Massachusetts high school sports highlights for Jan. 6

But before we dive into all the milestones, star-making turns, upsets, and last-second finishes from Monday and Tuesday, let’s start with an unusual farewell.

After a spectacular high school career that saw him become the state’s all-time touchdown passing leader, senior Osiris Lopez played his final game for Leominster as he leaves Thursday to enroll early at Coastal Carolina, where he will play football, following the model of EJ Perry, who left Andover in the middle of basketball season to attend Boston College.

Telegram & Gazette reporter Tommy Cassell caught up with Lopez after he suited up for his final high school sporting event, a 55-53 boys’ basketball loss to Algonquin.

Find our complete scoreboard here, and sign up for the weekly Varsity News newsletter.

Roundups: Boys’ basketball | Girls’ hockey | Girls’ basketball | Boys’ hockey

Top 20 rankings: Boys’ basketball | Girls’ hockey | Girls’ basketball | Boys’ hockey

League standings:Boys’ basketball|Girls’ hockey|Girls’ basketball|Boys’ hockey

▪ John Willis became the 30th member of the 500-win club for Massachusetts high school basketball coaches when the 32-year coach led Norwell to a 72-40 victory over East Bridgewater.

Willis, a three-sport coach who was inducted into the MBCA Hall of Fame in 2024, won his first state title last spring by defeating Old Rochester for the Division 3 crown.

“You never stop coaching,” said Willis. “It’s a part of you. It’s in your DNA. You just don’t coach on the court, you coach off of it. I’ve been lucky to have not only great players, but even better people.”

▪ We’re in the heart of 1,000-point season — last week saw three join the club — and Tuesday’s grand achievement came from Walpole senior Bella Bingham, who swooped to the basket for a layup midway through the third quarter to reach the mark. She finished with 11 points in a 65-38 win over Wellesley.

Globe correspondent Graham Dietz had the full story.

▪ Natick senior Katie McMahon pulled down 10 rebounds in a 70-33 win over Milton, including the 300th of her career.

With six seconds remaining and the game against Lynn English knotted at 48-all, Everett senior Cristian Vasquez found himself isolated on the left wing against a lone defender.

He drove to his left, side-stepped toward the baseline, and drained a 15-footer with 2.7 seconds to play, finishing with 17 points and lifting the Crimson Tide to a 50-48 win.

▪ No. 6 Whitman-Hanson needed a pair of late free throws from Dylan Hurley (9 points) to hold off an upset bid from Plymouth North and escape with a 35-32 victory.

No. 16 BC High won a defensive Catholic Conference battle on the road against No. 14 St. John’s (Shrewsbury) thanks to 17 points and eight rebounds from sophomore Owen Adams.

Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan — The senior continued an incredible start to his season by posting 27 points and 18 rebounds as the No. 18 Shamrocks held off No. 20 Wareham, 82-76.

Joey Ebian, Cardinal Spellman — The junior nearly triple-doubled in a 62-45 win over Notre Dame Cristo Rey, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Ethan Elie, Braintree — The senior was unstoppable, nearly outscoring Framingham with 35 points in a 57-41 victory.

Desmond Flumo, Acton-Boxborough — The senior did it all, scoring 26 points to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a 62-51 triumph over Waltham.

Caleb Haynes, Brookline — The junior had a huge game, scoring 32 points, dishing 8 assists, and nabbing 3 steals in a 97-52 rout of Weymouth.

Eileen Lowther, Hingham — The junior finished with 31 points, 31 rebounds, and 11 blocks in a 24-hour span, with her Monday performance (21 points, 17 rebounds, 5 blocks in a 45-33 win over crosstown Notre Dame) setting up a strong Tuesday (10 points, 14 rebounds, 6 blocks) in a 56-46 victory against Silver Lake.

Grant Neal, Lynnfield — The 6-foot-4-inch junior dominated inside with 32 points and 14 rebounds, marking his fourth straight game with at least 25 points as the Pioneers won their fifth in a row, 79-73 over defending Division 4 champion Georgetown.

Alex St. Marie, Manchester Essex — The junior continued a brilliant season with 26 points and 15 rebounds in a 73-62 win over Manchester Essex.

Krem Amparo, Latin Academy — The junior posted his second 20-20 double-double of the season, finishing with 21 points and 23 rebounds to beat Madison Park 74-49.

