ESPN

WARWICK, R.I. -– Whoever said a team can never have enough pitching must have had Catholic Memorial in mind.

Including Saturday’s non-league game at perennial Rhode Island power Hendricken, the Knights are in a stretch where they play five games in eight days.

“We have six guys that have pitched this year,” coach Hal Carey said after the Knights clipped the Hawks, 7-1. “(Pat) Hurley is our clear number one. But after that, everyone can throw well on a given day.

“We’re going to need them all because we have five games in eight days. Two are makeups (including a Sunday game against Malden Catholic).”

Since junior right-hander Sean Heelen went the distance it allowed Carey to avoid using any relief pitchers –- which means the Knights (9-6) could be in good shape as they seek to qualify for the MIAA playoffs.

Heelen allowed four hits and three walks (the run was unearned), and struck out six. Moreover, he threw 59 of 95 pitches for strikes.

“I tried to give it all I had on the mound so we could save our pitchers for next week, especially with some big Catholic Conference games coming up including Xaverian and Malden Catholic,” Heelen said. “And we have a big game against Brockton on Monday. “I tried to give it all I had and coach was happy.”

One reason Heelen was able to muffle the Hawks (16-3) was that he utilized a new pitch.

“I’ve been trying to incorporate a slider and this was the first game I actually threw it,” he said. “So, I tried to come in with a lot of off-speed (pitches), which I usually do. And I try to work as quickly as I can so the batters don’t any time.

“I try to go out there and throw strikes and try to keep my team in it. I had some help from the catcher, Kevin White.”

Arguably nobody appreciates a pitcher’s ability to work fast more than the position players.

In this game, Heelen retired nine Hawks on three pitches or less; the Knights only made one error; and the team turned a double play.

“I try to stay in a rhythm on the mound so the fielders don’t get lethargic, especially in the outfield,” Heelen said. “As long as I throw strikes and they put the ball in play I know my teammates will make plays.”

Perhaps the most notable Hawk Heelen kept in check was senior pitcher/outfielder Tom Pannone, who already has signed a letter of intent to play his college baseball at the University of Miami.

Pannone was robbed of a hit in the first when his blooper to left was snared by Garrett Ewanowski who made a head-first dive.

First baseman Todd MacDonald made a nice pick on a hard grounder in the third.

And Pannone went down swinging in the fifth.

Heelen helped himself by going 2-for-four with an RBI while Brian McCann smacked a pair of doubles plus a single and drove in two runs.

Hendricken’s lone run came in the second when Rich Bacon reached on CM’s lone error and scored on Justin Finan’s double. But when Finan tried to stretch that hit into a triple –- with nobody out -– he was gunned down a perfect relay from Ewanowski to shortstop Joe Presti to Mike Perry.

“We’re 9-6 playing a tough schedule,” Carey said. “Our defense has been good all year. And Sean throwing great today was a huge boost for us.

“We want to try and get it done in these next few days (i.e. qualify for the playoffs). We’re good enough to beat anybody in (Massachusetts) and Rhode Island. But anyone on our schedule can beat us, too.”

Watertown resident Mike Slonina will be honored at this year's "The One Hundred" fundraiser put on by Massachusetts General Hospital's Cancer Center, for his own fundraising efforts for cancer awareness.

Last year I profiled Slonina, then a student manager for Catholic Memorial's basketball team, in a three-part series leading up to and chronicling his "A Shot For Life" marathon, in which he continuously shot a basketball for 24 hours in the name of cancer research. You can check out all three parts by following these links: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Slonina, who just completed his freshman year at Quinnipiac University, reportedly raised over $17,000 towards cancer research from the event.

The gala event is set for Thursday, June 7, at the Westin Hotel on the Boston Waterfront. Here is what they had to say about Slonina, the full release of which you can find by clicking here:

Mike Slonina is a young man with the enthusiasm and drive to make a difference in the fight against cancer. Mike’s mother, Betsy Cullen, was initially diagnosed with brain cancer in 2010 and subsequently was treated by William Curry Jr., MD, at the Mass General Cancer Center. Mike knew he had to do something to honor his mom and help in the fight against brain cancer.

Mike and his friends from Catholic Memorial School held the first event to raise awareness of this disease and support for the Brain Tumor Center at the Mass General Cancer Center. On April 9, 2011, “A Shot for Life” featured a basketball marathon of shooting hoops for 24 hours straight. Mike’s event raised more than $17,000 and gained the attention of the national media. It was attended by countless volunteers, his school’s staff, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and his mother’s physician, Dr. Curry. Mike now has more than 1000 Facebook fans and has touched the hearts of people nationwide.

FRANKLIN, Mass. — Tyler Buck got all the run-support that he needed in Franklin’s 11-2 win over Catholic Memorial yesterday on a sunny afternoon at home.

Turns out the lefthander didn’t need all that much.

Buck scattered six hits and only allowed two earned runs in the first inning as he mowed through the Knights’ lineup for a complete-game victory and the Panthers' 13th in a row. Buck struck out seven and only allowed two men to reach second base in his final six innings on the mound.

“He’s our leader,” said Panthers head coach Dave Niro. “He lost the first game, and now we’ve won 13 in a row. We’ve got three good pitchers and we’ve got a solid defense. We are rolling right now and hopefully we didn’t peak too early.”

The Knights (8-5) were able to tack on two runs in the bottom of the first on a seeing-eye single up the middle by Todd MacDonald and a pickle between second and first that brought home a run. The balls that were hit off Buck weren’t hit all that hard and were placed in perfect positions, which could have wavered the confidence of the Panthers’ starter.

“Those things are the kind of things you can’t prevent as a pitcher,” said Buck. “When you are out there and you see that happen it’s like why is this happening to me? But you’ve just got to shake it off. I know my defense is great behind me, and I know I have what it takes to beat these kinds of teams. That’s the mentality to you need to have going into a game like this.”

Buck settled in nicely and he did so with the help of his curveball. He used the pitch on five of his seven strikeouts, and used the hook effectively against right-handed hitters to either freeze them or make them swing over the top of the pitch.

“I really care about mixing it up and making sure they don’t know what is coming next,” said Buck. “It’s definitely my fastball-curveball combination that is helping me. (CM) is used to seeing pitchers with good velocity, so I used (the curveball) a lot more and they were rolling over on it.”

Skidmore Likes Catholic Conference: Brendan Skidmore sure does like hitting against maybe the premier conference in all of Eastern Massachusetts. Last year as a junior, the Panthers’ shortstop beat Xaverian with a late home run, but this showing might have been a little bit better.

Skidmore went deep twice, once with a grand slam and the other with a solo shot in his final at-bat, to finish the day 4-for-4 with five RBI. He showed off most of his power with blasts to left field, but also went the other way with a sharp single through the right side to come up a triple shy of the cycle.

“They are always great teams to play and we really get pumped up for these kind of games,” said Skidmore.

Not A Bad Fill-In: It wasn’t the way the Panthers would have liked to start their first at-bats when leftfielder Neal Hart fouled a 2-2 pitch off his right leg and had to leave the game. Brad Padula came in to finish off the at-bat and only saw one pitch as he was caught looking.

His second time up was a little bit more like it for Niro. Padula fouled off four pitches and worked a one-out walk to load the bases after seeing 10 pitches. The next batter was Skidmore, who took the fist pitch he saw out for the game changing grand-slam.

“Brad’s a first year player,” said Niro. “He got cut the first two years. He’s come a long way. He’s swinging it at practice and he’s been swinging it pretty good. Brad is our backup left-fielder and we aren’t afraid to use him.”

Niro said Hart had a bad bruise on his right leg and is day-to-day.

MALDEN, Mass. — Brandon Bingel sure didn’t look like a pitcher who went 10 innings in his last outing.

Bingel struck out six and didn’t allow a runner to reach base in three scoreless innings of relief as St. John’s Prep inched out a 3-2 victory at Malden Catholic (7-6) in a rare night game in the Catholic Conference.

The junior right-hander needed 44 pitches to get through his three innings after throwing 79 to go the distance and then some in the Eagles' last victory against Catholic Memorial.

“I felt pretty confident,” said Bingel, whose team is now 12-3 on the season. “I threw 10 innings against CM and it was a really good outing, so I was really confident. Everyone was swinging at the high fastball, so I just kept pumping that thing in.”

Bingel struck out five of the first six batters he saw and used a four-seam fastball with some good late movement on it to fool the Lancers hitters in a one-run ball game.

