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  • The game will take place at the Tsongas Center on Sunday at 4 p.m.
  • Somerset Berkley is seeking their first state title since 1954, while Malden Catholic is aiming for their fourth consecutive championship.

SBR is making its third trip to the state title game and first one since 1954. The Raiders won the championship that season and won their first state championship in school history in 1948.Stick here for updates throughout the game.The Lancers and Raiders went head-to-head in last season’s Final Four contest. Malden Catholic came away with a two-point victory and went on to win their third straight state title. This is the Lancers four consective trip to the state championship game.Malden Catholic’s Matt Gaffney and Mamadou Camara played in last season’s Final game against Raiders. The Lancers ended the regular season with a 18-1 mark. Four of its postgame wins came against No. 32 South High Community, No. 16 Milford, No. 9 Doherty Memorial (4-1) and fourth-seed Oliver Ames in the state semifinal.

Final Stats

Dom Taylor led the way for the Raiders with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, while Colten Pacheco had 14, Brendan McDonald had 12 and Finn Bjork had 11. SB finishes the year with a record of 24-1, with their lone loss coming against Durfee in the Skip Karam Tournament, 60-56, on Dec. 28.

Aboubakar Nimaka led the way for the Lancers with 14 points while Matt Gaffney had seven, all of which came in the second half. MC struggled to get shots to land throughout the afternoon, particularly in the first half. Lancers three- year streak atop Division 2 comes to a close as they suffer their first loss since they fell 80-74 to Catholic Memorial on Jan. 21.”You’re the best”The Raiders ran with their trophy to the student section to thank them for they’re supporting yelling “you’re the best.”Final Score: Somerset Berkley 65, Malden Catholic 44The No. 6 Raiders pull off the one of the most emphatic upsets of the tournament, ending the top-seeded Lancers’ three-year reign atop Division 2 with a 21 point win. SB are state champions for the first time since 1954 and the third time in program history.1:32 left in Fourth Quarter: Somerset Berkley 60, Malden Catholic 40Colin Mannke hits a wide open layup to cut the gap back to 20 and the Lancers call timeout.3:06 left in Fourth Quarter: Somerset Berkley 58, Malden Catholic 35Both sides are struggling to get shots to drop for the past few possessions, but that’s much more to the detriment of the Lancers.6:20 left in Fourth Quarter: Somerset Berkley 56, Malden Catholic 33Raiders call the first timeout of the final quarter as the Lancer have outscored them 4-2. Offense slowing a little bit now as SB looks to kill as much clock as possible.End of Third Quarter: Somerset Berkley 54, Malden Catholic 29Huge end to the third quarter as Dom Taylor tips it in at the buzzer off a Colten Pacheco shot. Raiders have a commanding 25-point lead, outscoring the Lancers 24-11 in the quarter. Looks now like there’s just eight minutes separating the program from its first title in 71 years.1:31 left in Third Quarter: Somerset Berkley 50, Malden Catholic 27Dom Taylor has been on fire with the corner three, hitting another to help the Raiders crack the half century mark on the scoreboard.2:18 left in Third Quarter: Somerset Berkley 45, Malden Catholic 27Timeout called by the Raiders for a cut on Finn Bjork’s arm. Bjork has five of his seven points of the game this quarter. The Lancers have pulled back a little, with Abe Camara scoring four, but SB still in full control of this one.4:58 in Third Quarter: Somerset Berkley 40, Malden Catholic 21Brendan McDonald and Finn Bjork are leading the for the Raiders on both ends of the court so far this quarter. Bjork has four points while McDonald hit a nice under-the-leg layup. The two both go to the line within 30 seconds of each other, going a combined 2-for-4. Matt Gaffney gets on the score sheet via a free throw with 4:58 left in the third quarter, going 1-for-2 from the line.Halftime: Somerset Berkley 32, Malden Catholic 18After starting a little slow, the Raiders heat up and don’t look back as they head into the break up 14. Colten Pacheco leads the way so far with 11 points while Dom Taylor has 10 and Brendan McDonald has seven. Lancers had a little more luck with getting shot to drop in the last few minutes before the half, with Aboubakar Nimaka leading the way with 10. MC will hope Navy commit Matt Gaffney heats up in the second half as the defense works to slow SB.0:30 left in Second Quarter: Somerset Berkley 32, Malden Catholic 18Abe Camara is starting to put some points on the boards for the Lancers, and just had a nice assist to an Aboubakar Nimaka layup as well. Foul called against the Raiders puts the ball back in MC’s hands.3:57 left in Second Quarter: Somerset Berkley 29, Malden Catholic 10The Lancers are getting offensive rebounds, but they still can’t get shots to drop. Meanwhile, it seems everything the Raiders are putting up is going down. Colten Pacheco had a nice breakaway layup to continue SB’s strong first half.5:06 left in Second Quarter: Somerset Berkley 27, Malden Catholic 10Taylor hits a second-straight 3-pointer to increase the Raider lead to 17 as the Lancers call time out.6:08 left in Second Quarter: Somerset Berkley 21, Malden Catholic 8Dom Taylor hits a wide open through for the Raiders, giving his team their biggest lead of the game so far.End of First Quarter: Somerset Berkley 14, Malden Catholic 6Raiders started off the quarter hitting six of their first 14 shots, then heated up to hit six of their last nine. Brendan McDonald led the way in the later part of the quarter with seven points. The Lancers have struggled to get shots to fall in the first quarter, going just 2-for-14.3:20 left in First Quarter: Somerset Berkley 10, Malden Catholic 4Brendan McDonald hits a perfectly shot 3-pointer from the top of the key as the SB faithful erupt.4:20 left in First Quarter: Somerset Berkley 7, Malden Catholic 4The Raiders missed their five shots, but have now hit three in a row.STARTING LINEUPSSomerset BerkleyDom Taylor (F); Max Finlaw (F); Finn Bjork (C); Brendan McDonald (G); Colten Pacheco (G)Malden CatholicAboubakar Nimaka (F), Abie Camara (F); Ben Howard (C); Matt Gaffney (G); Mamadou Camara (G)Somerset Berkley's Finn Bjork attempts to block a shot by Masconoment's Jamason Vella during Monday's Division 2 Final Four game at UMass-Boston, Mar. 10, 2025.More: From coaching staff down to players, Somerset Berkley’s chase at history a team effort

