Pats QB Drake Maye has led the team to a 13-3 record this season with one game left.

The BPS Boys and Girls team were the MIAA Division 2 Champions.

Lesley University Guard Baileigh Sinaman-Daniel

Boston International High School made history by winning the Division 5 State soccer title.

As we approach the final hours of 2025, let’s begin this article with heartfelt condolences to the Miller family over the death of Karen Miller, the sister of former Bay State Banner owner Mel Miller. For those of you who didn’t get to meet her, you missed the chance to spend time with one of the great human beings and a cherished member of the Banner family.

I got to know Karen as a work colleague at this newspaper over the last couple of years. She held a top executive role at Banner for decades. But to me, she was just Karen — the elegant lady who sat in the cubicle next to mine. She was a devoted Boston Celtics fan (from the Bill Russell era to the present) who really knew the game of basketball. Karen would always take time to ask me questions and give her opinions on sports. Her gentle tone and quiet demeanor masked a warrior spirit that let you know she was not someone to take lightly in anything she put her mind to. I will miss her enormously. So, my dearest, darling Karen, this article is dedicated to you.

We’ll start off with your favorite team, the Boston Celtics, who started this current NBA season without the services of All-NBA star Jason Tatum, who was lost for the year due to an Achilles tendon tear suffered during the team’s playoff loss to the New York Knicks, which dethroned them as NBA Champions.

The Celtics built substantial leads in several games, including consecutive 20-point advantages in Games 1 and 2, only to see their offense stall completely in the fourth quarter and overtime. Boston often settled for excessive three-point attempts, even when they weren’t falling, rather than attacking the paint when the Knicks closed driving lanes. In Game 2, for example, the Celtics went over eight minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter. Boston was criticized for its inability to change its offensive approach when the Knicks’ defense adapted.

Despite shooting poorly from beyond the arc (making an NBA playoff record 45 missed 3-pointers in Game 1 and going 10 for 40 in Game 2), the Celtics continued to rely heavily on the three-point shot. The Green faced significant injury challenges. Kristaps Porzingis was limited by illness and an injury for much of the series. The most critical blow came in Game 4 when Jayson Tatum, after a 42-point performance, sustained a serious Achilles tendon injury late in the game, effectively ending his series and the Celtics’ realistic chances of a comeback.

I remember feeling your pain as I was writing the game story and your question: “What will the team do without him for an entire year?” The answer is that this current Celtics team is holding its own with Jaylen Brown (the team’s other All-NBA star) leading the way. Brown recently tied Larry Bird’s franchise record of nine straight 30-point games and has finally become recognized as one of the elite players in the NBA while leading the Celts to a 19-win 12-loss record as of this writing.

Payton Pritchard, one of Karen Miller’s other favorite players, has emerged as an NBA starting point guard, averaging almost 17 points and 5.2 assists per game. During the team’s run to NBA title number 18, Karen would constantly sing the praises of young Mr. Pritchard: “He’s got spunk and always seems to put a charge in the team when he comes in the game.”

Her assessment proved spot-on when Pritchard was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

After the Celtics’ elimination, the NBA Championship race shifted, with the Oklahoma City Thunder ultimately claiming the title over the Indiana Pacers in seven games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stood out, earning Finals MVP regular-season MVP honors and securing the scoring title.

Michael Jordan did it four times, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once, and Shaquille O’Neal was the last person to accomplish that feat until now.

While the NBA crowned a new champion, the WNBA saw the Las Vegas Aces capture the league title, sweeping the Phoenix Mercury in four games in the finals. “MEGASTAR” A’ja Wilson led the Aces, becoming Finals MVP and the first in league history with four regular season MVP awards. This marked the Aces’ third championship in four years.

The Lady Crimson of Harvard University stepped into the record books as the first Harvard women’s basketball team to win the Ivy League postseason tournament. Harmoni Turner was named Ivy League Player of the Year for her spectacular performance.

Shifting to college basketball, on the national stage the Connecticut Huskies women’s team secured its 12th national title during the coach Geno Auriemma era. They defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 in the championship game, with junior Azzi Fudd named Most Outstanding Player.

Turning to the men’s tournament, the University of Florida Gators halted the UConn men’s team attempt at a three-peat as national champions. Guard Walter Clayton Jr. earned Most Outstanding Player honors as the Gators claimed their third title, and first since 2007.

One of the most compelling stories that appeared in this year’s Banner was that of Lesley University’s Baileigh Sinaman-Daniel, became the first one-armed female player in Division 3 basketball history to score in an official game.

Sinaman-Daniel: “All my life, my parents refused to let me feel sorry for myself for being born with one arm. One of the most difficult everyday functions was tying my shoes. I couldn’t ask for help until I failed to execute the maneuver three times. I cried for many days before I learned to tie both shoes (the right shoe being very difficult) properly.”

Another touching story this year was about wheelchair marathoner Delmace Mayo, who trained at a couple of local high schools, Boston Greer Academy and Brighton High School, and is currently attending the University of Arizona on an athletic scholarship with a dream of competing in the 2028 Paralympic Games. In his own words: “I do what I do to inspire others.”

Lucas Andrade also made headlines this year with his exemplary work on the track. The senior from Brockton High School set records in the 55-meter hurdles event, clocking in a time as low as 7.29 seconds.

Two other significant high school athletic achievements created a buzz in the Bay State.

Boston International High School won the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) Division 5 state title in soccer, first for a Boston city school, and Boston Coop became the first high school in Massachusetts history to capture a cross-country championship, winning the Division II trophy.

Twenty-three-year-old Blake Lothian is a pro in a very different sport here in Massachusetts.

The Wellesley native is a NASCAR racer who won his first race at 19 at the Hickory Motor Speedway in 2021, in just his fourth start. In a recent interview, Blake spoke about his goals: “I want to elevate to the top of the NASCAR Circuit, win Daytona, and bring a message to all people, especially people of color, that this could be their dream, too.”

Moving from the track to the gridiron, the resurgent New England Patriots have a 13-3 record with one game left in the regular season. The team has qualified for this year’s National Football League Playoffs, just one year after recording a dismal 3-14 record. The Pats also dethroned the Buffalo Bills as the champions of the AFC (American Football Conference) Eastern Division, ending the Bills’ five-year stranglehold on the top spot of the division.

The Patriots, along with every other NFL playoff contestant, will be looking to unseat the Philadelphia Eagles as defending Super Bowl champs. The Eagles destroyed the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, thwarting their attempt to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Lombardi trophies. With Mike Vrable at the helm, the Patriots are overachieving, and much of the credit goes to second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who is competing for Offensive Player of the Year. Maye has thrown for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns this season, with one game left in the season.

And saving the best for last:

The number one sports story of the year is the Los Angeles Dodgers becoming the first National League team in a half-century to “repeat” as World Series Champions. The Dodgers completed their historical quest by outlasting the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings of the seventh and final game of this year’s fall classic. Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was named Series Most Valuable Player, winning three games for the victorious Dodgers, including the final three innings of scoreless relief in game seven.

As the hours wind down to the conclusion of 2025, my heart is heavy over the loss of Karen Miller. I know that death will visit us all, but this life seems just a little bit lonelier without you being in it.