St. Mary’s Girls Win MIAA Semi-Finals 63-62 Over Bishop Fenwick
After a fourth-quarter 10-point lead vanished, the St. Mary’s Spartans found just enough reserve to hold off Bishop Fenwick, 63-62, in the MIAA Division 3 semi-finals Tuesday night at Woburn High school. Junior Niya Morgen (23 points) calmly swished a pair of free throw shots with 8 seconds on the clock to send the Spartans to the Tsongas Center for this weekend’s State Championship game against Rockland, victors over No. 1 seed Medway in Tuesday’s other Division 3 semifinal.
The Catholic Central League rivalry between St. Mary’s and Fenwick was in high pitch at the packed gym, as both schools turned out roaring student cheering sections. Both sides had plenty to yell about as the teams battled up and down the court all night, the lead changing hands 15 times according to one count. The Spartans clung to a narrow lead for most of the first half and stretched to a 31-27 lead at the half, but the scoreboard read St. Mary’s 45, Fenwick 43 as the fourth quarter started. Led by Morgen and junior guard Yirsy Queliz, St. Mary’s opened up a 59-49 lead with just under four minutes left. But Fenwick answered with an 11-2 run that set up the game-ending drama. The second-seeded Spartans return to the State Championship game for the first time since 2019, as Covid 19 wiped out the championship tournaments in 2020 and 2021.
St. Mary’s Boys Win MIAA Semi-Finals 87-49 Over Norton
The Spartans made it clear right from the start: this was their game. Running out to a 12-3 lead in the opening minutes, they stretched the margin to 48-21 by halftime, then cruised to a dominant 87-49 win in the MIAA Division 3 semifinals Tuesday night at Woburn High School.
St. Mary’s will play Watertown Friday night, 7:30, at the Tsongas Center for the state championship. The Spartans were paced by Dave Brown Jr. (23 points) and Omri Merryman (16 points) and scored seemingly at will. Backed by a deafening cheering section of classmates who had just watched the St. Mary’s girls knock off Bishop Fenwick in the girls semifinal match, the Spartans rode the emotional wave to leave no doubt that they were the superior team on the court. Brown and Merryman were joined in the scoring column by Henri Miraka (9), Ali Barry (7), Anthony D’Itria (6) and Nick Sacco (4).