“He’s been tough all year,” said Prep head coach Pat Yanchus. “He gave up three real good innings after his last start, which was pretty incredible because I haven’t seen 79 pitches in 10 innings before.”

Wild Pitches in Wild Win: The Prep bats were quiet on a brisk night and only collected six hits against Jeremy Roberts and Paul Covelle. Instead, they used mistakes from the Lancers’ pitchers to their full advantage.

The Eagles scored all three of their runs on wild pitches to overcome their hitting woes.

In the first inning, Tommy Buonopane scored on a wild pitch to get the first run of the game, and Anthony Capuano got in standing up at home after a pitch from Roberts got away from Austin Batchelor.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Eagles capitalized again. Nick Sadler beat Covelle to the plate with a tremendous pop-up slide for the go-ahead run before Bingel shut things down.

“When I was coming down the line I didn’t even really see it,” said Sadler. “I saw the pitcher coming in fast and I thought he was going to overshoot the bag, so I just tapped the outside of the bag.”

Defense Comes Up Big: The Prep did have its share of miscues in the field, but there were several big plays to keep the Lancers from breaking the game open.

In the first inning, Nick Turco looked like he would score on a wild pitch by Bobby Woodworth, but Jake Barosin was able to shovel the baseball right to his pitcher to save a run.

Kenny Runge was gunned down at third with some aggressive baserunning on a perfect relay from Capuano, to the shortstop Bingel, to Tyler Noe at third.

Capuano also showed off his arm in right when he gunned down Anthony Carbone at the plate with a one-hop throw after Ryan January singled after the Lancers had plated two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

WEST ROXBURY, Mass. -- There is no question St. John's Prep is going to face adversity as its closes its season with one of the toughest schedules in the state.

Clashing against top-fifteen ranked opponents in six of his final nine games, Eagles head coach John Roy is looking to make sure his squad is well prepped for the postseason. If a three goal fourth quarter comeback and a 9-8 double-overtime victory over Catholic Conference foe Catholic Memorial on Thursday is any sign of things to come, No. 19 SJP (8-4, 5-2) is up to the challenge.

“It is nerve racking to be on the sidelines for a game like this, but it is valuable for the players to get that experience” Roy said. “This is a great way to start this final run of seven games.”

The Eagles upset the host No. 9 Knights (9-3, 5-1) at James R. O'Connor Stadium with three goals and two assists from attack Andrew Gallahue and two tallies by midfielder Drew O'Connell (both sophomores).

With Prep scoring the last five goals of the game, a 15-yard side-arm rocket by O'Connell at 2:26 in the second extra period sealed the victory for the Eagles. As Gallahue worked the sidelines midway the second overtime, the sophomore popped the ball up top to O'Connell who finished along the side post for the win.

“I saw Andrew dodging and I saw an opening,” O'Connell said. “I have been playing since the second grade (and) shooting a lot in my back yard. He had been stuffing me a lot all game, but that one went through.”

The clincher was the second assist for Gallahue, who set up the game tying goal with 33 seconds left in regulation. After the two leading scorers hit net to open the fourth quarter, Gallahue ran a set play from behind the crease and cut backwards to find a slim gap on the outside to organize the third score of the period.

On his way towards the keeper, the attackman caught a slide and popped the rubber up top to fellow Eagle's sophomore Joey Cavallaro for a wide open five-yard finish.

“[Coach] wanted me to go back left, take a dodge, and feed one of the people in the crease,” Gallahue said. “I saw Joey Cavallaro come to me and I just tossed the ball.”

“We do run it in practice, (but) it did not go exactly as we had planned,” added Roy.

The Knights, who never trailed in regulation, took a 3-2 lead at 4:26 in the first quarter and led for the next 40 minutes. A side-net assist from freshman Tyler Bogart set up an open backdoor cut by fellow attacker sophomore Steve Righini to give CM the edge.

The Knights scored the next four, including a one-timer by sophomore Zack O'Brien off a steal and assist by senior Austin Bannister for a 6-2 lead at 4:57 in the second quarter.

“We were trying to use everybody on offense,” CM head coach Kevin Lynch said. “We have come out on the losing end of two overtimes so far and that was our third one.”

Gallahue helped Prep battle back with a pair in the final two minutes of the half, but the Eagles gave up two by CM senior leading scorers Tom Stanton (3 G, 1 A) and John Harrison (2 G) to open the third. CM had an 8-2 advantage in man-up opportunities, while outscoring the Eagles 2 -1 with the extra player.

Prep keeper Thomas Casale made 17 saves, while CM senior Miles McCarthy knocked away 14.

“Their keeper was making good saves all night,” Roy said. “We needed to move to be able to score.”

Both teams have two in-conference games remaining, with second-place Prep a game behind league-leader CM. The Eagles finish their final two weeks of the season with a pair of road games against No. 3 Lincoln-Sudbury (9-2) and No. 12 Billerica (8-4) and two home closers against No. 1 Duxbury (11-2) and No. 6 Medfield (7-2).

With six total games left, Prep needs one more win to reach the postseason, while CM has already qualified.

With many games being postponed today, we've updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 baseball poll this afternoon. With BC High's loss to Lincoln-Sudbury last weekend, capped with a thrilling finish, that has cleared the way for Lowell to ascend to the top spot for the first time in poll history. The Raiders' lone blemish on the season is to Chelmsford -- a Top-10 squad in terms of talent, but one which has subsequently fallen out of the poll after a 4-4 start.

St. John's of Shrewsbury has elevated to the No. 2 spot, its highest spot in the poll since reaching No. 1 last May, while BC High falls to No. 4. Walpole (3) and St. John's Prep (5) round out the top five.

Returning to the polls this week are Peabody (18), Westfield (19) and Danvers (23), while Catholic Memorial (15) and Newton South (24) make their season debuts. Chelmsford (previously No. 11), Acton-Boxborough (12), Boston Latin (15), Lexington (19) and Oliver Ames (25) dropped out.

Also of note, a record five teams from the Western Mass. district are represented in the poll this week, with East Longmeadow holding down the No. 8 spot, followed by Minnechaug (10), Springfield Cathedral (12), Amherst (14) and the aforementioned Westfield.

You can view the entire poll by clicking here. Below is how the poll breaks down by league affiliation:

Catholic Conference - 4
Valley League - 3
Atlantic Coast - 2
Dual County - 2
Northeastern - 2
Valley Wheel - 2
Bay State - 1
Cape Ann - 1
Central Mass. Conference - 1
Hockomock - 1
Inter-High - 1
Merrimack Valley - 1
Middlesex - 1
Mid-Wach A - 1
Old Colony - 1
South Coast - 1

As always, let us know how we're doing in the comments section, or by emailing Brendan Hall at bhall@espnboston.com

We're back with another installment of "Roundtable", our weekly takes on the hot topics of the spring season. This week, we discuss who is the best boys' lacrosse goalie in the state; which lefthanded pitchers will make the most noise; the state's best slap hitter; and who had the best individual performance of the season's first two weeks.

Joining us this week are correspondent Bruce Lerch, New England Prep Stars founder and editor Ryan Kilian, MassLive.com producer Ben Larsen, and Brockton Enterprise staff writer John Botelho. Without further ado:

1. BETTER GOALIE –- WELLESLEY’S CONNOR DARCEY OR FOXBOROUGH’S GREG STAMATOV?

ESPN Boston High Schools Editor Scott Barboza: That's a tough one. In many regards, they're similar players in that they're both not afraid to step up into the play when its warranted. They're not going to just clear and retreat when the opportunity presents itself. Stamatov had one clearing pass to the midfield during the third quarter against Barnstable that was a thing of beauty. And, of course, we all know that Darcey is capable of scoring when he carries the ball past midfield. This all makes no mention of their ability to stop the ball either. Either way you dice it, they're among the very best in a deep field of MIAA goaltenders along with Duxbury's Henry Buonagurio, Concord-Carlisle's Doug Gouchoe and Billerica's D.J. Smith.

Ryan Kilian, New England Prep Stars: Connor Darcey is the best goalie I have seen in New England Public High School lacrosse over the past two years. Darcey is the real deal. He possesses confidence, quickness, and exceptional hand-eye coordination.

The goalie position in Massachusetts in the Class of 2012 is as strong as it has been in many years. Doug Gouchoe of Concord-Carlisle (Air Force), Greg Stamatov of Foxborogh (Villanova), Jared Fong of Weston (Gettysburg), and Miles McCarthy of Catholic Memorial (Williams) are all exceptional athletes with bright futures at the next level and all have a unique set of skills that they bring to the table.

