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Chris Hanifan puts up brick wall, leads Reading by Braintree

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:26:11 GMT

RANDOLPH – Braintree had the momentum, the shots on net advantage, and just forgot one thing.No.14 Reading upended the No. 11 Wamps, 1-0, as junior goaltender Chris Hanifan posted his second shutout of the Division 1 tournament with 25 saves for the Rockets at a jam-packed Zapustas Ice Arena. Braintree (14-7-2) held a 25-15 shot advantage in the end but could not find the back of the net as the Rockets advanced to the Final Four.Reading (14-7-1) will face Xaverian for the right to advance to the state finals.The lone goal came in the opening minutes of the third period as Matty Fichera took a gorgeous cross ice pass from Mark Boyle at 1:30 after two scoreless periods of hockey.The faceoff was the second of the period in the Rockets’ end and after Fichera fumbled the faceoff clear, he found Laz Giardina and the first line for head coach Mark Doherty was off to the races. Giardina fed Boyle racing in the neutral zone as Fichera filled in the left slot.Fichera took the cross-ice ...

North Carolina breezes past Boston College to advance in the ACC tournament

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:26:11 GMT

North Carolina started the season the No. 1 team in the country and entered the ACC tournament with an uncharacteristically low No. 7 seed in the playoffs.The Tar Heels made a strong move back toward their preseason prominence with a convincing 85-61 victory over No. 10 Boston College in the second round of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.BC finished the season 16-17 overall and 9-12 in the ACC. UNC improved to 20-12 and 12-9 in the ACC and will face No. 2 Virginia in the quarterfinals on Thursday night at 7.“We know this loss hurts but we had one hell of a year honestly, beating some top ranked teams,” said BC guard Jaeden Zackery. “I know our record is below .500, but I don’t think that can express how well we played this season.”UNC shot 55% from the floor with 10 made 3-point shots, 16 assists and 33 rebounds. The Tar Heels’ backcourt tandem of Caleb Love and R.J. Davis combined for 40 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Makai Ashton-Lanfo...

Xaverian, Cole Pouliot-Porter edge Catholic Memorial, 2-1

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:26:11 GMT

BRIGHTON – Xaverian goalie Cole Pouliot-Porter wasn’t going to let a sensational effort all night get wasted by a last-ditch comeback in the final minute.Not against the Catholic Conference foe that beat him twice in the regular season. Not with a spot in the Final Four on the line.After already allowing a 6-on-5 goal to Catholic Memorial with just 44 seconds left in a Div. 1 state quarterfinal matchup Wednesday night at Warrior Ice Arena, the junior netminder had little vision in front of him when he somehow absorbed a shot from the point with 17.9 seconds remaining to hold onto a one-goal lead. It wasn’t the flashiest of the 44 saves he delivered against relentless pressure through all three periods, but it proved the biggest to help the seventh-seeded Hawks take down the No. 2 Knights, 2-1, to get back to the state semifinal round for a second straight year.The third time was the charm for Xaverian, and it moves on to face No. 14 Reading for a spot at TD Garden this weekend.“I kn...

Winderman’s view: At this point, stability has to be spelled L-o-w-r-y for Heat

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:26:11 GMT

Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 104-100 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers:– As the turnovers multiplied, up to 20 through three quarters, it became apparent the Heat need a settling force.– Something more than Gabe Vincent.– Something less erratic than Victor Oladipo.– All signs point to Kyle Lowry returning possibly as soon as this weekend.– The Heat not only need Lowry to be good.– They need him to be everything they sought when he was added in the 2021 offseason.– Because this against the Cavaliers was nothing short of helter skelter.– Yes, Lowry has been out more than a month, so perhaps expectations should be tempered.– But perhaps the month off will deliver a rested player, capable of providing a settling force.– This appeared to be a season that would not offer Lowry a second chance.– That opportunity yet could be at hand.– Kevin Love was back after missing Monday’...

Heat can’t overcome their miscues, fall 104-100 to Cavaliers as play-in odds increase

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:26:11 GMT

When the Miami Heat talk about competing, the approach often is expressed as a willingness to play in the mud.Wednesday night at Miami-Dade Arena, Erik Spoelstra’s team created its own slop, with a season-high 24 turnovers.That ultimately provided too much adversity in a 104-100 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers that dropped the Heat four games behind the New York Knicks in the battle for the No. 5 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference and three behind the Brooklyn Nets in the race for No. 6.Their odds for a play-in berth increasing with 15 games remaining, the Heat now find themselves in a tenuous spot for No. 7, just one game ahead of the No. 8 Atlanta Hawks in that loss column.In the play-in, No. 7 hosts No. 8 in a single game to decide the No.7 playoff seed in the best-of-seven first round. The loser of that game hosts the winner of the Nos. 9-10 game for the No. 8 playoff seed.Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 28 points, with Tyler Herro adding 22 and Bam Adebayo 17, on a nig...

