ESPN

We updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 boys basketball poll for the final time in the 2012-13 season today. To see it, CLICK HERE.

A few notes and observations about the final poll:

Putnam finishes at the top: Following its dramatic 50-48 overtime defeat of Mansfield on Saturday night for the Division 1 state championship, its first in school history, Springfield Putnam elevates 13 spots to the top of the poll. It's the second year in a row a Springfield public school has won the D1 state title and finished No. 1, following Putnam's archrivals Springfield Central a year ago.

It's an historic accomplishment for coach William Shepard's troops on a multitude of fronts. The Beavers lost just once in the state of Massachusetts, to rival West Springfield in February, shortly before the D1 West tournament started. When they returned the favor to West Side in the playoffs, it marked the first time since 1984 they had reached the sectional final. Putnam's win also marks the first time in nearly a decade that Western Mass. has gone back-to-back as Division 1 state champions since the period from 2002-04, when Cathedral, Amherst and Commerce won in succession.

Mansfield (2), Brighton (3), Danvers (4) and Central Catholic (5) round out the top five.

Brighton stands alone: In a continued gradual decline of the Boston City League, Brighton is the only team remaining in the poll, finishing No. 3 after winning its first Division 2 state title in school history. At one point in late December, the Boston City League had a record six teams in the poll -- the aforementioned Bengals, along with New Mission, East Boston, Madison Park, Charlestown and Dorchester -- but that number dwindled quickly. Of the 12 City teams that qualified for postseason, only Brighton and Snowden won more than two tournament games. Close to half of the City teams were eliminated in the first round.

Handful of debuts, returns: As one would expect in such an unpredictable tournament, a number of teams are either returning to the poll or making their debut. The most significant return is Milford, which catapults in at No. 8 after winning its first Division 1 Central title in 15 seasons. The most significant debut is Martha's Vineyard, which comes in at No. 9 after winning Division 3 South and taking state champion Danvers to the wire in the Eastern Mass. Final.

The other teams making debuts are D2 South champ Scituate (15) and D1 South semifinalist Brookline (23). Making returns to the poll are North Quincy (18), Everett (20) and Rockland (25).

MVC reigns supreme: As it has all season long, the Merrimack Valley Conference remains represented by four teams in the final poll, more than double any other league across the state. Central Catholic comes in at No. 5, followed by North Andover (6), Andover (10) and Lowell (22). Also getting mention in the "Last 10 out" is Haverhill, champion of the MVC's second tier. The Hillies scored one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when they beat No. 4 seed Westford Academy in the first round of the D1 North tournament.

Here is how the final poll breaks down by league affiliation:

Merrimack Valley - 4
Bay State - 2
Hockomock - 2
Mid-Wach A - 2
Northeastern - 2
Patriot - 2
Valley Wheel - 2
Boston City League - 1
Catholic Conference - 1
Central Mass. Conference - 1
Eastern Athletic - 1
Greater Boston - 1
Middlesex - 1
South Coast - 1
South Shore - 1
Valley League - 1

We thank you again for following along with us this winter. Be sure to check back with us throughout the rest of the week for more postseason accolades and final polls.

Correspondent James Walsh produces these highlights from Malden Catholic's 3-2 win over Austin Prep in the Division 1A, Super 8 final Sunday at TD Garden.

It was the Lancers' third straight Super 8 crown.

Correspondent James Walsh produces these highlights from Burlington's 4-2 win over Marshfield in the Division 1 boys' championship game Sunday at TD Garden.

It was the Red Devils' second straight state crown.

Correspondent Greg Story produces these highlights from Wilmington's 4-0 win over Franklin in the Division 2 boys' championship game Sunday at TD Garden.

It was the Wilcats' second straight state crown, with both victories coming against the Panthers.

Correspondent James Walsh produces these highlights from Westfield's 4-1 win over Swampscott in the Division 3 boys' championship game Sunday at TD Garden.

It was the Bombers' third state crown.

