Andanh.com

Game 6 was enough to elicit chants of "Break up the Hawks." So in Game 7, the Celtics dismantled them. It was Sunday afternoon sporting devastation not seen 'round these parts since late fall.

Tournament season is in full swing and you need your membership card to register for the tournaments.

BOSTON — Kevin Garnett took a behind-the-back pass from Paul Pierce, slammed in the dunk to give Boston a 36-point, third-quarter lead and then slashed his hand across his throat to signal what the Atlanta Hawks already knew.

BOSTON — Perhaps the Celtics can now relax and think only about playing the brand of basketball that produced the NBA's best record.

WALTHAM — Doc Rivers got a chance to see another side of LeBron James in February, when the Celtics coach was running the Eastern Conference All-Star team and the Cavaliers forward was winning the game's MVP award for the second time.

AUBURNDALE — Bourne High School junior Brittany Weddell played smart, consistent golf to dominate the field in the MIAA Girls Individual Golf Tournament at Woodland Golf Club yesterday.

OSTERVILLE — Whitney Barron and Hannah Allen scored three goals apiece to lead the Falmouth Academy girls lacrosse team to a 10-7 victory over Cape Cod Academy.

MASHPEE — Freshman Danielle McMahan went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBIs and turned in three strong innings after a shaky start to lead Mashpee High School to a 20-16 softball victory over Cohasset.

CHATHAM — Dylan Flynn was spectacular on the mound, striking out 15 as Chatham took a 5-1 Mayflower League baseball victory over Holbrook.

Raymond Androlewicz and Dale Smith, both of Webster-Dudley Country Club, teamed up to shoot 7-under 65 at Maplegate Country Club in Bellingham yesterday, good for a one-shot lead in the 200-team field at the MGA Four-Ball Championship.

BUZZARDS BAY — For the first time in a decade, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy baseball team will play in the postseason.

DETROIT — Mike Lowell hit one of Boston's three homers for his first RBIs this season, and the Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3 behind a wild Daisuke Matsuzaka.

The Varsity Voice bus will be heading west to Westfield Wednesday for a game between two of the top baseball teams in the region. Neither team made too much noise last spring, but through the first month of this season, the Bombers and Panthers are being heard loud and clear.

Join me live from Westfield at 4:00 p.m. with inning-by-inning updates and commentary, followed by a bit of postgame coverage with interviews, stats, game box score and more.

It's that time of the week again.

Western Mass. Weekly time.

This week, as always, there's no shortage of quality talk as Erik Gallant, Kyle Belanger of the Western Mass. Sports Journal and your's truly wax poetically on the state of Western Mass. athletics.

A hint of what's to come, should you decide to listen:

Softball: West Springfield knocks Westfield from the ranks of the undefeated, but how much of an impact will this win have in June?

Girls Lacrosse: Minnechaug tried its best, but the Longeadow Lancers handled what the Falcons had to offer in our Game of the Week. Is Minnechaug closing the gap or is Longmeadow climbing farther and farther to the top of the WMass lacrosse mountain?

Baseball: Westfield and Cathedral battle in Wednesday's Game of the Week. We touch on the impressive first month both teams have had and where they might end up as the tournament slowly approaches.

Have a listen:

Episode 15: Download [Right Click > Save As] or listen in the player below.

St. John'sBarnes delivers for St. John's.

We can all remember how talented Scott Barnes was when he was roaming the mound and diamond for Cathedral High School. Now, the folks at St. John's University are coming to grips with the same thing.

After a stellar sophomore campaign, Barnes, a junior, is lighting up the Big East. He currently leads the conference in strikeouts (67) and is 4th in opponents batting average (.221). In 64 innings pitched, Barnes is 5-3 with a 4.34 ERA.

For his efforts, Rivals.com ranks Barnes among the Top-50 college players in all the land. In what many elite baseball players call the most important year, the junior is certainly doing the right things to move himself up a few pegs on draft boards this June.

The Big East-leading St. John's baseball team has already qualified for conference tournament play and was recently ranked No. 21 in the latest Baseball America National poll --- the program's highest ranking to date.

Final score: Longmeadow 12, Minnechaug 5

The Falcons showed a bit of resiliency by not backing down and putting a scoring surge together in the second half. But the story of today's game was Longmeadow's offensive firepower.It seemed like the Lancers could score at will and they did throughout the first half. A well-played game between two of WMass' top teams showed that Longmeadow may still be a step ahead of the curve.

2nd Half:

1:43 --- After 'Meadow goalie Mollie Macker picked up a card, the Lancers were forced to play a girl down. On the ensuing shot, Mackler was forced to start outside the circle. With the empty net, 'Chaug's Dana Navalence took advantage. With under two minutes remaining, the Falcons have cut the Longmeadow lead to 11-5.