ROAD TO THE STATE FINAL

LOWELL — Somerset Berkley and Malden Catholic are playing for the Massachusetts high school basketball state championship on Sunday.

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Chezsports

HISTORY

The Raiders and the Lancers will play at 4 p.m. at the Tsongas Center in the MIAA Division 2 state final. Somerset Berkley is the No. 6 seed, while Malden Catholic is No. 1.Following a 19-1 record in the regular season, the South Coast Conference Blue champion Raiders won their first three playoff games against No. 27 Minnechaug Regional, No. 11 Leominster and No. 3 Pope Francis Prep. SBR pulled out a second half come-from-behind win over No. 7 Masconomet Regional in the state semifinals.The Raiders are vying for their third state title in program’s history and first since 1954 when they won it all. Somerset Berkley won its first state title in 1948.

High School Sports

Watch Thursday 9.4 JSZ Football Highlights

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Watch Thursday 9.4 JSZ Football Highlights

We’ve got Thursday night football to kick off Week 1 around the Garden State as JSZ brings you three games from the gridiron. Princeton and Allentown meet in a Mercer County thriller, Demarest looks to start strong against Bergen Tech plus Washington Township tries to reach 2-0 against Pennsauken in the WJFL. Check back as the highlights are posted throughout the night!


Down 6-0, senior Ellinton Hinds who already had an interception on the first drive of the game, made one of the best catches in all of New Jersey high school football so far this season to keep Princeton (2-0) undefeated in 2025. Hinds had two leaping catches from QB Quinton deFaria, who threw for 109 yards and a TD. The Tigers beat Allentown (0-2) for the first time since 2005 and look to keep their win streak alive with a Week 2 matchup against Ewing.