Correspondent Greg Story produces these highlights from St. Mary's of Lynn's 2-1 win over Arlington Catholic in the Division 1 girls' championship game Sunday at TD Garden.

It was the Spartans' fourth Div. 1 state crown.

Correspondent Greg Story produces these highlights from Duxbury's 1-0 win over Falmouth in the Division 2 girls' championship game Sunday at TD Garden.

It was the Dragons' second straight win over the Clippers in the title game, good for their third straight state crown.

Everett High Class of 2014 defensive back Lubern Figaro received an offer today from UMass, a source told ESPNBoston.com.

The Minutemen become the second Division 1 FBS school to offer the 6-foot, 180-pound Figaro, joining Boston College. Temple has also expressed interest in Figaro.

Figaro started all 13 games this past season for the Crimson Tide, alternating between strong safety and slot cornerback, as they captured their third straight Eastern Mass. Super Bowl title. Alongside seniors Jalen Felix, Gilly De Souza and Wisconsin signee Jakarrie Washington, Everett's secondary was considered the state's most feared.

Michigan State extended a scholarship offer to Millis/Hopedale two-way lineman Jon Baker, his head coach Dale Olmstead told ESPNBoston.com this morning.

The Spartans are the second Big Ten school and fourth FBS school from outside the New England region to offer Baker. Since the beginning of February, Baker has seen FBS offers come in from Rutgers, Temple and Ohio, to go along with offers that first came last spring from Boston College, UMass and UConn. He also has offers from FCS schools Harvard, Yale, Old Dominion and Holy Cross; Stanford, Michigan, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and UCLA have also expressed varying amounts of interest.

The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Baker is considered one of the top prospects in New England, and generally projects as a center in college. In 2012, his junior season, he registered 78 tackles with four sacks at defensive tackle to earn a spot on ESPNBoston.com's annual All-State Team. He also earned Tri-Valley League Lineman of the Year honors for the second straight year, as the Mohawks made their second straight MIAA Division 4 playoff appearance.

BOSTON – The biggest difference between Burlington High School and Marshfield in Sunday's Division I state championship game? A second-period stretch of hockey that lasted three minutes and 19 seconds.

Burlington scored three goals in that span, which turned a tie game into a three-goal advantage. It was too much for Marshfield to overcome, as the Red Devils went on to post a 4-2 victory and win the Division I title for the second consecutive season.

“That was definitely the difference,” Marshfield coach Dan Connolly said. “We got away from the way we wanted to play. We were too aggressive on the forecheck. We made a couple bad pinches that led to odd-man rushes and they capitalized. Give credit to them. They forced us into that.”

Senior forward Sean Murphy gave Burlington a 2-1 lead at 6:11 of the second, and then made it a 3-1 contest at 8:44. Senior J.P. Scola added a goal a 9:40 of the second that put the Red Devils up 4-1. Murphy's second goal came during a Burlington power play – one of two power-play goals the Red Devils scored in the game.

“I thought we were lucky to be 1-1 because I thought we were back on our heels and playing a little passive in the first period,” Burlington coach Bob Conceison said. “We changed our tactics a little bit. We played a little bit more aggressively and started taking the body more. Then once we got that goal to make it 2-1, the other two seemed to come fast. That was the key to the game.”

Burlington's Joe Berardi opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period and also collected two assists in the victory, which came in Burlington's fourth appearance in the Division I state final. The Red Devils completed their season with a 14-6-5 record.

Burlington, which had to replace seven seniors from last year's team, received a 27-save performance from senior goaltender Derek DeCastro.

“He's a great goaltender,” Connolly said. “He didn't give us a lot of net to shoot at. He knows how to win big games. He proved that last year.”

Marshfield hadn't allowed a power-play goal in the postseason until the championship game.

Senior forward Michael Carbone and junior defenseman Matt Burchill collected the Marshfield goals. Carbone's goal made it a 1-1 game in the first period, and Burchill made it 4-2 with 42 seconds left in the second.

The momentum created by Burchill's goal didn't seem to carry over to the final period, however.

