Sports
UMass notebook: Derek Kellogg changes starting lineup, inserts freshman Brison Gresham
By MATT VAUTOUR
FAIRFAX, Va. — In an effort to shake up his team after Friday’s loss to St. Bonaventure, UMass coach Derek Kellogg changed his starting lineup Wednesday, replacing junior forward Seth Berger with freshman Brison Gresham, who made his first career...
Thomas’ 29 points, 15 assists send Celtics past Jazz 115-104
By DOUG ALDEN
BOSTON — Isaiah Thomas keeps setting personal bests, and the Boston Celtics keep winning games.Thomas had 29 points and a career-high 15 assists for Boston, which made 17 3-pointers for the second straight game while defeating the Utah Jazz 115-104 on...
Tuesday’s high schools: Nate Piorier beats buzzer as South Hadley edges Easthampton
Staff reports
The South Hadley and Easthampton boys basketball teams were locked in a back-and-forth game until the buzzer.Just when the Eagles thought they earned their second win, Nate Poirier and the Tigers snatched it away.Poirier’s fade-away jumper from just...
Beantown as Shoetown: Sneaker makers stake claim in Boston
By PHILIP MARCELO
BOSTON — Shoe makers are racing to the Boston area as they compete for millennial talent.Reebok picked the city’s rapidly growing Seaport District for its new global headquarters in December, following in the footsteps of New Balance and Converse,...
Bruins beat Sabres thanks to fast start
By KEN POWTAK
BOSTON — A fast start and another solid outing by goaltender Tuukka Rask made for a fairly easy afternoon for the Boston Bruins.Patrice Bergeron and Tim Schaller scored second-period goals Saturday to help the Bruins beat Buffalo 3-1 and complete a...
Remembering the names of 2016
Amherst RegionalSage Bailin — CMass/WMass Division 1 outdoor 400 hurdles champ.Luca Brashear — WMass boys 1-meter diving champ.Joe Costello — Coached Amherst boys to state Division 1 ultimate championship.Sophia Jacobs-Townsley — Won the District F&G...
UMass basketball struggles in Atlantic 10 ‘street fight’ against St. Bonaventure
By MATT VAUTOUR
AMHERST — The young UMass basketball team found out quickly that conference play figures to be a little tougher than what it had seen so far.St. Bonaventure’s veteran backcourt outplayed the Minutemen’s young guards, and UMass couldn’t keep up in a...
UMass basketball notebook: two players ejected in St. Bonaventure loss
By MATT VAUTOUR
AMHERST — UMass and St. Bonaventure has been a good rivalry in recent years, but the matchup got extra heated when Minuteman center Brison Gresham and St. Bonaventure big man Jay Ayeni were each ejected in the first half of the Bonnies 89-77 win at...
PODCAST: David Jablonski on Dayton basketball and the Atlantic 10
Verified Twittter user David Jablonski joins Matt Vautour on the show this week to discuss the beginning of Atlantic 10 basketball play.
Doplhins still a good defense despite yardage totals
By STEVEN WINE
DAVIE, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins gave up a season-worst 589 yards last week against the Buffalo Bills, allowed five first downs in overtime and still won.“We didn’t stop them,” Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said, “but when we needed to, we...
Simone Biles soars to AP Female Athlete of the Year
By WILL GRAVES
Simone Biles tried to treat the 2016 Summer Olympics like just your average ordinary gymnastics meet. So what if the stage and the stakes were different?The floor was still the floor. The vault still the vault. The uneven bars still uneven. The...
Thursday’s high school basketball: Northampton boys pull away from Pope Francis in fourth quarter
Staff reports
The Northampton boys basketball team pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Pope Francis, 72-53, Thursday night at AIC in Springfield.Elijah Davis and Andy Grygorcewicz (13 rebounds, seven blocks) combined for 17 of the Blue Devils’ 26...
Donte Clark grabs milestone en route to 78-67 UMass win over Rider
By MATT VAUTOUR
AMHERST — Donte Clark didn’t want his 1,000th career point to come in a loss. The UMass junior guard made sure it didn’t happen.On a night when a lot of his teammates were struggling to score, Clark put the Minutemen on his back to get a 78-67 victory...
Olympic silver medalist diver Michael Hixon wins 1-meter USA Winter National Championship
Staff and wire reports
Michael Hixon is headed to Budapest next summer.The Amherst native and Olympic silver medalist placed first in the 1-meter event at the USA Diving Winter National Championships, Monday at Ohio State’s McCorkle Aquatics Pavilion.The Indiana junior...
Pats coordinators burnish resume while on Super Bowl run
By EDDIE PELLS
DENVER — The Patriots earned a first-round bye in the playoffs — a valuable week off that will let the players rest their legs and the coordinators schedule their job interviews.Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia have been considered among the best...
Vautour: Some big-name teams in danger of missing NCAA Tournament
By MATT VAUTOUR
So far, the 2016-17 season has been rightfully hailed as the year of the blue blood in college basketball. The sports traditional powers like UCLA, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and Indiana have all played like championship contenders. Those...
Tuesday’s high school sports: Meikkel Murray finishes strong for Amherst basketball
Staff reports
Meikkel Murray was at it again for the Amherst Regional boys basketball team.After a slow start in the first half for the Hurricanes, Murray scored nine of his 24 points in the third quarter in a 62-57 win at Longmeadow on Tuesday. The points mostly...
UMass squeaks past lowly North Carolina A&T, 65-59
By MATT VAUTOUR
AMHERST — There was far more relief than joy on the faces of the UMass men’s basketball players as they walked off the Mullins Center court Tuesday.The Minutemen played from behind for most of the game against a much peskier-than-expected North...
Eric Castonguay thrown in the deep end for South Hadley swimming
By KYLE GRABOWSKI
SOUTH HADLEY — Eric Castonguay’s swimming knowledge began and ended with a single Springfield College class: Water Safety Instructor.Yet there he was Tuesday on the Michael E. Smith Middle School pool deck, stopwatch in hand.He’s coaching the South...
Irvin Compass’ new path: Hopkins Academy transfer puts past behind him
By ADAM HARGRAVES
HADLEY — Irvin Compass came to Hopkins Academy to start over.A new beginning in a different state, away from a dark cloud that hovered over him.According to the Sun Herald, while attending St. Stanislaus College in May, school officials caught Compass...