JSZ’s Tyler Mroz has the highlights + reaction from Allentown: 

Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Princeton and Allentown is brought to you by Princeton Orthopaedic Associates.


The Minutemen took care of business in their home opener by racing out to a 35-0 halftime lead and cruising the rest of the way. Colin Beeler scored a pair of touchdowns to lead a bruising rushing attack in the victory. Paris Pratt hauled in a touchdown and added a fumble return touchdown for Washington Township (2-0). Pennsauken (1-1) will look to bounce back next Thursday against Highland.

JSZ’s James Mooney has the highlights from Sewell:

Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Washington Township is made possible by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.


With lead running back Reed Kauderer unavailable for the majority of the game, the Norsemen needed their other playmakers to step up. They ultimately answered the bell. Quarterback Joseph Yun accounted for three total touchdowns as Demarest (1-0) begins their 2025 season with a bang. Daejuan Joseph caught a pair of touchdown passes in the win. Bergen Tech (0-1) will now turn their focus to a game against Ferris next week.

JSZ’s Sean Dugan has the highlights from Little Ferry:


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Five games dotted the high school football schedule Thursday night.

In Class AA, Butte stormed past Billings Skyview 33-13 on the road while Missoula Sentinel knocked off No. 3 Great Falls CMR 6-0. A big showdown in 8-Man lived up to its billing as No. 3 Fort Benton beat No. 2 Belt 24-22.

Check out the highlights and details below:

CLASS AA

Missoula Sentinel 6, No. 3 Great Falls CMR 0

After a scoreless first half, Sentinel struck with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Rudy Hess to Kyler Haslam. That ended up being the game’s only score, as the Spartans’ defense kept Great Falls CMR off the scoreboard entirely.

WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS:

Missoula Sentinel knocks off No. 3 Great Falls CMR in defensive slugfest

Sentinel held CMR to six first downs, and 0-for-9 showing on third down and 132 total offensive yards. The Spartans’ Jake Boggust recovered a fumble on a promising CMR drive in the fourth quarter that helped preserve the shutout.

Butte 33, Billings Skyview 13

Hudson Luedtke caught three touchdown passes from Brooks Vincent to lead Butte to a road victory. Peyton Johnson had a scoring run and Jaeger Hansen returned an interception for a TD as the Bulldogs built a sizable first-half lead.

WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS:

Butte picks up convincing win at Billings Skyview

The Falcons got their points on two touchdown passes from Jaxon Zagata to Jackson Carter.

At halftime, Skyview celebrated the 30th anniversary of its 1995 state title team. That year, the Falcons went 11-1 under coach Rob Lebsock and won the Class AA championship with a 27-20 victory over Bozeman.

1995 Billings Skyview

The 1995 state champion Billings Skyview Falcons are honored at Daylis Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Billings.

8-MAN

No. 3 Fort Benton 24, No. 2 Belt 22

Truman Giese’s fourth-quarter touchdown and two-point conversion gave Fort Benton the lead and two defensive takeaways in the final minutes helped maintain it as Fort Benton knocked off Belt in a ranked matchup.

WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS:

No. 3 Fort Benton knocks off No. 2 Belt in 8-Man showdown

Blake Waldner set an early tone for the Huskies with a 29-yard touchdown run, but Giese scored from 3 yards out to help tie it 8-8 in the second quarter.

Slater Lords had a long catch and run for a touchdown, putting Belt up 16-8, but a Giese-to-David Olson TD pass tied the game again. In the third, Waldner turned a Huskies interception into another touchdown run as Belt grabbed a 22-16 advantage. But it didn’t hold up.

Other Thursday scores:

8-Man

Fairview 64, Poplar 0

6-Man

Highwood 62, Alberton 0

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What is the Fastest Tennis Serve of All Time?

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What is the Fastest Tennis Serve of All Time?

In this countdown, we look back at the fastest recorded tennis serves of all time.

Service speed remains a dominant feature in the modern game and can become a player’s trump card out on the court.