“We played a gutsy third period,” Conceison said. “We got in the passing lanes, blocked some shots. We did the little things you have to do to win a game like this.”

Marshfield goaltender Connor Lemieux stopped 13 shots.

The Rams, who won the Division I title in 2011, finished with a 20-7-0 record. Severn players on this year's Marshfield team also skated for the Rams in 2011.

“It was a good hockey game,” Connolly said. “They played a little bit smarter system-wise. Someone has to lose in a championship game, and tonight it was us. It's sad for the seniors.”

BOSTON – Swampscott was making its first-ever appearance in the state title game, but nerves did not seem to be an issue for the Big Blue as they fired shot after shot on the Westfield net in the opening period.

It could have been nerves that got the better of Swampscott on its first trip to the TD Garden, but instead, it was Bombers senior goalie Nick Liberto that ruined the afternoon for the North sectional champs.

“We couldn’t have done it without him,” said Westfield senior forward Adam Collier about his goaltender. “I’ve personally watched him since freshman year and he stands on his head every game. I couldn’t ask for a better goalie.”

Liberto made 22 saves and Collier scored a pair of goals as the Western sectional champions made the most of the long drive to Boston and earned the program’s third Division 3 state title with a 4-1 victory on Sunday afternoon.

Veteran head coach C.B. Matthews, Jr., who has been at the helm for all three of the team’s state championships, was also full of praise for Westfield’s senior netminder.

He remarked, “He brought us here and he kept us in the game tonight. He made some enormous saves. We were running around a little bit and he kept us in the game.”

Liberto deflected praise to his teammates and commented that his primary focus is giving his team the chance to get the game’s first goal.

“I was just trying to stay focused and I always want to give my team the first goal,” explained Liberto. “I feel like that’s huge. So, I’m good from the start.”

Swampscott freshman goalie Tristan Bradley was also excellent in the first period, but the Big Blue was caught out on two odd-man rushes by Westfield. With 4:16 left in the period, Connor Sullivan finished a two-on-one from Chris Sullivan to make it 1-0. Inside the final minute, Collier scored his first to double the Bombers’ lead.

“We gave up a couple of two on one’s, which resulted in goals but I thought for the most part we had some great opportunities, but we weren’t able to put the puck in the net,” said Big Blue head coach Gino Faia.

Collier added his second and the team’s third midway through the second period. Sean Spohr, who also assisted on Collier’s first goal, and Brandon Miemiec got the assists. Matthews called the forward his team’s “unsung hero.”

“My line has been doing great,” noted Collier about his goalscoring success in the tournament. “We just try to get to the net, move the puck well, and get the puck on net. Luckily, it’s paid off.”

Westfield nearly let a third period lead slip in the semifinal against Wachusett, so there was still pressure on the Bombers despite the three-goal advantage. That pressure increased when Robert Serino scored a wraparound goal with 8:55 remaining to make it 3-1.

Swampscott pushed forward and continued to fire shots toward Liberto, but the Westfield defensemen held firm and blocked a number of efforts in the closing minutes. Corey Carmody nearly made it a one-goal game late in the third, but his shot slid through Liberto’s five-hole and all the way through the crease.

Anthony Cagliostro tacked on an empty net goal to ice the game for the Bombers in the game’s final minute.

“Normally third periods have been our best periods all season long and we told them that we’ve got to get the one,” said Faia. “We did score and got some energy, but we kind of ran out of time there.”

Collier admitted that the Medway game was on the players’ minds as the third period began on Sunday.

“We gave up four goals in the third period [against Wachusett on Thursday] and going into the third period here we knew that we couldn’t let down and the title was ours,” he commented.

Westfield celebrated the program’s third title and Matthews noted that, no matter how many championships the program wins, it never gets old.

“It’s a good feeling,” he reflected. “They’re all special. These young men will never forget them.”

WORCESTER, Mass. -- ESPN Boston High Schools editor Brendan Hall is joined by MassLive.com producer Jay King and videographer Greg Story to break down Saturday's MIAA boys and girls basketball State Championships. Champions were crowned in six divisions, three each for boys and girls.

