Crowning moment for North Quincy girls' basketball: a win over Quincy for Patriot Fisher title
The Raiders, ranked 14th in the Globe's Top 20, start four sophomores and a junior and rely on a fearless, fast-paced brand of basketball. They kept the Presidents (16-4, 13-3) out of a rhythm and played the game on their terms.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Sophomore center A'laya Colbert paced North Quincy with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Smith added 12 points, Tabby McDonough and Nora Geary scored 9 apiece, and Maeve Powers racked up seven assists.
Advertisement
Frankie Diaz led Quincy with 18 points, and Babson College-bound forward Alyssa Hopps provided 16. The 15th-ranked Presidents trimmed the deficit to 45-42 midway through the fourth, then the Raiders closed on a 7-2 run to earn local bragging rights and a banner in the gym.
'They deserve everything they've gotten,' Cunningham said.
North Quincy built a 14-13 edge through 1 and extended it to 27-22 at halftime behind McDonough and Smith's dribble drives. Colbert displayed elite footwork in the third quarter, helping the Raiders preserve a 43-38 edge heading into the fourth.
Colbert, who moved to Quincy from Atlanta this summer, knew she had to take charge in the paint.
'The first game, I was off my feet, really nervous,' Colbert said. 'I feel like this game was like my redemption. I had to show that I could step up.'
North Quincy dominated the first meeting, 65-47, in mid-January. The rematch was much more competitive, but once again, the Raiders found a way.
Advertisement
Quincy coach Sarah Conlon expressed her gratitude to battle in a packed gym with everything on the line.
'For the city to have two teams with over 15 wins each, that's unreal,' Conlon said. 'At the same time, the last four Fisher division titles are Quincy or North Quincy. That's something I will be forever proud of.'
Trevor Hass can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
14 hours ago
- New York Times
An unexpected shuffle on the O-line: Five things we learned this week at Raiders training camp
LAS VEGAS — On Saturday, for the first time since January, the Las Vegas Raiders took the field at Allegiant Stadium. They were there for their 'mock game' — basically a propped-up practice — in front of thousands of fans. 'We're just getting warmed up,' coach Pete Carroll said Saturday. 'We've got a lot of work to do.' Advertisement There was no tackling to the ground during the session, but the Raiders still came away with an injury — safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. got rolled up on by a teammate and had to be carted off the field. It was a lower leg injury for Johnson, who's been handling duties as the third safety for the defense. After practice, Carroll called it a 'significant' injury. Sneak preview 🍿#RaiderNation — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 2, 2025 The Raiders were in pads for four of their five practices during the second week of training camp. Competition ramped up on both sides of the ball, and things will go up another level next week when they travel to Seattle for their preseason opener against the Seahawks on Thursday. Here are five things I learned from Week 2 of Raiders training camp. In one of the most surprising developments of training camp thus far, it turns out Jackson Powers-Johnson isn't locked in as the starting center. He's been rotating with fifth-year offensive lineman Jordan Meredith, who started eight games at guard last year. Carroll believes Meredith is better off at center due to his lack of size. The coaching staff approached Meredith in the offseason about making the transition. 'It allows me to see the game from a different perspective,' Meredith said Saturday. 'In the center position, you have a lot of calls. When you're out there making the calls, it can get really fast. … The good thing about this is I've got really good (players) all around me and they're all very smart. If I'm making a call, they're also making the call. … We all communicate really well.' The Raiders are working to identify the best group of five for the offensive line. As part of that process, they also had Powers-Johnson slide over to starting right guard during practice Thursday. He was replacing Alex Cappa, who's held down that role since OTAs. The full lineup was: Kolton Miller at left tackle, Dylan Parham at left guard, Meredith, Powers-Johnson, and DJ Glaze at right tackle. On Friday, Powers-Johnson lined up as the backup right guard behind Cappa. On Saturday, he was back as the starting right guard. Advertisement Powers-Johnson starred at center in college, spent all of OTAs at center and has made it clear he prefers to play the pivot, but the Raiders believe his ceiling could be just as high at guard, according to team sources. He started multiple games at guard last year. 'Regardless of if it's center or guard, physicality, emotion, a finish to him,' Miller said Thursday. 'He's so dynamic. Having a lot of the guys be able to do both is big. So, wherever he's placed, he makes a big impact. … Wherever he's placed, watch out.' Decamerion Richardson wasn't expected to play much as a rookie but ended up appearing in 12 games and making seven starts. The results weren't pretty; according to Pro Football Reference, he allowed 10 yards per target (16th-most in the league) and 15.3 yards per completion (15th most). Despite that, the front office gave him a clean slate to work with this offseason. It's still early, but Richardson has taken advantage and displayed a lot of growth. 'He was like, 'Man, JB, I feel like how you were last year, man, they just keep throwing my way,'' fellow corner Jakorian Bennett said Thursday when asked to reflect on Richardson as a rookie. 