Darcey is also a born leader and that is an essential trait that all great goalies, like the above mentioned, share.

Bruce Lerch, correspondent: Both players have excelled for their respective teams and made a big splash over the summer participating in the Warrior 40 at Harvard Stadium. Both have also drawn the attention of Division colleges, as Darcey is committed to play for Penn State while Stamatov will take his talents to Villanova. Darcey was a key factor in Wellesey's 16-0 regular season a year ago, while Stamatov helped propel Foxborough to its best season ever by reaching the Division 2 semifinals. Darcey was rated eighth in ESPN High School's national goalie rankings back in February, but even if you have the second pick in this draft, you won't come away disappointed as Stamatov was not too far behind at No. 14.

2. WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE SO FAR?

ESPN Boston High Schools Editor Brendan Hall: I think any time you throw a perfect game at any level, you should be highly commended as such. So here’s my kudos to Lynn English’s Ben Bowden, who had a clean sheet for the Bulldogs in their 5-0 win over Marblehead. Bowden struck out 14 in the full seven innings, and got some assistance from the infield behind him late to seal the deal. He is an imposing player to watch at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, equipped with a high-80’s fastball, so it’s hardly the last time we’ll hear from him.

That said, I’m always impressed when a pitcher goes into the triple-digits in pitch count this early in the season – and even moreso when it’s as efficient as Milford’s Jarrod Casey was on April 3. In the Scarlet Hawks’ season-opening 3-1 win over Westborough, the reigning Mid-Wach A MVP and returning ESPNBoston All-Stater threw 125 pitches and struck out 15 batters; he also belted an inside-the-park, two-run homer to give them all the insurance they needed.

John Botelho, Brockton Enterprise: The Bridgewater-Raynham softball team has shown plenty of early fireworks this season. Senior Audrey Dolloff twirled a four-hitter and struck on eight on opening, all while going 4-for-4 with a pair of homers and four RBI for the Trojans. Freshman Emily Kurkul has homered in all three games so far. Most recently, Dolloff tossed a no-hitter against Durfee, and her performance might not have even been the best one on the field that day for B-R. Sophomore Madison Shaw went 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and seven RBI as the Trojans cruised.

Ryan Kilian: The best individual performance that I have seen on the lacrosse field so far was Westford Academy attack Jay Drapeau scoring six goals and dishing out one assist in a 12-11 opening day win over Billerica. The sophomore scored the game winner in the fourth quarter and was exceptional dodging from X all afternoon. Drapeau also did this against a very formidable defense led by Tommy McLaughlin (UMass) and one of the state’s best goalies in DJ Smith (UMass).

Ben Larsen, MassLive.com: It would be hard to top this one. Noah Parker, a terrific talent hidden at St. Mary’s of Westfield was perfect in a six-inning game against Pioneer Valley Christian. He threw only 57 pitches, striking out 14. At the plate, he narrowly missed hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.

Bruce Lerch: On the lacrosse fields, several players have produced nine-goal games in the early going. Kobie Sullivan had seven, nine and eight goals in Fairhaven's first three games. On the girls side, Wayland's Amy Cunningham, Amy also struck for nine against Bedford. But my top effort goes to Masconomet's Jake Gillespie, who potted nine in the Chieftans' second game of the year against a BC High defense that includes a pair of Division 1 recruits.

3. A LEFTHANDED STARTER CAN BE INVALUABLE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. WHICH LEFTIES WILL YOU BE WATCHING THE MOST?

Brendan Hall: The Class of 2012 is littered with Division 1-bound lefties, between Oliver Ames' Ryan O'Shea (Central Michigan), East Longmeadow's Steve Moyers (Rhode Island), Pentucket's Alex Ministeri (Coastal Carolina), Auburn's Connor Fuller (Fordham), Xaverian's Tim Duggan (Fairfield) and Acton-Boxborough's Ryan McDonald (Bryant). One we might be adding to that list in a year's time is Wellesley senior Tim Superko.

Superko is already off to a great start in 2012, with wins in his first two starts in dominant fashion -- 23 strikeouts in 12 innings, an ERA of 0.75, a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly four, and a strike percentage of 67. I'm obviously working with a stat system pretty sophisticated for the high school level, but I can assure you Superko could care less. He's a competitor, unafraid to challenge hitters in the middle of the order, but also very coachable. Raiders coach Rob Kane raves about Superko's curveball, and he sets it up well with his heat. From the plate, he's not that bad either; so far he's hitting .500/.562/.786 with five RBI, two triples, seven runs and three stolen bases.

Superko is heading to Philips Andover for a post-graduate year next season. I expect him to have a Division 1 scholarship offer in his lap by this summer's end.

I'd also keep an eye on the aforementioned Ben Bowden from Lynn English. He's got an ideal power pitcher's frame, and if the reports about him topping out at 89 miles per hour in his perfect game are true, then he has a chance to rise quickly on the radar. But to be a reliable starter at this level, you need a quality changeup, and Bowden's is pretty nice.

Boston Latin sophomore Pat Naughton is certainly another one to look out for over the next two years. He fanned 17 Wayland batters in an outing last year as a freshman, and is already off to a good start this year with 14 K's in the Wolfpack's season-opening win over Latin Academy. Also keep an eye on Reading junior Scott Tully, who committed to Notre Dame last February, as well as Malden Catholic junior Joe Velozo.

John Botelho: One of the best lefties in the state hasn't even thrown a pitch yet. Oliver Ames' Ryan O'Shea, a 6-foot-3 southpaw already signed on to play at Central Michigan next year, will take to the mound for the first time next week. Hall of Fame coach Leo Duggan aired on the side of caution as O'Shea was battling shoulder soreness. He has a chance to come back and be the best pitcher on an O-A team that has still gone 3-0 without him in the lineup.

Brockton's Joe Sever has a live arm and features impressive off-speed stuff. The ace of the Boxers' staff this year, he has a chance to catch a lot of eyes with the schedules Bill Maloney's squad plays.

Bridgewater-Raynham features a pair of hard-throwing lefties who should cause problems for hitters throughout the regular season. Senior captains Pat Chalmers and Shane Holmes have more varsity experience than many of the guys they'll square off against this year - Chalmers was pitching on varsity at B-R as a sophomore and Holmes spent his freshman and sophomore years on the varsity squad at East Bridgewater before transferring to B-R as a junior. Chalmers took a no decision in his first start, but struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings. Holmes picked up the first win for the Trojans, a complete-game two-hit 12-strikeout performance against Milton.

Ben Larsen: Undoubtedly, Steve Moyers is the guy to follow. He has been unbelievable in his first three years as the ace of the East Longmeadow rotation and he’s hoping to reach the 30-win plateau for his career, which is no small feat in the short Massachusetts season. That said, Michael Walkowicz of Amherst has been the Cy Young in the early going. In two starts, he has a 17-strikeout, one-hitter and 12 Ks in a loss to Northampton.

Bruce Lerch: I find myself greatly intrigued by the seemingly rubber of Franklin southpaw Tyler Buck. As a junior, Buck tossed multiple gems during the Panthers run to the Div. 1 state championship game, including a 166-pitch effort to upset BC High in last year's D1 South semifinals. After starring for Franklin's Legion team over the summer, I'm interested to see how far the Panthers ace can take them once again.

4. WHAT WILL BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE LEAGUE IN GIRLS' LACROSSE THIS YEAR?

Brendan Hall: I'm going with the Dual County League. Four members of the 10-team league currently sit in our MIAA Top 25 poll, including No. 1 Lincoln-Sudbury. And we're not even including Acton-Boxborough, which began the season as our preseason No. 10 before dropping to 0-5. Talk about a misnomer -- the Colonials' five losses are to No. 1 L-S, No. 5 Needham, No. 6 Notre Dame (Hingham), No. 17 King Philip, and No. 23 Walpole. Also throw in unranked Wayland, which has one of the state's best goalies in Quinnipiac-bound senior Rachel Massicotte.

Let's now throw in the DCL's other three currently-ranked teams -- Concord-Carlisle, Weston and Westford -- and we're talking six teams that can be troublesome. I expect L-S to rise above it all, but the rest of the way down may or may not be a crap shoot.