6:36 --- Make that 11-4. Sammi Fecteau just netted one for the Falcons, stretching their second-half run to three straight goals.

7:45 --- Minnechaug is picking up some steam. Dana Navalence found the back of the net, scoring a second consecutive goal for Minnechaug. Longmeadow leads, 11-3.

11:00 --- The Falcons find the back of the net once again. Maeve Moylan earned the goal, sneaking it past Longmeadow goalie Mollie Mackler.

12:47 --- The Minnechaug defense held off the Longmeadow attack for close to 10 minutes but the Lancers struck. Julia Miehm did the damage, putting Longmeadow up, 11-1.

22:00 --- The Minnechaug defense seemed to have stiffened up a bit but that doesn't deter the Lancers. Just a minute into the half, Jenna Zucker found the back of the net. Not even 30 seconds later, Paige Cuscovitch tallied a goal. With that, the Lancers took a 10-1 advantage.

Halftime: Longmeadow 8, Minnechaug 1

A serious statement is being made by the Longmeadow Lancers --- at least after one half of play. In a game between arguably the two top teams in Western Mass., the Lancers jumped out to an early lead and haven't looked back. The Falcons have shown some signs of breaking through with a number of strong saves and good defensive stops. Throughout the first half of play, the Lancers have just had too much firepower for the host Falcons.

1st Half:

0:11 --- The Falcons hit the scoreboard. Off a free shot, Tara Rooke found the back of the net, giving Minnechaug a bit of inspiration heading into halftime.

4:21 --- Michelle Loizzo adds her second goal, stretching the Longmeadow lead to a convincing 7-0.

7:55 --- Just when the Falcons seemed to regain control of a small but of momentum after a great save, Longmeadow siezed control of it all. Halpern scored her third of the day, giving the Lancers the 5-0 lead.

8:55 --- The timeout didn't stop the momentum. Katie Phillips made sure it didn't with another Longmeadow goal. Just a few minutes in and the Lancers lead, 3-0.

9:32 --- Michelle Loizzo makes it, 2-0, in favor of Longmeadow on a pretty goal. The Falcons, hoping to stop any sort of momentum gained by the Lancers, take a timeout to think things over.

10:33 --- Longmeadow, already with a significant advantage in possession, jumps on the scoreboard early. After a lengthy Lancers possession, Lauren Halpern creates some space and finds the back of the net. Longmeadow 1, Minnechaug 0

After having the opportunity to follow Felicia Barron's career at Central, Russ Held spoke a bit about why she won this award for the second straight time, how she may have her best basketball ahead of her and where she sits among the all-time greats in Western Mass. girls basketball history.

Have a listen:

Russ Held: Download [Right Click > Save As] or listen in the player below.

The Varsity Voice had the opportunity to speak with this year's Lahovich and Goodnow Award winners after they were made aware that they had won the award.

As expected, both were very gracious and were great to talk to.

Have a listen to what they had to say:

Felicia Barron: Download [Right Click > Save As] or listen in the player below.

Joe Ragland: Download [Right Click > Save As] or listen in the player below.

The Varsity Voice has had the opportunity to cover both Felicia Barron and Joe Ragland over the course of their careers. That was especially true this past season as both stars led their teams to deep Western Mass. tournament runs.

Here are a few of the links leading to this year's Lahovich and Goodnow winners:

Felicia Barron is named 2008 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year

The Live blog from Ragland's memorable performance against Longmeadow in the Western Mass. final.

Barron scores 20 points in Central's WMass semifinal blowout of West Springfield.

Live blog transcript from West Side's upset of Central in the WMass semifinals where Ragland scored 30 points.

Barron leads Central over Minnechaug to stake claim to the Valley title.

A bit on Ragland as he helped West Springfield beat Cathedral in an early-season matchup.

The live blog transcript from the game mentioned above.

Barron sinks game-winner at the buzzer as Central beats Norwich Free Academy at the Hoophall Classic.

One can assume that Longmeadow's Pat Donnelly was among the small group of basketball players in contention for the Lahovich Award, which West Springfield's Joe Ragland ultimately won. That doesn't mean Donnelly, Ragland's colleague and rival on the court, can't appreciate Ragland's talent, heart and game.

I caught up with Pat Donnelly Friday and here's what he had to say about this year's award winner:

Pat Donnelly on Joe Ragland: Download [Right Click > Save As] or listen in the player below.

Take a walk down memory lane with Joe Ragland and Felicia Barron, the Lahovich & Goodnow winners for the 2008 basketball season.

Below are a few videos featuring our winners.

2008 WMass Final: West Springfield falls to Longmeadow. Joe Ragland scores 27 points.

WMass Semifinal: West Side shocks Central; Ragland drops 30

2008 WMass Finals: Northampton beats Central.

Central vs. Northampton: Barron battles 'Hamp in the regular season.