With players getting stronger and cutting-edge technology in tennis racquets making leaps and bounds, serves today are faster than ever.

We take a look at the fastest serves ever recorded by men and women out on the tennis court.

Men’s fastest tennis serve

Sam Groth – 263.4kph (163.7mph.)

Australian Sam Groth has the honour of having the fastest recorded tennis serve of all time.

The 6ft 4 Australian set the record during an ATP Open Challenger match in Busan, South Korea, in 2012 against Belarusian tennis player Uladzimir Ignatik.

Groths serve clocks in at a staggering 263.4kph (163.7mph).

Honorable mentions

Second Fastest Recorded Serve in Tennis

Albano Olivetti – 257.5 kph (160mph)

Frenchman Albano Olivetti holds the record for the second-fastest serve ever recorded. The French tennis pro also remains the second person to break the 160mph serve speed barrier.

Olivetti’s serve came in 2012 at the challenger level during the Internazionali Trofeo Lame Perrel–Faip.

Albano Olivetti

Albano Olivetti holds the second-fastest record serve on the tour.

Third Fastest Recorded Serve in Tennis

John Isner – 253 kph (157.2 mph).

It would be hard not to include the American giant John Isner in this list. The 6ft 10 American is known best for his monster serves, which are delivered consistently throughout.

His monstrous serve is thanks in part to his stature. Isner clocks in as the third-tallest tennis player on the ATP behind the Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic and American young gun Reilly Opelka (both 6ft 11 inches). Ivo Karlovic currently holds the record for the fourth fastest recorded tennis serve.

Isner currently holds the third fastest serve in tennis. The Americans serve, clocking in at 253 kph (157.2 mph) during a 2016 Davis Cup tie against Bernard Tomic.

John Isner also holds the record for playing the longest match in Grand Slam history against Nicolas Mahut. During Wimbledon 2010, Isner beat Mahut in 5 sets: 6–4, 3–6, 6–7, 7–6, 70–68. The match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes.

Isner’s serve is the fastest recorded serve in tennis, recognised by the ATP.

Fastest Tennis Serve Female

Georgina García Pérez – 220kph (136.7 mph)

Spaniard Georgina Garcia Perez holds the record for the fastest recorded tennis serve by a woman.

Perez clocked a serve of 200kph (136.7 mph) during the Hungarian Ladies Open in 2018.

Georgina Garcia Perez

Georgina Garcia Perez holds the record for the fastest serve by a female.

Why is it nearly impossible to hit a 160 mph tennis serve?

A considered calculation of stature, technique, coaching, mechanics and good old practice is said to make the perfect concoction for a fast serve.

A direct correlation has been proven between the height of a player and power during a serve. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the top servers of the game are all giants by nature.

The trajectory of a serve remains ever important. Players who are 6ft 7 or above have the ability to hit the ball with a downward trajectory, whereas those who are under that height are unable to do so.

Modern technology has also greatly aided in the incremental increase of server power over time. The changeover from wooden rackets to today’s modern racket is a huge factor in determining serve power. Advancements in string technology and racket materials also play a huge part in determining a fast serve.

Other mitigating factors include court conditions. Faster serves are much more likely to happen on a hard court and during hotter temperatures, where there is less resistance to air density, translating to faster speeds.

When you compare the fastest tennis serve with other sports, you can see how fast it is.

Fastest Football shot – 114 mph by David Hirst in 1996
Fastest Baseball pitch – 105.1 mph by Aroldis Chapman in 2010
Fastest Cricket Bowling speed – 100.2 mph by Shoaib Akhtar in 2003

What is the average tennis serve speed?

The average tennis serve speed differs between both men and women, as well as between pros and amateurs. Data shows us that for professional male tennis players, the average tennis serve speed is approximately 114 mph (on their first serve) and 93 mph (on their second serve).

For women, the average tennis serve speed clocks in at 98 mph (on their first serve) and 82 mph (on their second serve).

This data was recorded between 2002-2013, so bear in mind the average speeds have likely increased by a few miles per hour in the modern era, as racquet technology and athletes continue to evolve and adapt within the sport.