Bruce Lerch: While most league's across the state in girls lacrosse are fairly top-heavy, I would say that top to bottom, the Middlesex League's large division may have the largest number of competitive teams as all five made the playoffs in 2011. Winchester is annually among the state's top programs and is among the favorites to challenge for the Div. 2 crown once again. Reading went 15-5 before running into state finalist Lincoln-Sudbury. Lexington is a perennial tourney team who, aside from last season, routinely rolls up 15-plus wins a year. Belmont also won 15 games in 2011, and Woburn qualified for the postseason as well. As of the time I am writing this, the five teams hold a combined record of 8-0-1 through the first two weeks of the season.

Ben Larsen: The Valley Wheel in Western Mass. is off to a strong start with no team worse than 2-0, including Agawam on top with four wins already. Perennial power Longmeadow and last year’s upstart Minnechaug are bound to contend with powerful Agawam in this loaded league but don’t count out East Longmeadow and South Hadley from at least making some noise.

5. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH SLAP HITTERS. WHO ARE THE ONES TO PAY ATTENTION TO?

Scott Barboza: I'm looking no further than Mansfield's Bri Chiusano. The Coastal Carolina signee is the most dynamic lead-off hitter in the state and, as she showed earlier this week against King Philip, she also has some pop in the bat while taking a full swing. You have to take pause and applaud anybody who can launch a home run off of Meghan Rico after all.

Bruce Lerch: Bri Chiusano of Mansfield, who showed Tuesday that she can do a bit more than slap by cranking a three-run homer off of King Philip ace and reigning Miss Softball Meghan Rico. A four-year player for the Hornets manning centerfield and batting at the top of the lineup, Chiusano makes life miserable for opposing pitchers with her quick hands and tremendous speed and has an uncanny ability to survey how the defense is playing her and place the ball accordingly. The senior was named to ESPN Boston's preseason All-State team and will play for Coastal Carolina next year.

Ben Larsen: Typically a speedy singles hitter who uses his speed to get on and wreak havoc on the basepaths, Westfield’s Billy Smith got into the power game Monday, blasting a three-run homer in the Bombers’ rout of Belchertown. Smith, who also served as the Westfield football team’s quarterback this past season, has started out slow but is undoubtedly a player to watch moving forward.

6. WHAT'S BEEN THE MOST SURPRISING UPSET OF THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEASON?

Brendan Hall: My brethren on the Cape will call me Captain Hindsight with this one, but maybe Dennis-Yarmouth baseball is better than we've given them credit for after knocking off Plymouth North 8-2 on Wednesday. I think it was universally agreed that North, routinely one of the best hitting teams in Division 2, would be the favorite again in the South region even after losing key bats like Matt Walsh. But maybe D-Y should get more notice, with talented players like Matt Montalto, Matt Peterson and Miles Tuohy-Bedford. The Dolphins (2-1) got off to a hot start last season, including coach Paul Funk's 100th win, before coming back to Earth. Can they keep the hot start going this year?

Scott Barboza: If I told you I'd called Reading boys' lacrosse's overtime win over Westford Academy, I'd be lying. The Grey Ghosts entered this season with a lot of attention, particularly with the addition of Alex Eaton, in an already loaded Dual County League and the No. 6 ranking in our preseason Top 25 poll. Meanwhile, Reading was tough to read coming in because the Rockets lost some key cogs from last year's squad. What the Rockets did is prove that they should again challenge for the Middlesex League title.

Bruce Lerch: In boys lacrosse, certainly the most eye-opening result of the early season came when Melrose upset Lexington, 11-6. This is just the fourth year of the Red Raiders program, and in their first three years Melrose went a combined 9-44. Meanwhile, Lexington is an annual state championship and Middlesex League contender and reached the postseason in each of the three years since Melrose started its team. It was certainly a program defining victory for the Red Raiders.

The high school lacrosse season kicks off this week for many top teams across the state.

Here is our preseason MIAA boys' lacrosse All-State team, as compiled by ESPNBoston.com staff and correspondents.

Attackmen:
Kevin Blair, Sr., Hingham
Peter Crane, Sr., Wellesley
Seamus Connelly, Sr., Duxbury
Jeff Desko, Sr., St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Jackson Finigan, Sr., Concord-Carlisle
Paul Hellar, Sr., Duxbury
Matt McIver, Sr., Andover
Cabot Noyce, Sr. , Norwell
Nico Panepinto, Jr., Needham
Joey Pasquale, Sr., Weston
Connor Roddy, Sr., Medfield
Cam Slatton, Sr., Billerica

Midfielders:
Dan Delaney, Jr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Alex Eaton, Sr., Westford Academy
Kurt Hunziker, Sr., Masconomet
Jonathan Lee, Sr., Hopkinton
Kyle Livingstone, Sr., Cohasset
Drew O’Connell, Soph., St. John's Prep
Billy Polk, Sr., Dover-Sherborn
Mark Riley, Sr., Needham
Oliver Saffery, Sr., Wellesley
Kyle Soroka, Sr., Acton-Boxborough
Tim Towler, Sr., Masconomet

FOGO:
Clay Richard, Sr., Medfield

Long Stick Middies:
James Burke, Sr., Duxbury
Reilly Naton, Sr., Duxbury

Defensemen:
Henry Bumpus, Sr., Concord-Carlisle
Ryan Cassidy, Sr., Wellesley
Pat Hannigan, Sr., Hanover
Jay McDermott, Sr., Duxbury
Nate Menninger, Sr., Newton North
Matt O’Keefe, Sr., Duxbury
Max Randall, Sr., Duxbury
Paul Tocci, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Brian Uva, Jr., St. John's Prep
Ian Yanulis, Jr., BC High

Goaltenders:
Jonathan Barton, Sr., BC High
Henry Buonagurio, Sr., Duxbury
Connor Darcey, Sr., Wellesley
Jared Fong, Sr., Weston
Doug Gouchoe, Sr., Concord-Carlisle
Miles McCarthy, Sr., Catholic Memorial
D.J. Smith, Jr., Billerica
Greg Stamatov, Sr., Foxborough

THE SUPER TEAM

Guard – Aaron Calixte, Jr., Stoughton
An exceptional athlete gifted with a tenacious motor, and one of the state's most dynamic scorers, the 5-foot-11 Calixte was the driving force behind the Black Knight's run to the Division 2 Eastern Mass. final, and asserted himself as the state's premier point guard. For his junior season, he averaged 19 points and six assists, and was named a Hockomock League All-Star. Calixte also stands out on the gridiron for the Black Knights' football squad.

Guard – Tyrese Hoxter, Jr., Charlestown
After playing in the shadows of former All-Stater Akosa Maduegbunam a year ago, the 6-foot-3 Hoxter thoroughly burst onto the scene and had a monster campaign for the Townies, leading them to the TD Garden floor for the first time since 2005 before bowing out to Brockton in the Division 1 Eastern Mass. Final. This season he averaged 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Guard – Tyrell Springer, Sr., Springfield Central
After falling short of a state title two seasons ago with New Leadership, the 6-foot-2 Springer led Central to the DCU Center floor this season where the Golden Eagles captured their first Division 1 state title since 1991. The centerpiece of one of the state's most athletic lineups, Springer averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, seven assists and 7.3 steals. He is undecided on college plans.

Forward – Jake Layman, Sr., King Philip
The 6-foot-8 Layman was one of the most dominant players in Massachusetts this season, with the ability to score both inside and out, as the Warriors set a school single-season record for wins (18) before suffering a surprise upset in the Division 2 South quarterfinals. In 21 games, he averaged 26.5 points, 16 rebounds, 5.8 blocks, 3.2 assists and three steals. He closes his career with with 1,752 points, 1,098 rebounds and 391 blocks, giving him career averages of 20.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.6 blocks, 2.8 steals and 2.6 assists. This is his second appearance on the Super Team; he also captured the Hockomock League's MVP for the second straight season. Layman, who was named ESPN Boston's "Mr. Basketball" earlier this week, is ranked the nation's No. 62 overall senior by ESPN, and will continue his career next season at the University of Maryland.

Center – Sayvonn Houston, Sr., Brockton
A nightly double-double machine, Houston established himself as one of the state's most dominant true centers, making life difficult down low as the Boxers went 23-3 and made their first Division 1 state final appearance since 1985. He saved his biggest performances for the biggest stages, such as his 20-20 night in the Division 1 South semifinals, or his 22-point, 13-rebound effort in Brockton's overtime win over Charlestown in the Division 1 Eastern Mass. Final at TD Garden. Houston is undecided on college plans.