(Video by Greg Story)

BOSTON -- With under three minutes to go in a 1-1 hockey game, Alison Butler found herself racing up the left wing on a two-on-one.

The Spartans senior standout had teammate Madison Molea alongside on the right, but passing really wasn't an option. Butler waited for the lone defender to slide over toward Molea, then set her sights low and fired.

The puck found its mark, reaching the back of the net, for the umpteenth time in her career, and arguably the best girls hockey player in Massachusetts delivered in the clutch. Goalie Lauren Skinnion made three huge saves over the final minute and St. Mary's knocked off archrivals Arlington Catholic, 2-1, to claim the program's fourth Div. 1 state championship in the last six years.

"I just took the puck out two-on-one and the D kind of moved over to Madison so I just shot it," Butler said, describing her game-winner. "There's no such thing as a bad shot at that point in the game and it went in. I was always going to shoot it. I noticed the far side was open and I wanted to shoot it low because I know (AC goalie Megan Messuri) has a good glove so I just shot it low and wide and it went in."

Spartans coach Frank Pagliuca was on his star after the second period, feeling like she wasn't performing up to her usual standards at that point of the game. Butler clearly took the words to heart and found the spark that she needed.

"I kind of got on her a bit after the second," Pagliuca admitted. "I didn't think she was playing particularly as well as she could but she really responded to that in the third period. I think she's the best player in the state. She got that opportunity and she buried it. The first time she came down and took a slap shot and I tried to tell her, 'You can't be predictable all the time' and I think she threw (Messuri) off with the quick shot like that."

A SECOND-LINE PLAYER IN NAME ONLY
While Butler may in fact be the leading candidate for ESPN Boston's Miss Hockey Award, fellow forward Gabby Crugnale should be in line for any sort of most improved player nods. The senior totaled just 11 points last season but emerged as one of the Spartans top weapons, more than doubling her output to 25 points while centering the second line.

Crugnale's abilities and a newfound confidence make a second-line player in name only, and she showed off some of that when Sarah Ryan sent her off on a terrific rush and Crugnale finished with a rifle right down the middle for the game's first goal at 14:37 of the opening frame.

"The one thing I can do good is my speed," Crugnale said. "When I get the puck I just try to skate as hard as a I can to the net. Girls were getting in my way but I just tried to focus and calm down and get around them. When I scored, I was just like, 'Wow, that was a great feeling.'"

Crugnale admits to having confidence issues, although you would never it watching her on the ice. She was one of the most talked about players during The 8 Showcase in Hingham at the end of the regular season amongst the visiting coaches and scouts. On the ice, she displayed abilities that caused Pagliuca to resist the temptation to put her on the Spartans top line lest she shy away toward more prolific teammates such as Butler and Kaleigh Finigan.

"The thing with me is that I don't have confidence in myself," Crugnale admitted. "But this year, and even last year, I started having more confidence. Before, I'd be scared to go on the ice, I'd be scared to make a mistake. This year, I don't know why but every time I got on the ice I wasn't afraid."

SKINNION & D TRIO MAKING A MARK
Often lost in the shuffle of St. Mary's successes are the goaltenders. The Spartans previous two goalies, Kelsey Magrane and Sarah Foss, were supremely talented stoppers who simply weren't called upon all that much to win games as the team was loaded with high-powered offensive players.

While the top-end talent is still there, there isn't as much of it and Skinnion has been called on to do her part...and then some...more often those that came before her. Additionally, the Spartans have relied primarily on just three defensemen - Tatiana Doucette, Amanda Donahoe and Vanessa VanBuskirk - and that quartet came up with some of its best hockey over the past month.

Sunday, Skinnion made 24 saves, allowing just a second period goal by AC standout Adrieana Rossini. In the game's final minute, Skinnion snuffed out a wraparound bid by Duggan Delano, then got Delano again on a quick shot off a faceoff win to help preserve the win.