'And I was like, 'Yeah, bro, it's going to happen like that. The game doesn't slow down for you.' So, I'm happy for him and glad things are kind of slowing down for him.' Richardson has worked frequently with the starters as of late, and he has been consistent in coverage and is starting to make more plays on the ball. He has everything Carroll likes in his corners from a physical standpoint — he's tall, long and fast — and has a lot of upside. Eric Stokes has been a constant in the starting lineup, so the primary player Richardson has been trying to fend off is Darien Porter, who was drafted in the third round this year and also has a lot of physical talent. Richardson and Porter rotated throughout this week. Advertisement 'Just the mental part of it,' Porter said Thursday when asked where he's made the most strides. 'It can be kind of daunting coming into the NFL as a rookie, especially at the cornerback position, but with the guys that I have in the room, with the coaches that I have, and with the practices and continued practices, I think confidence is just getting better by the day.' Bennett has been the odd man out in the rotation. There have been times where he's working with the second- or even third-team defense in practice. He was the Raiders' best corner in the 10 games he played last year, but he's struggled to stay healthy in his first two seasons and is on the shorter end (listed at 5-foot-10) for a Carroll cornerback. Although he's performed well in practices, Bennett hasn't gotten as many first-team reps as the others. 'It's nothing that I haven't been through before, you know?' Bennett said. 'Like in high school, I only started one year, my senior year. Going JUCO and going to Maryland. I always feel like the underdog, and not saying I'm an underdog right now, but just more so, I always had to get out the mud, you know. And, man, that's nothing I shy away from. That's who I am. I like to persevere. I like to be resilient, and that's when I see the best JB, when I'm just focused on me, focused on just being present and just controlling what I can control at the end of the day.' Nobody used 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two receivers) more often than the Raiders last year. They used the grouping on 35.9 percent of their snaps (first) according to TruMedia. When it came to effectiveness out of 12 personnel, however, they were below average: just 4.8 yards per play, which ranked 23rd. Part of the problem was they didn't get what they expected out of Michael Mayer. He missed six games due to personal reasons, and he wasn't himself when he did play. He said he feels better mentally, emotionally and physically, and he's put forth a strong training camp so far. Another big issue was the Raiders were one of the worst teams in the NFL running the ball. Their blocking was poor, and they lacked a difference maker in the backfield. They hope the O-line is better this year, and they're expecting to be much better at running back with the addition of Ashton Jeanty. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly used 12 personnel often in the same role at Ohio State last year. Given the Raiders' lack of depth at receiver, the idea makes a lot of sense. Whether they're any good at it will start to emerge in the preseason. Advertisement Elandon Roberts is pretty locked in as the starting Mike linebacker, but there's a four-way competition at Will linebacker. Devin White has taken the majority of the snaps there since OTAs and has had such a strong training camp that Carroll declared him 'back' to his old self. Germaine Pratt will be White's biggest competition. He took White's spot during practice Friday, but White was back as the starter Saturday. The Raiders are also working in Tommy Eichenberg and bringing Jamal Adams along slowly. They typically use two-linebacker groupings, so the competition here will be intense, and however it shakes out, they should have quality depth. The Raiders signed defensive end Maxx Crosby to a massive extension in March, but that was different. He's a top five player at his position and is still in his prime. That's a deal you get done even if you've never met him. For the rest of the extension-eligible players on the rosters, an argument could be made for the Raiders to hold off and see how they perform this season before committing to them. Instead, they signed Miller to a three-year, $66 million extension with $42.5 million guaranteed on Wednesday. Miller thinks that should help the front office set a positive tone with the roster. 'You put in the work, you show up and it's all about buying in and keep buying in each year because nothing is given; you have to keep earning it each day,' Miller said. 'I think it sends a great message to the team and the organization that they take care of their guys.' (Top photo of Jackson Powers-Johnson, left, and Jordan Meredith: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
FOX Facing Pressure From NFL Fans To Remove Tom Brady Before Week 1
FOX Facing Pressure From NFL Fans To Remove Tom Brady Before Week 1 originally appeared on The Spun. Tom Brady is gearing up for his second season as FOX's No. 1 color commentator, but should that be the case? Apparently, several fans are hoping the network makes a last-minute change to its broadcast booth. When FOX initially hired Brady as an analyst, NFL fans were excited to see what he'd bring to the table. They were hoping he'd be brutally honest about the product on the field. However, their stance on the seven-time Super Bowl champion changed once he became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. In an effort to maintain the league's integrity, Brady is not allowed to witness another team's practice. He also isn't allowed to attend production meetings for FOX. These restrictions were put in place because Brady currently represents the Raiders. Despite all the criticism surrounding Brady's rookie year at FOX, he has decided to run it back for the 