BEST OF THE REST

Jalen Adams, Soph. G, Melrose
Quickly rising as one of the Bay State's most complete scoring guards, the 6-foot-1 Adams took home Middlesex League MVP honors after averaging 21 points per game. He led the Red Raiders to an 18-2 regular season record, before they fell to state runner-up Brighton in the Division 2 North semifinals. Adams has already declared that he will be transferring to Wilbraham & Monson Academy next season, where he will reclassify to the Class of 2015.

Jaylen Blakely, Jr. G, Brockton
Like Houston, the 5-foot-11 Blakely saved some of his best performances for the crunch time in the playoffs, such as his eight-assist performance in the Boxers' win over Catholic Memorial. Blakely distributed evenly to Brockton's talented shooters and post players, as they went 23-3 and reached their first state final appearance since 1985.

Matt Droney, Sr. F, Catholic Memorial
A terrific shooter, the 6-foot-4 Droney was named the Catholic Conference's MVP after a season of averaging 20.7 points, six assists and five rebounds per game. He also became the eighth player in school history to surpass 1,000 points earlier this season. The Canton resident will be doing a post-graduate season next year at the Taft School in Connecticut.

Darien Fernandez, Jr. G, Wareham
The 5-foot-7 waterbug demonstrated a tenacious motor in leading the Vikings to their second Division 3 Eastern Mass. Final appearance in three seasons. Wareham was the state's last unbeaten before losing to state champion Danvers. For the season, Fernandez averaged 24 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and five steals, and recorded three triple-doubles. He needs just 45 points next season to reach 1,000 for his career.

Rony Fernandez, Sr. G, Charlestown
Fernandez was one of the most outstanding point guards of the MIAA tournament, leading the Townies to a thrilling win over Lexington in the Division 1 North final before bowing out to state runner-up Brockton in the Eastern Mass. Finals. For the season he averaged 16 points and seven assists. He is undecided on college plans, but is currently fielding interest from Division 1 programs such as Maine, Northeastern and Hartford.

Joey Glynn, Sr. F, Cardinal Spellman
The 6-foot-5 Abington resident did it all this season for the Cardinals, averaging a double-double (18.5 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, 2.2 blocks) as they lost to Eastern Mass. runner-up Wareham in the Division 3 South semifinals. For his career, Glynn scored 1,425 points. He will continue his career next season at Bentley University.

Steve Haladyna, Sr. G/F, St. John’s Prep
One of two repeat All-Staters, the 6-foot-3 Haladyna was unable to lead the Eagles deep in their Division 1 state title defense, but he still leaves the Danvers campus as one of its most decorated basketball stars. He averaged 22.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, both team highs, and for his career he finishes with 1,392 points -- second all-time on Prep's scoring list. The South Hamilton resident will continue his career next season at Tufts University.

Malik James, Soph. G, Brighton
The 6-foot-1 James elevated his game when the Bengals needed it most, as they made their first state final appearance in school history, falling to Mahar in the Division 2 title game. For the season, James averaged 18.1 points, 8.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds as the Bengals won their first-ever Eastern Mass. title.

Jameilen Jones, Jr. G, BC High
BC High's season came to an unexpected halt as the Eagles loss in the first round of the Division 1 South tournament, but the 6-foot-2 Jones has established himself as one of Eastern Mass.'s premier two-way players. For the season, he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds as the Eagles went 15-6.

Zach Karalis, Sr. G, North Andover
The 6-foot-1 Karalis was one of the driving forces for the Scarlet Knights, who went 21-2 and reached the playoffs an unprecedented 47th straight time. For the season he averaged 15.9 points and shot 46 percent from the field, to go along with 6.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals. Karalis will continue his career next season at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Kevin LaFrancis, Sr. C, Acton-Boxborough
After a stellar season in leading the 21-2 Colonials to a Division 1 North semifinal appearance, the 6-foot-6 LaFrancis was named the Dual County League's MVP. He averaged 19.5 points and eight rebounds this season, and finishes his career at A-B with 1,012 career points. He is undecided on college plans.

Alex Lopez, Sr. G, Springfield Commerce
The 5-foot-10 Lopez led the Valley League in scoring for the second straight season, averaging 22.3 points as the Red Raiders went to the Division 1 Western Mass. Finals and took state champion Springfield Central to the wire. He led Western Mass. in field goals made (185) and total points (512). Lopez is currently undecided on college plans.

Damian Lugay, Sr. G, Weymouth
The 6-foot-2 Lugay led the Wildcats to a second straight 17-win season, before they were bounced in the first round of the Division 1 South tournament. For the season he averaged 18.1 points and just under four assists, and leaves Weymouth as a two-time First Team All-Bay State Conference. Lugay is undecided on college plans.

George Merry, Sr. C, Danvers
At 6-foot-7, Merry was a force at both ends of the floor for the Falcons, known for his ability to redirect shots as much as his scoring touch. He averaged 16.1 points, eight rebounds and 6.6 blocks as Danvers captured its first Division 3 state championship in school history. Merry is currently undecided on college plans, but showing interest from several schools in Divisions 2 and 3.

Marcus Middleton, Jr. G, Stoughton
Tasked nightly with locking down the opposition's top scorer, Middleton established himself as one of the state's premier on-ball defenders. Middleton averaged 16 points per game for the Black Knights, who won the Division 2 South title before bowing out to state runner-up Brighton in the Eastern Mass. championship at TD Garden. Middleton also stars on Stoughton's football squad.

Matt Mobley, Sr. G/F, St. Peter-Marian
One of state's most pleasant late-blooming surprises, the 6-foot-3 Mobley was one of the leading scorers in Central Mass. as the Guardians made it all the way to the Division 1 Central Final. For the season, he averaged 23.2 points in leading SPM to its most successful season under head coach Marcus Watson. Mobley finished his career at SPM with 1,175 points, and will do a post-graduate season next year at Worcester Academy.

Tyler Nelson, Soph. G, Central Catholic
The 5-foot-11 Nelson established himself as one of the state's premier shooters, as the Raiders made it to the Division 1 North semifinals before bowing out to champion Charlestown. He averaged 15.5 points and four assists this season, shot 42 percent from three-point range, and 91 percent from the free throw line.

Colin Richey, Jr. G, Whitinsville Christian
After winning a Division 3 state title a year ago, the 6-foot Richey nearly led them back, as the Crusaders lost in the final seconds to state runner-up St. Joseph Central in the state semifinals. For the seaosn, Richey averaged 16.8 points, 6.7 assist and 6.3 rebounds for the Dual Valley League champions.

Kamari Robinson, Jr. F, Springfield Central
The 6-foot-5 Robinson was a rock underneath for the Golden Eagles, who captured their first Division 1 state title since 1991 and third overall. He was a nightly double-double threat this season, averaging 13 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and three assists, as Central went undefeated in Massachusetts.

Michael Thorpe, Sr. G, Newton North
The Tigers went run-and-gun this season, and the 5-foot-11 Thorpe kept them thoroughly going. One year after reaching the Division 1 South finals, he nearly led them back, before losing to state runner-up Brockton in the semifinals. He was named the Bay State Conference's MVP, with averages of 15 points and four assists. Thorpe will continue his career next season at Emerson College.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
MARCUS MIDDLETON, STOUGHTON
The kind of on-ball pressure Middleton provided nightly to some of the state's premier scorers can take its toll physically, but he was routinely up to the task. As teammate Aaron Calixte saw a barrage of double-teams and box-and-one's, Middleton did his part at the other end, hedging off screens and staying one one's hip, chasing them all over the floor. As much praise as Calixte will get in this unprecedented season for the Knights, an equal amount must be thrown Middleton's way.

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
G – Marcus Middleton, Jr., Stoughton
G – Anthony Hodges, Sr., Holy Name
G – Darien Fernandez, Jr., Wareham
F – Jake Layman, Sr., King Philip
C – George Merry, Sr., Danvers

COACH OF THE YEAR
HUGH COLEMAN, BRIGHTON
The Bengals lost their best player before the start of the tournament, and backpedaled into the playoffs with uninspiring losses to Acton-Boxborough and Madison Park. Yet in the end, they were one step away from the school's first-ever state title. Coleman is an unabashed disciple of the legendary Jack O'Brien, and staples of those historic Charlestown squads are sprinkled all over the program. Not only has Coleman done a remarkable job bringing the team to heights never before reached in his three seasons at the helm, but this is a program that will be dangerous for the next few years.

