Top-seeded Malden Catholic marches on
Sophomore Matt Gaffney paced things offensively with a 17-point outburst, while Ben Howard (10 points, 12 rebounds) and Ethan Tracy (10 points, 10 rebounds) each finished with a double-double to guide topseeded Malden Catholic (21-2) past No. 25 Leominster, 55-38, in the Div. 2 boys basketball quarterfinals.
Eddie McCoy (22 points) and J.T. Veiking (21 points, six boards, six assists) shouldered the load offensively, helping secondseeded Mansfield (23-2) pull away for a 77-50 win over No. 10 Marblehead.
Lorenzo Jackson erupted for 29 points, while Josh Campbell added 24 points himself as top-seeded Archbishop Williams (22-1) staved off a challenge from No. 8 Oakmont by rallying for an 88-83 victory in a Div. 3 quarterfinal.
Freshmen Andy Batista (21 points, two rebounds, three assists) and Giovanni Jean (14 points, 12 rebounds) set the tone for Lynn Tech (18-4) in a 58-48 win over Worcester Tech in the Vocational Large championship.
Kailey Sullivan knocked down six three-pointers and 27 total points as No. 5 Foxboro (22-1) advanced to the Div. 2 semifinals with a 76-30 victory over No. 13 Chicopee. … Senior guard Ashlee Talbot (17 points) finished 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the waning minutes, as No. 6 Dracut (19-6) overcame a ninepoint fourth quarter deficit to advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history with a thrilling 43-38 victory over third-seeded Wakefield.
In a Div. 3 quarterfinal, Chloe Richardson registered 22 points to propel second-seeded Norwell (212) to the Final Four with a 53-39 victory over No. 7 Hudson. … Niya Morgen buried 21 points, while Reese Matela notched a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds as topseeded St. Mary’s (Lynn) (21-2) punched its ticket to the semifinals with a 6638 win over No. 8 Medway. … Zariah Ottley tallied 14 points to go with eight rebounds, rallying fourth-ranked Rockland (21-2) to an appearance in the semifinals with a 48-37 win over No. 5 Dover-Sherborn. … Junior captain Cecilia Kay had a fantastic performance, finishing with 23 points to go with 17 rebounds, as third-seeded Bishop Fenwick (17-7) coasted onward to the Final Four with a 59-35 victory over No. 11 Archbishop Williams.
In a Div. 1 state quarterfinal, No. 2 Bishop Feehan (19-4) used 25 points from Charlotte Adams-Lopez
and 21 points from Samantha Reale to beat No. 7 Bridgewater-Raynham, 72-53.