Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. The Saskatchewan Rush clinched their third National Lacrosse League championship in four years, pulling away from the Rochester Knighthawks for a 15-10 victory Saturday in the decisive Game 3 in front of a packed house of 13,645 fans at SaskTel Centre.
Jeff Shattler, acquired from Calgary after 11 seasons with the Roughnecks, was named the NLL Cup MVP. He scored four goals Saturday, a week after amassing seven points in Rochester.
2. Paul Rabil is the new Major League Lacrosse scoring king. Rabil, a midfielder for the New York Lizards playing in his 11th MLL season, surpassed John Grant Jr. with his 542nd career point, which came on a first-quarter goal during the New York Lizards’ 20-18 loss to the Florida Launch on Saturday.
Several current and former teammates took to Twitter to congratulate Rabil, who finished the night with five goals and an assist.
3. The Charlotte Hounds and Chesapeake Bayhawks kept pace with the Dallas Rattlers with road victories Saturday. The Hounds got a hat trick from long pole Michael Ehrhardt in a 19-13 win over the Atlanta Blaze, while the Josh Byrne (four goals, three assists) and Niko Amato (19 saves) led the Bayhawks to a 15-12 win over the Ohio Machine in a game delayed more than two hours due to weather. Charlotte, Chesapeake and Dallas are tied for first place in the loss column in MLL with two losses apiece.
4. High school state championships were decided in Connecticut, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York, among other places, with some surprising results:
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Manheim Township (Pa.) became the first school from outside of the Philadelphia area to win the PIAA Class AAA boys’ lacrosse championship, defeating La Salle (Pa.) 6-4 in the final Saturday.
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In an incredible New York Class B boys’ lacrosse final, three-time defending state champion Victor (N.Y.), ranked No. 5 in the Nike/US Lacrosse National Top 25, scored twice in the final minute to tie Garden City (N.Y.), only to fall when James Basile finished a fast break off a faceoff with the game-winning goal with 1.2 seconds left to give the Rams a 7-6 win.
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Ridgefield (Conn.) upset No. 2 nationally ranked Darien (Conn.) 9-8 in the Connecticut Class L boys’ lacrosse final to claim its first state title since 2011. The Tigers, coached by Hall of Fame player Roy Colsey, snapped the Blue Wave’s 76-game winning streak and ended their four-year reign as state champions.
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The No. 4 nationally ranked Darien (Conn.) girls also went down, falling to eventual champion New Canaan (Conn.) 12-11 in the Class L semifinals. The Blue Wave were five-time defending state champions and had won 107 straight games against Connecticut teams. The Rams went on to defeat Ridgefield (Conn.) in the championship game.
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Brother Rice (Mich.) had won every Michigan state boys’ lacrosse championship since the MHSAA adopted the sport in 2005. Until Saturday. Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) finally dethroned the Warriors with an 11-10 win in the Division 1 championship game.
5. The Women’s Professional Lacrosse League’s inaugural season continued with games Saturday. Alyssa Leonard scored eight goals to lead the Baltimore Brave to a 15-6 win over the New England Command. The Upstate Pride defeated the Philadelphia Fire 15-10.