RUNNERS-UP:
Paul Connolly, Newton North
Dean O'Connor, Franklin

FINALISTS:
Kevin Brogioli, Wareham
John Gallivan, Stoughton
Reggie Hobbs, Lexington
Malcolm Smith, East Boston
Chad Softic, Mahar
John Walsh, Danvers
Dennis Wilson, Madison Park

Shortly after University of Massachusetts football coach Charley Molnar secured his first recruiting class in February, he talked about how he wanted New England players to form the foundation of his program. Apparently that was more than just talk.

UMass has clearly made New England –- and Massachusetts in particular –- the focus of much of its recruiting efforts.

BC High offensive lineman Jack McDonald, Everett offensive lineman John Montelus, Xaverian defensive lineman Maurice Hurst Jr., Tabor Academy defensive lineman Tevin Montgomery, BB&N tight end Brendan O'Neil and Catholic Memorial defensive end Peter Ngobidi have each received a scholarship offer from UMass, which held two junior days last month.

In addition, Todd Stafford, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound quarterback from the Brunswick School in Greenwich, Conn., committed to UMass on Thursday. He became UMass' first commitment from the class of 2013.

“I went to the first junior day and [Molnar] said with the move to the MAC they want to start with the local kids,” McDonald said. “He talked about how good the talent is around here, and they want to bring in as many local kids as they can.”

UMass has been competing at the FCS level in the Colonial Athletic Association, but will move up to the FBS level when it begins play in the MAC next season. The Minutemen won't play on campus, but will use Gillette Stadium as their home field.

“It's a little bit of a drive from the campus, but I got to play at Gillette in last year's Super Bowl and it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” McDonald said. “They'll have their own locker room there. I think the positives will outweigh the negatives.”

McDonald also has offers from Boston College and Maryland, and has received significant interest from Duke and Temple.

“Right now I'm considering everything,” he said.

Montelus and Hurst each have at least 10 Division 1 scholarship offers. Hurst received his offer from UMass while at one of the junior days last month.

“I'll definitely consider UMass,” Hurst said. “I really like the coaching staff and a lot of Mass. kids seem to be going there.”

There were six players from New England in Molnar's first recruiting class: wide receiver Khary Bailey Smith (Weymouth), tight end Nevin Cyr (Pelham, N.H.), quarterback A.J. Doyle (Lakeville), linebacker Vondell Langston (Everett), linebacker John Robinson (Springfield) and linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox (Middletown, Conn.).

Wide receiver Derek Beck, a New Jersey native who played at Bridgton Academy in North Bridgton, Maine, signed with UMass as well.

Jake Kennedy, who is perhaps the best offensive lineman from New Hampshire in the Class of 2013, also has a UMass offer. Kennedy plays for Souhegan High School in Amherst.

Kennedy received his offer from UMass defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo earlier this week. He's also receiving interest from Boston College, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Brown and Harvard.

Kennedy said UMass is a school he'll strongly consider.

“Most definitely,” he said. “I could see myself there.”

NORTH ANDOVER – St. John's Prep owned all of the momentum when Evan LeClerc scored with 5:56 left in the third period of Wednesday's Super 8 semifinal, but BC High didn't didn't let its opponent keep that momentum for long.

Chris Laliberte answered 29 seconds later and his goal capped the scoring in BC High's 3-2 triumph.

“You have to strike right back,” BC High head coach John Flaherty said. “And when we did that I felt good about how the game was going. This is a great win.”

BC High will meet Malden Catholic in the Super 8 title game, which will be played Sunday (6 p.m.) at TD Banknorth Garden.

St. John's Prep trailed 2-1 entering the third, but pulled even when LeClerc put the puck past junior goaltender Peter Cronin.

“We had complete confidence going into the third period that we were going to come back and tie the game,” St. John's Prep head coach Kristian Hanson said. “We've been doing it all year. We were confident that we were going to win the game.

“After we scored that second goal I don't want to say we let up. I think BC High picked it up. They had their top group out there. My top group had just come off. They were tired. It was a good matchup for them and they scored the goal.”

Tom Besinger and Tim Larocque also scored for BC High. Besinger opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at 7:26 of the opening period, and Larocque broke a 1-1 tie with 1:56 left in the second.

St. John's Prep made it a 1-1 contest when Nick Pandelena scored a power-play goal at 11:58 of the first. After Larocque regained the lead for BC High, LeClerc tied the game on a shot through traffic from the right faceoff circle.

Laliberte made it 3-2 before the public address announcer had announced LeClerc's goal.

It was the third meeting between the teams this season. Each team won once during the regular season.

“I told the guys in pregame that it would probably come down to one goal – and it did,” Hanson said. “I think both teams worked really hard out there. Congratulations to BC High. I have a lot of respect for their program and wish them luck on Sunday.”

GOAL ORIENTED
BC High's goals came from two sophomores (Besinger and Laliberte) and a freshman (Larocque).

“The guys who scored the goals – they don't score a lot, but they scored the key ones tonight,” Flaherty said. “Our first two goals were just hard-working goals. Going to the net and putting pucks away. We worked hard as a team tonight.”

GARDEN PARTY
Flaherty on playing for the Super 8 title:

“It's very exciting. These kids are spoiled. They played at Fenway this year [a 4-0 victory over Catholic Memorial], now they're getting the chance to play in the TD Garden. It's a great opportunity for these guys – and they earned it. We knew what the prize was. Our guys worked hard and they reaped the rewards.”

“It's a great team that we beat, but the season's not over. It's not the final game – and you gotta remember that. We'll practice tomorrow, we'll practice Friday and we'll practice Saturday. Then we'll get on a bus on Sunday and go play in a great venue.”

Catholic Memorial head basketball coach Dennis Tobin forwards along this year's Catholic Conference All-Stars:

LEAGUE MVP: MATT DRONEY, SR., CATHOLIC MEMORIAL
Steve Haladyna, Sr., St. John's Prep
Freddy Shove, Sr., St. John's Prep
Mike Carbone, Sr., St. John's Prep
Bryce Boggs, Jr., Xaverian
Jared Lewis, Sr., Malden Catholic
Kyle Sangster, Jr., Malden Catholic
John Mastascusa, Jr., Malden Catholic
Oderah Obukwelu, Sr., BC High
Charles Collins, Jr., BC High
Jameilen Jones, Jr., BC High
Dan Powers, Sr., Catholic Memroial
Armani Reeves, Sr., Catholic Memorial
Aahmane Santos, Soph., Catholic Memorial

BROCKTON, Mass. -- Brockton head coach Bob Boen saw the MIAA Division 1 South boys basketball tournament bracket and felt a touch of anger. After defeating Central Memorial at the buzzer earlier this season, Boen considered a playoff rematch inevitable.

But so soon?

“When we played each other at your place, I said we’d meet at UMass-Boston,” he told Catholic Memorial coach Denis Tobin Saturday when the two skippers opposed each other in the district quarterfinals, referring to the site of the finals and semifinals. “I don’t want to meet you here tonight.”

Although the matchup arrived earlier than he hoped, Boen’s troops were prepared and rose to meet the challenge Saturday evening at Brockton High School. Sayvonn Houston dominated inside with 22 points and 12 rebounds, Jamal Reuben pitched in 20 points, and Brockton led throughout a 76-63 victory.

“To me, those were the best two teams in the bracket playing tonight. We lost a few games we shouldn’t have lost, so we got matched up with them,” Catholic Memorial star Matt Droney said after pouring in a game-high 23 points. “We would have had to beat them at some point anyway, though, and we didn’t. I’ll be very surprised if anyone does.”

Despite landing in a big hole early, Catholic Memorial managed to rattle Brockton’s nerves during the fourth quarter. Droney consistently scored throughout the full 32 minutes, and fellow senior Dan Powers (nine points) surged to life in the second half.

Using a 2-3 zone defense to limit Brockton’s transition opportunities, Catholic Memorial (17-5) clawed back from a 15-point deficit to pull within 53-49 with six minutes remaining.

“I was worried a little bit,” said Houston.

But Brockton (20-2) plugged the holes quickly and the leaking stopped. Over the next four and a half minutes, the Boxers ran off 14 unanswered points to build a 67-49 lead and effectively end the game.

“We heard all the ‘you got lucky’ talk, that we were supposed to lose. We wanted to prove a point that we’re the better team, and we did,” said Houston.

