jumped the Tigers from the start, racing out to a 4-0 lead and never looking back.

Austin Prep won thanks to its diverse, relentless offense. Five different Cougars scored led by four goals each from freshman Zach Barden and sophomore Michael Chabra. Chabra also had a pair of assists.

Your 2018 Central Mass Lacrosse Tournament Preview

Mid-Wach A mainstays Shrewsbury and Algonquin each enter the MIAA tournament with a ton of momentum and something to prove.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It's playoff time in the Heart of the Commonwealth, as high school lacrosse teams across the region gear up for the state tournament.

This year, 20 CMass lax squads will compete in four different sections across two divisions, and we've got you covered with a look at each of those brackets. Here we go!

Central Mass Lax Playoff Race Update: 5/29/18

Grafton and St. John's are each rounding into tournament form, but which teams still have work to do?   Photo by Ryan Bowman.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

We enter the final week of lacrosse in Central Mass with a pair of teams still looking to play their way into the state tournament.

Let's not waste any time with intros. Here's who's in, who's out, and who still has work to do.

Wild Final Seconds Make Third Time the Charm for Woburn

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Burlington, Mass. - In order for the third time to be the charm for Woburn, the Tanners needed a bit of a luck.

Trailing by one in the games final stages, Woburn's Isaiah Cashwell-Doe hauled in a defensive rebound and drove the length of the court before drawing contact with 5.2 seconds left. At the free throw line, Cashwell-Doe hit the first to tie the score but his second attempt hit off the front rim.

Belmont secured the rebound and tried to call timeout without any to spare resulting in technical foul which allowed Woburn's Ryan Ludwig to hit the two game winning free throws with 0.2 left as the No. 8 Tanners defeated No. 4 Belmont, 60-58, in the Division 2 North Semifinal at Burlington High School.

PHOTO AND VIDEO GALLERY: Algonquin Boys' Basketball tops St. John's (Shrewsbury)

Photos by Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)
Videos by Matt Siegel (@mattsiegel147)

Worcester, Mass. - We will have a full recap of Algonquin's Division 1 Central semifinal win over St. John's (Shrewsbury) a little later. For now, scroll down for images and highlights of Gonk's 82-70 victory.

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

BC High Hoops pull Away from Wellesley

By Kyle Schroeder (@kyschroeder81)

Dorchester Mass. - There is a narrative in basketball that, during postseason play at any level, the game slows down and becomes more defensive oriented.

In Tuesday's MIAA Division 1 South first round matchup between eighth-seeded BC High and ninth-seeded Wellesley, the results proved that narrative correct. There were a handful of scoring droughts throughout the game, particularly in the third quarter, where the two teams scored six points apiece. Ultimately, BC High was the team to break through scoring-wise in the fourth quarter, leading the Eagles to a 54-42 victory over Wellesley.

The Eagles will take on either Mansfield or Newton South in the next round.

Norwood Hockey shocks Southeastern/West Bridgewater in OT

By Jake Levin (@JakeLevin09)

Fans of the Norwood Mustangs likely didn’t mind a little extra time in their first tournament game since the 2013-14 season.

Not with the way things played out tonight, however grim they may have seemed at times. Senior defenseman Matt Dolan scored twice for the Mustangs, once in the third period and once in overtime to procure an upset for the No. 16 seed over top-seeded Southeastern/West Bridgewater, 3-2.

Norwood Girls' Hockey Edges Cohasset/Hanover to Open Tournament Play

By Jake Levin (@JakeLevin09)

Hyde Park, Mass. - Jenna Mazzola picked the right time to show up to primetime.

The sophomore goalie for the Norwood Mustangs started all but one game for her team this season, her first year as a starter, but like so many of her teammates, had yet to have a chance to shine on the postseason stage.

Mazzola’s play in the third period, in particular, of Norwood’s 3-2 preliminary round victory over the Cohasset/Hanover Skippers ensured that the Mustangs’ first trip to the tournament since 2015 wouldn’t be a one-and-done showing, her 10 saves in the final 15 minutes looming large.

Breaking Down the MIAA Eastern Mass Football Finals (Divisions 3, 4 & 7)

Mashpee is hoping for ANOTHER trip to Gillette, but St. Mary's (Lynn) will present the Falcons with their biggest test yet.

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

Our Matt Feld already previewed Divisions 5, 6 and 8 of the MIAA's North vs South football state semifinals, and now he's back to fill in the gaps.

You can also check out our collaboration with MassLive to preview the four Central vs West state semis, but now here is everything you need to know about Saturday's games in EMass Divisions 3, 4 and 7.

Your Massachusetts High School Field Hockey Primer

Lincoln-Sudbury will be looking to bounce back in a big way in 2017.

By Marisa Ingemi (@Marisa_Ingemi)

Ed. Note- In our ongoing quest to cover more sports throughout the Commonwealth, SuiteSports will be bringing you field hockey coverage every week in this notebook, brought to you by reporter Marisa Ingemi. Each week, Marisa will give you the biggest games to watch and the story lines defining the season, plus update you on her state-wide Top 20.

After an off-year in the Dual County League, Lincoln-Sudbury has a lot to prove.

Things may have gotten even more challenging with a difficult goalie situation. Top goalie Elena Christenfeld was injured away from the field, and without another goalie in the program ready to step up, head coach Vicky Caburian has a rotation of field players ready to go.