Chicago Bulls must find their clutch gene if they want to make the postseason: ‘We can’t think about how it’s been. You just fight.’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:26:11 GMT

Last season, the Chicago Bulls were at their best with a thin margin and a waning clock.The Bulls had the fourth-best record in clutch games, going 25-16 while shooting 48.4% in such situations. DeMar DeRozan became indomitable down the stretch, knocking down game-winning shots with an air of inevitability.But this season, the result of a close game feels like a foregone conclusion. The Bulls entered their game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night with the second-worst record (11-22) in clutch games — ones with a margin of five or fewer points in the final five minutes.It’s enough to give a team whiplash. But DeRozan feels the cause is still a confusion — even with less than five weeks left in the season.“The tide just isn’t turning for us when we’re in those positions,” DeRozan told the Tribune. “Last year, we had everything going our way.”At least on paper, the Bulls don’t look like that bad of a clutch team. The...

MIAA statewide scoreboard and highlights from Wednesday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:26:11 GMT

BOYS BASKETBALLThe Boston English run continues.David Ballenilla scored 13 points, while Jayson Edwards added 12 as 22nd-seeded Boston English (13-8) advanced to the Div. 3 quarterfinals with a 61-54 win over No. 27 Lowell Catholic. Alijah Iraola had a game-high 17 for the Crusaders.Josh Jean Charles scored 22 points as No. 2 Burke (18-4) cruised to an 80-44 win over No. 15 Tyngsboro in a Div. 4 second-round contest. … Trystan Carter led the way with 18 points for No. 7 Randolph (18-4) in a 74-56 win over No. 10 West Bridgewater (16-5).GIRLS BASKETBALLMcKenna Colella scored the game-winner with 2:15 left and Megan Carney added an empty netter as No.2 Duxbury (22-1-2) advanced to the Div. 2 state semifinals with a 4-2 win over No. 10 Malden Catholic.In the Div. 1 round of 16, Natalia Hall-Rosa collected 25 points and five boards for No. 7 Bridgewater-Raynham (19-3) in a 60-43 win over No. 10 Newton North. … Emily Collins scored 17 points as No. 11 Winchester (16-6) ousted sixth-seede...

3 officers shot in east L.A.; suspect barricaded

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:26:11 GMT

A massive police response was deployed Wednesday night in east Los Angeles after three officers were shot while responding to a call.The shooting took place some time after 6 p.m. near the intersection of Mission Road and North Broadway.Sky5 is overhead where a large perimeter has been set up around the scene for what appears to be a barricaded suspect.Details are limited at this time, and the condition of the officers remains unclear.Police did confirm that two of the officers were patrol officers and a third was a K9 unit officer. Check back for details on this developing story.

Australian leader plans meeting with Biden after India trip

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:26:11 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday he plans to meet with President Joe Biden in the United States following a trip to India this week, amid speculation the leaders will make an announcement about Australia’s plans to build nuclear-powered submarines.Albanese gave few details of the U.S. trip, saying there would be further announcements about the arrangements. Albanese is visiting India through Saturday. U.K. officials said Wednesday that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet with Biden and Albanese in San Diego on Monday for talks on Australia’s procurement of nuclear submarines under the AUKUS defense agreement among the three nations. The White House confirmed the meetings in a statement released later Wednesday.The previous Australian government infuriated France in 2021 by canceling a $66 billion contract for a French-built fleet of conventionally powered submarines and opting instead for nuclear-powered versions in a ...

U.S. gets warrant to seize Russian company’s Boeing 737

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:26:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal court in New York authorized the seizure of a $25 million Boeing 737 owned by a Russian energy company, citing U.S. sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, U.S. authorities said Wednesday. The aircraft is owned by PJSC Rosneft Oil Co., headquartered in Moscow and led by sanctioned oligarch Igor Ivanovich Sechin.The court found probable cause that the aircraft, which has not been in the U.S. since 2014, could be seized by the U.S. based on violations of the Export Control Reform Act. “Today’s enforcement action demonstrates there is a price to pay for Russian companies and oligarchs that flagrantly evade sanctions that the United States has imposed in response to the unjustified war against the people of the Ukraine,” Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, said in a news release.Rosneft Oil did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.The action is part of a continuing effort to diminish Russian wealth after its invas...