The two teams previously met in an instant classic during mid-February. Despite leading by a comfortable margin for most of the game, Catholic Memorial watched as Will Baker drilled a buzzer-beating three-pointer from well beyond the three-point arc to give Brockton an 88-87 win.

“Honestly, I heard that we were lucky from a lot of people," Reuben said. "But we knew we were the better team coming in. We knew we just had to play hard, play our game...They said CM was going to beat us. We’ve seen a lot of stuff that indicated that people thought CM was going to win. We just used that to our advantage, used it to work harder."

Brockton wasted no time capitalizing on that motivation Saturday evening. After the Boxers seized a 22-15 lead by the end of the first quarter, Tobin told his Catholic Memorial team in the huddle that the start was expected.

“We knew they would come out like gangbusters,” he told the Catholic Memorial players, knowing that the excitement of playing a home postseason game can act like a gallon of 5-Hour Energy.

But Tobin did not foresee the barrage of three-pointers – Brockton hit four in the first quarter and two more in the second – that eventually propelled Brockton in front, 43-28, just before halftime.

“They had guys hit shots who we didn’t think were good shooters. All their guys stepped up tonight, kudos to them,” Tobin said.

“That was probably the opposite of the game plan,” explained Boen. “The game plan was more to try to attack the basket and go to the big guy down low.”

Long-distance shooting would come in handy again later for Brockton. Chris Siggers went on a personal 5-0 run in the final 10 seconds before halftime to make the score 43-33 at intermission, and the Knights scored the first seven points of the third quarter, holding Brockton scoreless for four consecutive minutes to draw within 43-40.

The Boxers were on their heels due to Catholic Memorial’s zone defense, failing to attack the hoop like they had in the first half.

But just when Brockton’s offense looked it’s most stagnant, Reuben drilled back-to-back threes from the right wing.

“We were a little hesitant. We wanted to be aggressive, we knew we needed to be aggressive. Coming out on the court, coach drew up a play to get me open. And I just hit it,” said Reuben. “Coach doesn’t want us just standing around the three-point line, but we have a lot of shooters, and coach knows it.”

The triples made it 49-40, but CM wouldn’t allow itself to be buried easily. The Knights again dug in defensively, cutting the deficit to 53-49 before Brockton applied its finishing kick.

“We kind of got tired. Them jumping out early caught up to us in the fourth quarter. We wore ourselves out trying to catch them,” said Tobin.

An upsetting end: Houston held his younger sister in his arms at midcourt after the game, with a smile on his face, knowing that his high school career would extend at least one more game. Brockton moves on to meet Newton North in the semifinals Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at UMass-Boston.

But for Catholic Memorial’s seniors, Saturday’s defeat marked the end.

“It’s going to be tough. I’ve been with them for six years. They’ve been such a pleasure to coach and contributed so much to the program. It’s going to be tough saying goodbye,” said Tobin of his seniors, some of whom had been involved with the school’s basketball program since seventh grade.

The coach’s sentiment was reciprocated.

“He’s been everything for me. I almost went to prep school every year, but stayed – mainly because of him, but also because I wanted to win a state championship. I wouldn’t have done it any different though,” said Droney.

Along with Powers, Droney made a strong impression on Boen during their time at Catholic Memorial.

“Those two kids, they’re the best two shooters you’ll ever see, those two kids for Catholic Memorial,” the Brockton coach said.

Blakely The Aggressor: Jaylen Blakely doesn’t always play with the speed Boen prefers. But on Saturday, the ultra-quick point guard controlled the tempo and created easy looks for his teammates.

The junior finished with eight assists to match his eight points, committing very few mistakes while carving apart Catholic Memorial’s man-to-man defense.

“We’ve been telling him – Baker does what we want – get the ball and get it upcourt. Tonight Blakely did that much better. He got the ball and got it up court as fast as he can,” said Boen.

After Brockton’s lead dwindled to four points in the fourth quarter, Blakely took control. During a one-minute span, he assisted on a Reuben fast break layup, set up Houston in perfect position underneath the basket (Houston got fouled and made both free throws) and hit a runner in the lane, spurring Brockton’s game-sealing 14-0 run.

Seedings for the MIAA boys and girls' basketball tournament will be unveiled on Friday, and starting on Monday we'll have you covered nightly from the first tip-off though the state finals in mid-March at the DCU Center in Worcester. On Monday, we'll have a full breakdown of each bracket, with predictions, as well as my annual column highlighting the state's top players poised to burst onto the scene with strong playoff performances.

To whet your appetite, here's who I've penned as the bona fide favorites in boys Divisions 1 through 4, and why.

NOTE: Records are through Tuesday night.

DIVISION 1

Springfield Central
Record: 19-1
District: West
Players to watch: Tyrell Springer, Sr. G/F; Kamari Robinson, Jr. F; Jevaughn McMilian, Sr. F; Lee Turner, Sr. G; Chris Prophet, Sr. G; Trevor Bacon, Sr. F; Cornelius Tyson, Jr. G.
The lowdown: Some are calling this Springfield’s best chance at a state title since Commerce beat a Jeff Adrien-led Brookline squad for the 2004 D1 title. The record speaks for itself, and the Golden Eagles appear to be hitting their peak at just the right time –- witness Monday’s 40-point thrashing of Commerce. Their lone blemish is a six-point loss at last month's Hoophall Classic to a Windsor (Conn.) squad that is ranked No. 2 in the Nutmeg State, and whose average margin of victory is 34.4 points per game. Springer has emerged as one of the state’s elite swingmen, while the 6-foot-5 Robinson has had a breakout year manning the boards. Between Robinson, the 6-foot-6 Bacon, and 6-foot-7 shot swatter Jevaughn McMilian, the Eagles can truly go big like few other teams across Division 1.

Central Catholic
Record: 20-1
District: North
Players to watch: Tyler Nelson, Soph. G; Joel Berroa, Jr. F; Doug Gemmell, Jr. F; Nick Cambio, Soph. F; Lucas Hammel, Jr. G; Shawn McCoy, Sr. F; Henry Rodriguez, Sr. G.
The lowdown: What makes Central so dangerous is not its starting five, which can hang with anyone, but the amount of depth it brings to the table. The Raiders can legitimately go big with three true bigs, or small with a slew of guards and slashers. And they can all shoot the ball from deep. Also consider that the Raiders have done most of their damage without the state’s premier on-ball defender, Luis Puello. The senior guard took a month to get back to full strength after spraining his ankle in late December, and re-injured it two weeks ago; his timetable for recovery is unknown at this time.

Brockton
Record: 16-2
District: South
Players to watch: Jaylen Blakely, Jr. G; Jahleel Moise, Sr. F; Sayvonn Houston, Sr. C; Jamal Reuben, Sr. F; Will Baker, Sr. G; Jarrod Shelby, Sr. F
The lowdown: Depending on which team shows up, this is a team capable of running off points in a hurry (see: comeback wins over Catholic Memorial and New Bedford) or running themselves off the floor (see: Sunday's surprising 18-point loss to Charlestown). When everything is clicking, the Boxers are one of the state's deepest and most dangerous lineups, with all the requisite parts to work with -- an even-keeled distributor (Blakely), shooters (Reuben, Baker), shot-swatting slashers (Moise, Shelby), and a big-bodied true center that keeps the cycle going (Houston). The key is undoubtedly Houston, a nightly double-double machine with exceptional lower-body strength to fight through double-teams. When he is doing his part, the Brockton offense runs cleaner and crisper.

Charlestown
Record: 16-4
District: North
Players to watch: Tyrese Hoxter, Jr. G; Rony Fernandez, Sr. G; Omar Orriols, Sr. F; Tyrik Jackson, Sr. F; Iser Barnes, Sr. G; Taris Wilson, Soph. G
The lowdown: All nit-picks of Brockton aside, there is a reason the Townies didn’t qualify for City Championships –- they are the biggest enigma in Division 1 heading to the state tournament. This is one of the state’s most skilled starting lineups, but also one that could go all the way to the Garden floor or get knocked out in the first round. Hoxter, a lanky slasher with three-point range, is going to get his. Ditto for Jackson, a true post who can fill the lane. The X-factor might be how Fernandez and Orriols respond to pressure.