2025 season. That's not a huge surprise considering he agreed to a 10-year deal. Even though Week 1 hasn't even arrived yet, NFL fans are already questioning Brady's ability to remain unbiased. On Friday afternoon, Brady was at training camp decked out in Raiders gear. A quick video of him watching practice sparked a ton of outrage on social media. "Why is the minority owner of a team the color commentator on FOX's #1 broadcast team? I still don't understand this at all," one fan said in response to the video of Brady at practice Friday. "Perfectly normal for him to be a network's #1 analyst. Perfectly normal," a second fan sarcastically said. "The fact that he's allowed to call games in just unspeakable," another fan wrote. "But he can be a broadcaster without being partial, right right," a social media user commented. Fans wouldn't have any issue with Brady getting a close look at his squad if he wasn't a national broadcaster. At the end of the day, FOX has invested a lot of money in Brady. The network isn't going to abandon this experiment after a few bumps in the road. If Brady struggles mightily this fall, maybe things will change. For now though, his job at FOX is Facing Pressure From NFL Fans To Remove Tom Brady Before Week 1 first appeared on The Spun on Aug 2, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Raiders optimistic Chip Kelly will revive offense and end rotating door at OC
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The fact so many Raiders offensive players have talked up Chip Kelly as their new coordinator is not surprising. It's training camp, after all, and optimism abounds throughout NFL camps. But when someone from the other side of the ball notices what's going on with the new schemes and game plans, that's more of an attention-grabber. 'We really don't know ever what he's about to throw at us, so it keeps us on our toes," defensive tackle Jonah Laulu said. "Then when we attack them, they come back the next day with something new. It's a great formula for success.' Las Vegas is under its fifth offensive coordinator in four years due to a rotating door at head coach. The last time the Raiders had any semblance of stability at OC was when Greg Olson ran the offense from 2018-21. First-year Raiders coach Pete Carroll hired Olson to be the team's quarterbacks coach right after he made the splashy move to bring in Kelly. The 61-year-old Kelly last year was the offensive coordinator of Ohio State's national championship team. He came to national prominence as the innovative head coach at Oregon from 2009-12, leading the Ducks to a 46-7 record and title-game appearance in the 2010 season. Kelly then had a mixed bag of results in NFL stops at Philadelphia and San Francisco and back in college at UCLA before going back to being a play-caller and guiding the Buckeyes' offense. Now he's doing the same in Las Vegas. 'This is such a good group to coach,' Kelly said. 'They want to be coached. They're thirsty for knowledge. When you go into the meeting room, there's a little buzz and there's an excitement. It's not like, 'Oh, God, we're in camp. What we do here?' It's special when you get an opportunity to be on (an) NFL roster, and I think these guys are really taking advantage of it.' Offensive lineman Thayer Munford said Kelly is willing to make changes if something doesn't work, that he isn't stuck trying to force a system onto the players. 'We're not pointing fingers at each other," Munford said. "We're here to bring each other up and push each other forward. Not every team's like this, either. I've been on a couple teams that you point at them, and they get down in the dumps and the next day they go to crap. This coach is different.' Kelly has the demanding task of improving an offense that was fourth worst last season with 303.2 yards per game and last in rushing with a 79.8-yard average. The Raiders traded for veteran quarterback Geno Smith and drafted running back Ashton Jeanty sixth overall to put some much-needed life into the offense. 'I think Chip has done a great job with implementing his style of play,' Smith said. 'We want to be tough, we want to be physical, we want to attack the line of scrimmage. ... We got a lot of great weapons on offense, so he's putting the guys in positions to make plays.' Will Kelly get it done? There is valid reason to believe Las Vegas' offense will be better, but whether it can take a big enough step to actually compete for a playoff spot in an AFC West in which the Raiders' three rivals made the postseason last year is another matter. But no games have been played, so optimism prevails for the Raiders. 'I played (Ohio State) my last college game in the first round of playoffs, and they beat us bad,' said rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton, a fourth-round pick from Tennessee. "So being able to play in this offense, I see why they did that.' Smith shines in mock game Smith threw touchdown passes on all four drives he quarterbacked in Saturday's mock game at Allegiant Stadium that the Raiders said drew about 18,000 fans. He completed TD passes of 8 and 11 yards to tight end Brock Bowers, 19 yards to Thornton and 50 to Phillip Dorsett in leading the Raiders' starting offense against their backup defense. Smith also ran for a two-point conversion. Maxx Crosby returned a strip sack of Aidan O'Connell 70 yards for a touchdown. Tom Brady, who owns a minority stake in the Raiders, watched from the sideline. He also attended Friday's practice at the team's Henderson, Nevada, facility. Raiders lose safety to 'significant' injury Safety Lonnie Johnson was carted off with an injury to his lower right leg. 'I don't know all the details, but it's significant,' Carroll said. Johnson has worked mostly with the second team this training camp, but was in the with starters in the mock game as part of a three-safety look. ___ AP NFL:
