BOSTON – The trip to Boston proved fruitful for two local girls athletic teams Saturday.The St. Mary’s girls hockey team won its second straight Division 1 state championship, defeating Woburn, 1-0, as the Spartans’ defense simply smothered the Tanners.Eighth grader Marisa Maccario scored the game’s lone goal midway through the second period, and the Spartan defense, tenacious all evening, turned it up a notch in the third period to keep Woburn off the scorebord.St. Mary’s outshot the Tanners 23-6, but Woburn goalie Rebecca Papa frustrated St. Mary’s time and again.The Spartans become the fourth team from the school – and sixth from Lynn – to repeat as state champions. The Spartans boys basketball, baseball and golf teams repeated in previous years, as well as the Classical boys basketball team and English hockey team.Also winning a title Saturday was the Swampscott girls basketball team, which captured its second Division 3 North title in four years with a 61-46 victory over Pentucket – .the team that defeated the Big Blue in the semifinals in 2007 and 2008 (and went onto win two straight North titles).Team defense spelled the difference in this game, as six Swampscott players stifled the Sachems.Offensively, Swampscott got 20 points from Allie Beaulieu and 18 from Tara Nimkar – who also broke the school girls basketball record previously held by Katelyn Leonard in the process.There’s plenty of basketball on tap for Sunday, with Winthrop playing North Cambridge Catholic for the Division 4 North crown at 1 p.m.; Bishop Fenwick going against Watertown in Division 3; and Lynn English wrapping things up at 7 p.m. in Division 1 against Central Catholic. All games are at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell.Stay tuned to www.itemlive.com for updates Sunday, and see Monday’s Daily Item for complete details, with photos.