Check out Wired’s video, which covers the topic more in-depth.

Fancy writing for us: Apply to become a Sports Writer at the Sporting Ferret

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Poudre tennis top singles player Owen Addington voted Blue FCU Athlete of the Week

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Poudre tennis top singles player Owen Addington voted Blue FCU Athlete of the Week

It’s the second edition of Blue Federal Credit Union‘s Fort Collins-area Athlete of the Week for the 2025-26 high school sports season.

And this week’s honor is hitting the local tennis courts with a top singles player.

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Poudre boys tennis player Owen Addington took top honors in the Fort Collins area for the week of Aug. 25-30 after a couple of dominant sweeps.

Playing on the No. 1 singles line, the Impalas senior dropped just six games in four sets across two match wins over Windsor and Northglenn’s top players.

He beat Windsor’s Joseph Bisceglia (6-2, 6-3) and followed that up with a 6-0, 6-1 over Northglenn’s Emrah Mehidic.

Poudre's Owen Addington bends down to hit a shot during a city rivalry boys tennis dual on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 at Fort Collins High School in Fort Collins, Colo.

Poudre’s Owen Addington bends down to hit a shot during a city rivalry boys tennis dual on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 at Fort Collins High School in Fort Collins, Colo.

Addington, also a basketball player and tennis team captain, has helped Poudre get off to a 3-1 start this season that also included a team tournament title at the Thompson Valley Invitational.

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The senior and third-year varsity player is the first tennis player to earn Blue FCU Athlete of the Week honors in the award’s third school year. He joins Rocky Mountain’s Bode Nesbitt as the first winners in the 2025-26 prep sports season.

Poudre fans pushed Addington atop the polls, giving him the victory with 51.5% of the fan vote.

That propelled him past these other four outstanding Athlete of the Week nominees:

  • Brooke Pravlik, PSD flag football (runner-up at 36.7%)

  • Taylor Morgan, Wellington softball

  • Judd Nikkel, Fossil Ridge boys golf

  • Nora Ebel, Rocky Mountain girls cross country

The Blue Federal Credit Union Athlete of the Week series features five nominees on Mondays, with voting at Coloradoan.com until 11:59 p.m. every Wednesday.

Fans can nominate their favorite athletes (deadline: 11:59 p.m. every Sunday), and the Coloradoan Sports staff will ultimately select the nominees each week.

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If you have nominations for a future Athlete of the Week, please send them via email to ChrisAbshire@coloradoan.com for consideration.

View the full results:

Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Poudre tennis’ Owen Addington voted Blue FCU Athlete of the Week

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7 high school takeaways from Thursday, or as we call it High School Football Eve

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7 high school takeaways from Thursday, or as we call it High School Football Eve

BB&N senior Sam Kelley (right) announced he will play football at Brown. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

With sincere apologies to all the games played Thursday, here at Globe Schools it feels a lot like Christmas Eve, with a full slate of high school football arriving under the tree Friday evening.

Over the last two weeks we talked to nearly 200 football coaches and wrote more than 30,000 words previewing every team in Eastern Mass. There’s still time for a cram session!

Team-by-team previews for every Eastern Mass. program

Trevor Hass wrote about Whittier football coach Kevin Bradley, who is continuing to coach the team while battling tongue cancer. Read coach Bradley’s inspirational story.

The first three football games of the season were played Thursday night, with Pentucket topping Northeast (26-22), Waltham holding off Belmont (24-12), and Brookline beating Lexington (27-10).

1. Milestones

▪ Two golf teams made history, as Canton set a new low home score at Blue Hill Country Club, scoring a 138 as a team to best Mansfield by 15 strokes thanks to 1-under-par 33s from senior Joey Ryan and freshman Chase Thomas.

▪ Rockport set a record for most points on its home course, Rockport Country Club, posting a 168-151 win over Hamilton-Wenham behind a 38-point showing from Sam Kesterson, who shot a 1-under-par 34 with three birdies.