Eva Andrews, Needham — The Bowdoin-bound senior narrowly missed a triple-double, producing a 15-point, 12-rebound, 8-block masterpiece in a 45-43 win over Pembroke.

Josh Pite, Cambridge — We needed one hockey representative here, and Cambridge senior Josh Pite obliged, putting on a show with three goals and three assists in a 7-4 win over Lexington at Simoni Memorial Rink.

Emma Plante, Joseph Case — The senior did it all, dropping 29 points and filling the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 5 steals to top Bristol-Plymouth, 58-34.

Ava Vitti, Ashland — The junior erupted for a career-high 41 points in a 72-40 rout of Dover-Sherborn.

▪ Westfield State senior Morgan Berthiaume, a Douglas graduate from Webster, was named the MASCAC women’s basketball player of the week after scoring a career-high 20 points in a win over Dean. Berthiaume is averaging 10.8 points per game.

▪ Hamilton senior Taylor Lambo, a Watertown graduate, was selected NESCAC women’s basketball player of the week after posting three double-doubles in a 2-1 week for the Continentals, averaging 13 points and 13 rebounds.

▪ Stonehill sophomore Julia Webster, a Bishop Feehan graduate from Cumberland, R.I., was named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer for a second week in a row after posting 14 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds against No. 12/11 Vanderbilt.

MIAA executive director Bob Baldwin was honored with the Jacob Ludes III Leadership Award recently by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Baldwin, who took over as executive director in 2021, is the former chair of the NEASC Commission on Public Schools and served 16 years as superintendent of schools in Fairhaven, where he previously served as a teacher and basketball coach.

“I am honored to receive the Ludes Award from NEASC,” Baldwin said in a statement. “Interscholastic sports are not just about wins and losses. That is why I am proud to have worked with NEASC in creating the playbook for running quality, educational-based athletic programs in schools.”

The Ludes Award “recognizes individuals who demonstrate leadership that furthers the mission and objectives of NEASC and promotes excellence in education.”

(Includes Monday and Tuesday games)

Ava Vitti, Ashland, 41

Ethan Elie, Braintree, 35

Caleb Haynes, Brookline, 32

Connor Houle, Attleboro, 32

Grant Neal, Lynnfield, 32

Thomas Behrmann, Medfield, 31

Allen Brown, Holbrook, 31

Kingston Maxwell, Abington, 29

Teddy O’Neill, Swampscott, 29

Emma Plante, Joseph Case, 29

Johnny Ramos, Catholic Memorial, 29

Will Nunes, Austin Prep, 28

Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 27

Matty Gray, Burlington, 26

Justin Flores, Lynnfield, 26

Desmond Flumo, Acton-Boxborough, 26

Josiah Marshall, Oliver Ames, 26

Alex St. Marie, Manchester Essex, 26

Luke Volkringer, Plymouth South, 26

Zayd Leanna, Newburyport, 25

Keegan O’Hare, Norwell, 25

Justin Grimaldi, Oliver Ames, 24

Sam Myerberg, Lexington, 24

Lilly Phillips, Central Catholic, 24

Dom Taylor, Somerset Berkley, 24

Polixeni Tsiotis, Winthrop, 24

Aarian Brown, Mashpee, 23

Jackson Farrington, O’Bryant, 23

Odens Massillon, Holbrook, 23

Julian Ortega, Southeastern, 23

Alanna McDonald, Mashpee, 22

Ryan Shea, Saugus, 22

Mathaios Stamm, Newton North, 22

Krem Amparo, Latin Academy, 21

Kayla Dunlap, Natick, 21

Isaiah Ferguson, Lowell Catholic, 21

KJ Keuchkarian, Falmouth, 21

Max Kitenda, Lowell Catholic, 21

Kuany Kuany, Mystic Valley, 21

Burke Lombardi, Nantucket, 21

Eileen Lowther, Hingham, 21

Jack Tamburro, Waltham, 21

Aiden Torres, Lawrence, 21

Noah Feldman, Marshfield, 20

Sadie Hartley-Matteson, Old Rochester, 20

Kallie Martin, Andover, 20

Will Olinto, Latin Academy, 20

Caden Rheaume, Somerset Berkley, 20

Stephen Saber, Dover-Sherborn, 20

Ben Scaccia, Franklin, 20

Sam Ward, Swampscott, 20

Krem Amparo, Latin Academy, 23

Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 18

Eileen Lowther, Hingham, 17 (Monday)