"My defense played great today," the junior said, deflecting some of the credit. "We know that they like to work from the corner to the high slot. They're going to curl a lot and just try to get the wraparounds or the high slot shots with a back door so that's what I had my mind planning on what do in those situations and how I approached the game."

She also came through in a huge spot at the end of the second, as the Spartans were called for a pair of penalties and were left to kill off a 35-second, five-on-three situation.

"We tried to set up a box-and-one but for some reason one of the kids wasn't moving the puck like she should have been," explained AC coach Maggie Taverna. "And when you don't move the puck on the power play, it's easier to defend it so it wasn't as productive as we would have wished it to be. They had opportunities and scoring is a difficult thing. Thats why hockey games are so low, the scoring is so low. You have a big goalie in the net and you have to move her to get the puck behind her."

BOSTON – The 2013 Super 8 tournament ended the same way it did in 2011 and 2012 – with Malden Catholic celebrating on the TD Garden Ice.

The Lancers stretched their winning streak to 11 games Sunday by beating Austin Prep 3-2 in the Super 8 championship game.

Junior left wing Tyler Sifferlen, sophomore right wing Austin Goldstein and sophomore center Ara Nazarian scored for Malden Catholic, which became the first team to win the Super 8 in three consecutive years since Catholic Memorial prevailed from 2003 to 2005. The Lancers, who were under .500 after 14 games, completed their season with a 16-6-3 record.

“We knew we had the talent, we just had to get the kids on the right page and to believe in themselves,” Malden Catholic coach John McLean said. “I thought we were going to lose four games, When we got to six I was concerned.”

Austin Prep's Nolan Vesey scored on the game's first shot on goal and the game's last shot on goal, but the Cougars didn't beat Malden Catholic goaltender Connor Maloney in between. The Lancers led 2-1 after one period and carried that lead into the third.

Maloney made 12 saves.

“End of the season we went on a little run,” Maloney said. “Nothing was definite, but we felt if we played our best hockey we'd be here.”

Nazarian gave Malden Catholic a 3-1 lead on a shot from the left faceoff circle that found its way between Austin Prep goaltender Elijah Harris' pads and trickled across the goal line 2:24 into the third. Vesey kept things interesting by scoring with 26.5 seconds left, but the Cougars failed to put another shot on goal. Vesey's second goal came after Austin Prep had pulled Harris (33 saves).

Austin Prep, which entered the contest unbeaten in its last 13 games (10-0-3), finished its season with a 16-2-6 record. It was the first time Austin Prep reached the Super 8 final.

“They're a good hockey team,” Austin Prep coach Louis Finocchiaro said. “They came on strong at the end of the season.

“We're not happy with losing. We came here intending to win a hockey game and believed we could. Our kids ... I can't be more proud of them. What I'm most proud of is we continued to compete until the final buzzer – like it's been all year. “

It was the second time the teams met this season. Malden Catholic won a shootout on Dec. 28 after the game was 4-4 at the end of overtime.

The Lancers led 2-1 after the opening period. Austin Prep grabbed the lead when Vesey scored from low in the left faceoff circle 14 seconds into the contest. It was the game's first shot on goal.

Malden Catholic got on the scoreboard when Sifferlen beat Harris with a wrist shot from the right dot at 5:25. The goal came during a delayed penalty.

The Lancers took their first lead when Goldstein scored on a soft shot from above the right circle with two minutes left in the first. The two goals Harris allowed in the opening 15 minutes matched the number of goals he surrendered in Austin Prep's three previous tournament games.

Malden Catholic lost five players from its 2012 championship team. The Lancers became the first team to win a play-in game, and then capture the Super 8 title.

“Really proud of the kids because there were a lot of doubters,” McLean said. “If everybody comes back, hopefully you'll see us here again next year.”

BOSTON -- Earlier this season, after a win over Winchester, Wilmington head coach Steve Scanlon spoke about junior Drew Foley being one of the best goalies that the program has ever had. Early in the first period of Sunday’s Division 2 state championship game at the TD Garden, Foley showed why he has earned such praise.