SuiteSports' 2017 MIAA Baseball All-State Team

Along with making the Super 8 finals, both St. John (Shrewsbury) and St. John's Prep are represented on our first ever all-state team.

By SuiteSports Staff

Earlier today, SuiteSports unveiled its first ever MIAA Baseball Player of the Year. As the recipient of the award, BC High junior RHP Mike Vasil is also the first member of our all-state team, and you can read more about him here.

For the rest of our all-state selections, continue below.

SuiteSports' 2017 MIAA Baseball Player of the Year

By SuiteSports Staff

SuiteSports.com and its panel of high school sports correspondents are pleased to announce today that Mike Vasil, a junior right-handed pitcher out of Boston College High School, is the recipient of the first ever “SuiteSports MIAA Baseball Player of the Year” award, given to the top high school baseball player in Massachusetts.

Vasil was selected among a number of candidates for the award who showcased their talents both during the regular season and in the state tournament.

The Eagle ace joins Cambridge center Dimon Carrigan (basketball) and Duxbury quarterback Bobby Maimaron (football) as other SuiteSports Player of the Year award winners during this high school sports year. As our Player of the Year, Vasil is the first member of our 2017 MIAA Baseball All-State team, which will be released later today in its entirety.

Grafton, Milford and Turners Falls Capture State Softball Titles

Milford celebrates with the Division 1 state championship trophy.

By John McGuirk (@Patsfan1313)

WORCESTER -Now Turners Falls stands alone on its own pedestal.

Arguably the greatest high school softball program in state history, the Indians not only won their third consecutive Division 3 state title on Saturday, but recorded their ninth crown overall, which gives them the most of any program in the Commonwealth, surpassing Bishop Fenwick.

All of this being accomplished in a span of 13 years.

PHOTO GALLERY: Lincoln-Sudbury vs BC High in the Boys' D1 State Lax Final

Photos by Brian Foley

You can check out our full story of Lincoln-Sudbury's nail-biting win over BC High to complete a D1 three-peat here. But now, enjoy these photos captured by our Brian Foley. For even more images by Brian, and to buy prints of some of these fantastic images, click here.

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

PHOTO GALLERY: Cohasset Girls' Lax vs Walpole in D2 State Title Game

Photos by Brendan Hall (@BHallESPN)

You can check out our full story on Cohasset's state championship win at BU, but now, take a look at these pictures from our Brendan Hall.

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

Cohasset Runs Past Walpole in Girls' D2 State Final

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

BOSTON - Walpole tried face-guarding both star Hansen sisters, and even got a fantastic performance from senior goalie Morgan Fontana (10 saves), but it wasn't enough to even slow down Cohasset, as the Skippers rolled 14-6 at Boston University's Nickerson Field, capturing the Division 2 state championship.

Cohasset (21-2) was relentless from the opening draw, putting constant pressure on the Walpole (22-2) back line, thanks to the transition brilliance of juniors Jane and Elle Hansen, and big games from Julia Placek (3G, 1A), Marina Longo (2G, 2A) and Molly Greer (1G, 2A).

Previews & Picks: The 2017 MIAA Boys' Lacrosse Championships

Grafton will look to bring home its first state championship ever, but the Indians will have their hands full with high-powered Hingham in the D3 title game.

By SuiteSports Staff

The championship breakfasts are over, Boston University's Nickerson Field is set, and six different boys' lacrosse teams from across Massachusetts are ready to play for state championships this Saturday.

To prepare you, SuiteSports asked its editors and lead lacrosse reporters how they saw each game shaking out. Here is what they said.

BC High Nips Duxbury in D1 State Semifinal

By Marisa Ingemi (@Maria_Ingemi)

ALLSTON - Led by sophomore Christian Price, who tallied a career-high five goals, Boston College High School edged past Duxbury, 11-9, to advance to the Division 1 state championship at Boston University's Nickerson Field this Saturday.

“That’s probably the best game I’ve been a part of at BC High,” said head coach Steve Lydon. “Hats off to Duxbury. They’re a great team. We thought it’d be a race to ten [goals].”

St. John's (Shrewsbury) Completes Journey with Super 8 Title

By Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports)

BROCKTON - Ian Seymour had no problem recording a five-out save.

Starting pitcher Matt Stansky cruised through his first six innings of work for the St. John’s (Shrewsbury) baseball team, but he was pulled in the seventh inning. In the eighth, the Pioneers lead began shrinking.

They surrendered a leadoff single, followed by an RBI triple and a sacrifice hit which cut the team’s lead to 5-4 over St. John’s Prep with one out in the inning.

Seymour then came in so he could protect the one-run lead in a high leverage moment. Because of that, the Pioneers came away with the Super 8 title on Wednesday night at Campanelli Stadium.

Hingham Heading Back to BU After Route of Beverly

By Jake Levin (@JakeLevin477)

NORWELL - Once again, the Hingham Harbormen are en route to Boston University.

To say Hingham has unfinished business would be a tremendous understatement, but the Division 2 South champs sure look up to the task of capturing the program’s first state title since 2002 following a 17-5 blowout of the Beverly Panthers on Wednesday night.

The Harbormen wasted little time making their statement, with Tommy Welch scoring just 14 seconds into the contest. Welch was one of 10 goal scorers for Hingham, which never trailed.