Alex St. Marie, Manchester Essex, 15

McKenna Devanney, Central Catholic, 14

Eileen Lowther, Hingham, 14 (Tuesday)

Grant Neal, Lynnfield, 14

James Crowley, Franklin, 13

Eva Andrews, Needham, 12

Shy Babb, Lynn Classical, 12

Joey Ebian, Cardinal Spellman, 12

Maura Quirk, Acton-Boxborough, 12

Ladanian Rodrigues, Attleboro, 12

Justice Samuels, Franklin, 12

Alice Wallerstein, Lincoln-Sudbury, 12

Jackson Farrington, O’Bryant, 11

Cam Skinner, BLue Hills, 11

Alex Sokolowski, Medfield, 11

Keegan Artz, Duxbury, 10

Angie Djoko, Danvers, 10

Ben Frechette, Plymouth South, 10

Gavin Furtado, Apponequet, 10

Maeve Horsman, Oliver Ames, 10

Kingston Maxwell, Abington, 10

Katie McMahon, Natick, 10

Emma Plante, Joseph Case, 10

Gabe Tesler, Hingham, 10

Sam Ward, Swampscott, 10

Amarian Lopes, Greater Lawrence, 10

Graham Lewis, Manchester Essex, 9

Joey Ebian, Cardinal Spellman, 8

Caleb Haynes, Brookline, 8

Ali Santiago, Fenway, 8

Owen Armstrong, Medfield, 6

Anna Kanders, Swampscott, 6

Hannah Kuriscak, Apponequet, 6

Cece Levrault, Apponequet, 6

Dmitri Mendes, Cathedral, 6

Aiden Walter, Lowell, 6

Brody Billone, Mansfield, 5

Duke Cherry, Malden Catholic, 5

CC Curran, Natick, 5

Desmond Flumo, Acton-Boxborough, 5

Bridget Pole, Natick, 5

Rex Satter, Ipswich, 5

Henry Svirtunas, Apponequet, 5

Manny Valentino, New Mission, 5

Tommy Vallett, Mansfield, 5

Vlad Francoeur, Canton, 4

Owen Lambert, Somerset Berkley, 4

Ryan Levesque, Apponequet, 4

Colin McKay, Apponequet, 4

Sienna Miranda, Seekonk, 9

Paige Morrison, Sandwich, 6

Audrey Ormsby, Braintree, 6

McKenna Devanney, Central Catholic, 5

Grace Goudreau, Seekonk, 5

Emma Plante, Joseph Case, 5

Kate Suneson, Apponequet, 5

Quinn Anderson, Sandwich, 4

Thomas Behrmann, Medfield, 4

Angie Djoko, Danvers, 3

Caleb Haynes, Brookline, 3

Maeve Horsman, Oliver Ames, 3

Ava Shaw, Sandwich, 3

Elyza Wagner, Apponequet, 3

Donovan Wright, Boston Latin, 3

Eva Andrews, Needham, 8

Eileen Lowther, Hingham, 6 (Tuesday)

Shy Babb, Lynn Classical, 5

Eileen Lowther, Hingham, 5 (Monday)

Emma Plante, Joseph Case, 5

Bridget Pole, Natick, 3

Josh Pite, Cambridge, 3

Colin Allard, Wilmington, 2

Taighe Dwyer, Hull/Cohasset, 2

Ella Duffy, Methuen/Tewksbury, 2

Cam Keane, Dedham, 2

Steph LeBlanc, King Philip, 2

Jack Melly, Reading, 2

Joel Perez, Cambridge, 2

Khloe Schultz, Sandwich, 2

Breighdyn Simmons, Taunton, 2

Jamie Vallarelli, Taunton, 2

Drew Nadeau, Taunton, 3

Josh Pite, Cambridge, 3

Sammy Ryan, Methuen/Tewksbury, 3

Elisabeth Stutzman, Sandwich, 3

Parker Willard, Dedham, 3

Colin Allard, Wilmington, 2

Ryan Archer, Wilmington, 2

Emily Barbosa, Methuen/Tewksbury, 2

Tegan Bellew, Hull/Cohasset, 2

Ella Duffy, Methuen/Tewksbury, 2

Riley MacQuade, Sandwich, 2

Rory McNeill, Wakefield, 2

Owen Goldstein, Cambridge, 38

Brauer Malcolm, Marshfield, 38

Jaxson Fleming, Catholic Memorial, 14

Thomas Peters, Lowell, 14

---

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