▪ St. John Paul II field hockey coach Leah Pierce got her first win with the program, beating Bishop Stang, 3-0. Ariana Liakos got her first win helming the Pembroke girls’ volleyball, beating Falmouth, 3-1. And Acton-Boxborough girls’ soccer coach Manny Lopes notched his first victory, 4-0, over Algonquin.

2. Upset city

▪ No. 4 Needham girls’ volleyball knocked off preseason No. 1 Brookline, 3-0, just a day after falling, 3-0, to No. 2 Newton North.

▪ On the pitch, No. 18 Medfield boys’ soccer shocked No. 10 Oliver Ames, the defending Division 2 state champions, with a 2-0 win powered by goals from Max Tillmann and Sebastian Cole.

3. College corner

Keene State freshman Kayla DiPasquale, a Marshfield High graduate, was named Little East Conference women’s soccer Rookie of the Week after scoring her first two collegiate goals in a 4-2 win over Rivier.

4. Commitment central

BB&N senior captain Sam Kelley, a 6-foot-2-inch, 228-pound two-way athlete from Natick, announced he will play football at Brown.

5. Soccer leaderboard

Goals

Talia Lowney, Greater Lowell, 5

Mary Kudarauskas, Sturgis West, 4

Rowan Malvey, Marshfield, 4

Miguel Armaczuk, St. John Paul II, 3

Cody Boghdan, St. John Paul II, 3

Jackie Fritz, Salem, 3

Linda Jenner, Sharon, 3

Leah Monahan, Lowell, 3

Angie Niz, Lynn Tech, 3

Devon Weafer, Medfield, 3

Bella Wen, Westwood, 3

Davide Vitale, Shawsheen, 3

Points

Lowney, Greater Lowell, 10

Kudarauskas, Sturgis West, 8

Malvey, Marshfield, 8

Kaylee Barrett, Lynnfield, 7

Jenner, Sharon 6

Lauren Sutliffe, Duxbury, 6

Vitale, Shawsheen, 6

Lyla Chapman, Tewksbury, 5

Ava Damiani, Lynnfield, 5

Jocelyn DeMedeiros, Sturgis West, 5

Zach Dziggle, Shawsheen, 5

Maddie Fernandes, Mansfield, 5

Sophie Hano, Manchester Essex, 5

Cory Lloyd, O’Bryant, 5

Sera Eramo, Greater Lowell, 5

6. Field hockey leaders

Goals

Hannah D’Angelo, Pembroke, 4

Dani Ekyman, Sutton, 4

Julie Pacheco, Somerset Berkley, 4

Anthony Ford, Lowell, 3

Alyssa Norden, St. Mary’s, 3

Abbie Poole, Malden Catholic, 3

Natalie Ramcharan, Malden Catholic, 3

Maura Richardson, Joseph Case, 3

Points

Emma Bouchard, Joseph Case, 5

Pacheco, Somerset Berkley, 5

D’Angelo, Pembroke, 4

Ford, Lowell, 4

Richardson, Joseph Case, 4

Vaught, Somerset Berkley, 4

Caitlin Patten, Hingham, 3

Sam Rudick, Hingham, 3

7. Girls volleyball leaders

Kills

Kiera Clark, Milton, 17

Kyra Ward, Chelmsford, 15

Julie Hall, Central Catholic, 14

Sadie Stants, Needham, 14

Norah Downey, Braintree, 11

Assists

Sophie Derwinski, Milton, 27

Madison Blanchet, Central Catholic, 24

Ellen Griswold, Chelmsford, 22

Bella Lee, Needham, 17

Audrey Manning, Lynnfield, 14

Digs

Alexia Vaquerano, Lynnfield, 14

Brooke Braswell, Lynn Classical, 12

Angelina Silva, Tewksbury, 12

Blocks

Alexia Faria, Central Catholic, 10

Downey, Braintree, 5

Manning, Lynnfield, 5

Aces

Morgan Etna, Hamilton-Wenham, 9

Hall, Central Catholic, 7

Maria Rosario, Greater Lawrence, 6

Downey, Braintree, 4

Stants, Needham, 4


Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.

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