Franklin forward Aiden Isberg had two chances from point blank range, including one with the net gaping, but was robbed by Foley’s quick reflexes. It was a remarkable moment that left the fans stunned and kept zeroes on the scoreboard. That save, and several other stops in the opening period, gave the Wildcats the time to find their legs.

Once they got going, there was little that Franklin could do to stop them.

The Wildcats took control of the game, especially in the third period, and claimed the D2 state championship with a 4-0 victory. It was the second straight state championship for Wilmington and the second consecutive season that Franklin was beaten in the title game.

When he met reporters after the game, Foley, who made 15 saves to earn the shutout, was modest about his highlight reel save.

“It was actually kind of lucky. I saw the puck and moved over and waved my glove and luckily I got it,” he remarked. “I didn’t even know I got it until I shook my glove and it felt heavy.”

Foley made five saves in the opening 15 minutes, but all of them were on solid scoring chances for the Panthers. Scanlon praised his goalie’s performance in the first period, especially his save on Isberg.

The Wilmington coach noted, “I thought it was in, to be honest with you. Then he was waving it around like he had it the whole time. That was a big stop. He’s been a rock for us all season.”

The Wildcats opened the scoring with just 1:27 left in the first period. Junior forward Cody McGowan, who Scanlon referred to as “snakebitten” this season, was played into the Franklin zone by Dylan DiNatale and fired a wrister past Devon Maloof’s stick side.

“We’ve gotten in front in every game, but the Boston Latin game, and it’s huge. That just brings all the momentum with you,” said McGowan.

The second period was back-and-forth. Wilmington forward Jake Rogers smacked the crossbar and then Franklin had a tying goal taken off the board. Senior Mike Patjane slipped into the zone and scored past Foley, albeit with no effort on the goalie’s part to make the save as the whistle blew for offsides behind the play.

Franklin head coach Chris Spillane admitted after the game that the call was correct and credited Wilmington for taking control of the game and limiting the Panthers’ chances.

“We’re just a blue-collar team, hardworking, and we sort of ran into a team that was very strong offensively and met our match today,” said Spillane. “We held them in check for the first period and they sort of tired us out and, once they have space, it’s their advantage.”

The third period was dominated by the Wildcats as Franklin wore down. On the power play, senior forward Cam Owens fired a pass from the point to Brandon McDonough, who was wide open at the far post. The junior tapped into the open net to make it 2-0 and finally break the game open for Wilmington.

“I thought the power play opportunity was big,” explained Scanlon. “We moved Cam back to the point on that and moved the puck a little bit better. Once that went in, that hurt them I thought. We started to push them back and controlled it from there.”

With six minutes remaining, Rogers got redemption with the Wildcats’ third goal. He found himself alone in the circle while Maloof and the Franklin defense searched for the puck and he fired into the wide open goal. Inside the final two minutes, junior Luke Foley tacked on a fourth.

This is the third straight season that Franklin has advanced to the state title game, and the fourth time under Spillane, but the Panthers have yet to win at the Garden. It was a difficult road through the playoffs for Franklin and, regardless of the result, its coach was proud of the work that the team went through to get back to the finals.

Spillane said, “We definitely didn’t take the easy road. Am I proud of my kids? Yeah. They never stopped playing. Even tonight, right down to the last whistle, they didn’t stop playing.”

When asked if he liked playing at the Garden, Spillane joked, “I wish they’d move this down to Bourne, we seem to play better there.”

With back-to-back titles, Wilmington certainly enjoys playing at the TD Garden. Scanlon believes that there is the chance that the Wildcats could be right back in the title game again next season.

“We should be good again, you know. We don’t have as electric a player as Owens can be, but McDonough is right there behind him. We’ve got a good goalie, that’s half the fight,” said Scanlon.

According to the star goalie, there is no secret to the success that Wilmington has had in the past two years.

He reflected, “Just stay true to your system. We get the puck in deep and we cycle and get shots to the net. There’s nothing really secret about it, just play your system.”