Red Devil Roundup: Boys Hockey Advance to in Elite 8, Boys Basketball Advances to Sweet Sixteen

March 2, 2026

As we begin the month of March, multiple Burlington teams remain alive in the postseason.

GIRLS B-BALL WIN IN PRELIMINARY ROUND, LOSE ON THE ROAD IN LYNN
The Burlington High School girls basketball team hosted the Middleborough Sachems in the Preliminary Round of the Division 2 MIAA Playoffs this past Friday.

The Devils fell behind 12-0 to start the game but quickly regrouped, rallying for a 51-37 victory. Senior Ava Sicari led the way with 16 points. Sophomore Zarah Ochi added 10, while junior Erin Reilly and senior Brooke Baglio each finished with 9.

With the win, Burlington advanced to the Round of 32 and traveled to face the third-seeded St. Mary’s Spartans in Lynn this past Saturday.The Red Devils’ season came to an end with a 68-36 loss to the Spartans. Sicari scored 13 points in the final game, and Reilly added 9.

Burlington closes the season with a 12 and 10 record. The team will see the departure of seven seniors this spring: Ava Sicari, Briana Thomas, Izzy Ortiz, Madison Costa, Sophia Marshall, Hannah Taitelbaum, and Brooke Baglio.

BOYS B-BALL DEFEAT HOLLISTON IN BLOWOUT FASHION IN FIRST ROUND
The Burlington High School boys basketball team hosted the Holliston Panthers in the Round of 32 of the Division 2 MIAA Playoffs and delivered a dominant 95-58 win on their home court.

Senior Matt Gray led the way with 25 points. Senior Charlie Poehler added 18, senior Cole Shannon finished with 14, junior Leon Ssekandi had 12, and senior James Ellis chipped in 9.

It was also a milestone night for Gray, who surpassed 1,000 career points during the game to cement his place in the program’s record books. We’ll have more on his accomplishment later this week in a Red Devil Shoutout.

Burlington now advances to the Sweet Sixteen and will host the Longmeadow Lancers on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. Longmeadow is coming off a 74-66 win over Bishop Stang.

You can watch the game live on the BCATTV YouTube Channel.

GIRLS HOCKEY SEASON ENDS IN PLAYOFFS
The Burlington High School girls hockey team were on the road for the Sweet Sixteen round of the Division 2 MIAA Playoffs against the Nauset Regional Warriors on Friday.

Burlington built a 3-1 lead early in the game, but Nauset Regional scored three straight goals to earn a 4-3 win. The loss ends the Red Devils’ season at 5 and 15.

Senior Karleigh Weber concludes her Burlington career as the team’s lone departing senior this spring.

BOYS HOCKEY DEFEATS PLYMOUTH NORTH IN FIRST ROUND
The Burlington High School boys hockey team hosted the Plymouth North Eagles in the Sweet Sixteen round of the Division 2 MIAA Playoffs on Friday and skated to a 6-1 victory.

Seniors Giacomo Berardinelli, Ryan McElroy, junior Ryan McWhinnie, freshman Matthew Ulmschneider, sophomore Nick Tulipano, and junior James Gordon all had a goal in the game.

Burlington now advances to the Elite Eight and will host the Duxbury Dragons tonight at 6:10 p.m. Duxbury is coming off a 3-1 win over Boston Latin in the first round.

You can watch the game live on the BCATTV Facebook page.

DEVILS WRESTLING AT ALL-STATES
Sophomores Max Shvartsman and Cameron Bonnell represented Burlington Wrestling at the MIAA All-States Tournament on March 1.

At 106 pounds, Shvartsman is headed to the championship finals after an impressive run on the opening day. He defeated sophomore Jason Ireland-Schumuck of East Longmeadow in the Sweet Sixteen, freshman Gavin Espinola of Greater Lowell Tech in the quarterfinals, and junior Kyle Dube of Shawsheen in the semifinals.

Shvartsman will compete for the All-State title Monday afternoon against freshman Sam Winship of Central Catholic.

At 165 pounds, Bonnell also put together a strong performance. He opened with a win over senior Logan Schipper of Pembroke in the Sweet Sixteen before losing to junior Caden Smith of Central Catholic in the quarterfinals. Bonnell came back in the consolation bracket with a win over senior Matt Patterson of Middleborough to advance.

He will compete in the final round this afternoon against sophomore Tristan Lane of Shawsheen.

INDOOR TRACK AT MIAA PENTATHALON
Senior Leila Gilligan and junior Ryan Latchford represented Burlington at the MA Pentathlon last Wednesday afternoon, marking the final indoor track event of the 2025-2026 season.

Gilligan placed 20th out of 106 competitors, while Latchford finished 71st out of 133 in his division.

With the winter season now complete, the Red Devils shift their focus to the spring season, which begins in April at Varsity Field.

Robert Parris

Robert Parris is BCAT’s Sports and Features Reporter. Robert first got involved with BCAT in January 2016 as a volunteer news reporter. Throughout the year, as a volunteer, he was busy developing his technical skills at the studio and his ENG skills in the field. In the summer of 2017, Robert joined the team full-time. He quickly settled into his role, providing all of the production support for our news programs, as well as providing weekly sports highlights. Robert also produces a weekly feature for BNEWS, as well as a monthly show called, BNEWS Sports Hub, and BCAT’s Game of the Week.