Catholic Memorial
Record: 16-3
District: South
Players to watch: Matt Droney, Sr. F; Dan Powers, Sr. F; Chris Siggers, Jr. G; Aahmane Santos, Soph. G, Armani Reeves, Sr. F; Gerard Adams, Soph. C
The lowdown: When the Catholic Conference champion Knights are running hitting their shots, few teams have been able to slow them down. Droney and Powers are known for their shooting, but can score in multiple ways going to the hoop. One of the more underrated components may lie in Reeves, an Ohio State football commit who often comes off the bench and provides stiff perimeter defense. And if they can get anything out of Adams –- a raw 6-foot-8, 300-pound lane-filler with limited mobility –- it would be a bonus.

BC High
Record: 14-5
District: South
Players to watch: Jameilen Jones, Jr. G; Charles Collins, Jr. G; Justin Roberts, Sr. F; Oderah Obukwelu, Sr. F
The lowdown: Few active coaches have had as much tournament success as Eagles coach Bill Loughnane, who won three D1 state titles at South Boston (1992, 1995-96) before coming down the road to Dorchester and leading the Eagles to their first D1 title in 2007. That’s just one of the main reasons we like BC’s chances in the postseason. The other main one is physicality -– Roberts and Obukwelu, two football stars, do the dirty work underneath, opening up the perimeter for Jones, one of the state’s elite scorers.

Others to watch: Acton-Boxborough (20-1), Andover (11-7), Barnstable (14-4), Boston Latin (16-5), East Boston (14-4), Franklin (16-4), Holy Name (17-3), Lawrence (13-5), Madison Park (15-2), Mansfield (12-7), Needham (15-5), Newton North (17-3), North Quincy (17-3), Springfield Cathedral (10-9), Springfield Commerce (14-5), St. John’s (Shrewsbury) (16-5), St. John’s Prep (11-7), St. Peter-Marian (17-4), West Springfield (16-3), Westford (17-4), Weymouth (17-3)

DIVISION 2

North Andover
Record: 19-1
District: North
Players to watch: Zach Karalis, Sr. G; Isaiah Nelsen, Jr. F; Brendan Miller, Soph. G; Derek Collins, Jr. G; Mike Moroney, Sr. F; John Miller, Sr. F
The lowdown: Everybody’s favorite little sleeper is suddenly the team to beat in the North district, after slowly building steam all of January and February. It starts with the WPI-bound Karalis, one of the district's smoothest shooters, and it continues down low where Nelsen and Moroney doing the dirty work. Man-to-man defenses beware: this is as surgical an offense as you'll find around, excelling at using screens to clear runways to the basket and create confusion. Defensively, the Knights' help defense has been very efficient, hedging off screens with the best of them.

King Philip
Record: 17-3
District: South
Players to watch: Jake Layman, Sr. F; John Mullane, Sr. F; Christian Fair, Sr. G; Mike Schmidt, Sr. G; Sam McDonald, Jr. F; Dever Carrison, Jr. F
The lowdown: Layman, a 6-foot-8 Maryland signee who is ranked the No. 61 overall senior by ESPNU, is more than capable of singularly taking a game over -- he's proven as much with his gaudy stats this year. But like the Pat Connaughton-led St. John's Prep squad last year, the Warriors' superstar needs consistency from the supporting cast each night for this team to survive. Perhaps it's encouraging, then, that the Warriors were able to stave off Oliver Ames last weekend without Layman in the lineup, getting a big night out of Mullane. Losing promising junior Tykei Hallman doesn't help matters, however.

Stoughton
Record: 16-4
District: South
Players to watch: Aaron Calixte, Jr. G; Marcus Middleton, Jr. G; Joe Bunce-Grenon, Jr. G; Steffan Jackson, Sr. F; Antonio Ferreira, Sr. F
The lowdown: The Black Knights aren't exactly backpedaling into the tournament, but they're not exactly in fifth gear either after losing two straight to Franklin and Needham, before holding off a 2-18 Walpole team to wrap up their regular season schedule. Calixte is arguably the state's most gifted -- and creative -- playmaker, capable of going off for 30 points on any given night, while Middleton has established himself as one of the state's premier perimeter defenders. This team fancies and uptempo style to combat its lack of size, but when teams go inside they are often met by the high-energy shot swatter Ferreira.

Brighton
Record: 15-3
District: North
Players to watch: Malik James, Soph. G; Theo Oribhabor, Jr. G; Prince Onaegbu, Jr. F; Daivon Edwards, Jr. G; Jerard Mayes, Sr. F.
The lowdown: The Bengals have stumbled since losing star sophomore Nick Simpson for the year due to academics, but we’ll have a much clearer idea of what the team is like without Simpson following this week's City Championships. Here's what we do know: Brighton can shoot with the best of them, and when Edwards' shot is falling he can take a load of pressure off of the distributor James. When pressing, the Bengals have shades of head coach Hugh Coleman's mentor, legendary Charlestown coach Jack O'Brien, scribbled all over them. With an athletic lineup, the Bengals take proper angles in the press and prefer to be the aggressor at all times.

New Mission
Record: 14-4
District: North
Players to watch: Isshiah Coleman, Jr. F, Nate Anderson, Jr. F; Leroy Hamilton, Sr. G/F; Percio Gomez, Jr. G/F; DaShawn Fennell, Jr. G/F; Shaquan Murray, Soph. G;
The lowdown: It's tough to get a read on the Titans, who have at once looked both brilliant and uninspiring thoughout the 2011-12 season. On one breath, they look deflated in a double-digit loss to Brighton, getting swept by a Boston City League team for the first time under head coach Cory McCarthy. In the next breath, they turn around a few days later and grind out a hard-fought win over one of Rhode Island's top teams, hot-shooting La Salle Academy. Mission won back-to-back state titles in 2010-11 with an overbearing physical presence, particularly around the rim. For them to make a three-peat, big men Coleman and Anderson will have to stay out of foul trouble and strike fear in the heart of the opposition early. This is a young, green squad saddled with big expectations on the heels of an unprecedented two-year run; but the Titans always turn it on come playoff time.

Falmouth
Record: 18-1
District: South
Players to watch: Andrew McGill, Jr. G; Damien Reid, Sr. G; Kyle Kaspryzk, Sr. F; Nate Steele, Sr. F
The lowdown: One of the most unsung coach jobs this year has to be that of Lundberg, who has this team riding a 16-game win streak after some question marks clouded them with the graduation of Nelson Baptiste and John Lavin. Two years ago the Clippers torched Salem on the Garden floor for the D2 EMass title, and running the point was little-known freshman McGill. He may still look like a freshman two years later, but his savvy on the court has kept the win streak alive. And yet question marks still surround Falmouth: Kasprzyk, one of the Clippers' few true posts, went down with an ankle injury in a 54-53 win over Barnstable.

Others to watch: Beverly (13-5), Groton-Dunstable (14-6), Hopkinton (15-5), Lynn Classical (11-9), Masconomet (12-5), Medfield (14-6), Melrose (16-2), Northbridge (16-4), Oliver Ames (12-8), Quabbin (17-3), Randolph (16-2), Reading (15-5), Salem (11-8), South Hadley (11-8), St. Bernard’s (11-10), Wakefield (14-6)

DIVISION 3

Whitinsville Christian
Record: 13-5
District: Central
Players to watch: Colin Richey, Jr. G; Tyler VandenAkker, Sr. F; Jesse Dykstra, Sr. F; Grant Brown, Jr. G/F; Antonio Estrella, Jr. F
The lowdown: This isn't the same Crusaders team of 2011, which was considered one of the state's tallest lineups, led by 6-foot-9 All-Stater Hans Miersma. No, this is quite a departure from typical WC teams, but it's still a well-oiled machine. Richey grabs most of the headlines for his shooting ability and high game IQ, but it's the surgery of its zone offense that makes WC a tough out. Never flashy, always making the extra pass for a higher-percentage look, the Crusaders will frustrate any team looking to play uptempo basketball. The Crusaders have sputtered lately, losing four of their last five after starting off 12-1; but factoring in the dearth of upper-echelon Division 3 squads in the Central and West brackets, they have to be a favorite to return to the DCU Center floor next month.

Cardinal Spellman
Record: 17-5
District: South
Players to watch: Joey Glynn, Sr. F; Rickey Donovan, Sr. F; Joey Crane, Soph. G; Paul Preziosi, Jr. G; Mike Downing, Sr. G.
The lowdown: With the Bentley-bound Glynn back in the fold, the defending South Sectional champs were considered a preseason favorite in D3. After sputtering out to a 4-3 start, the Cards are rolling, having won 10 of 11 before dropping a 71-54 decision to Whitinsville Christian on Monday. Like several other contenders with star power, the Cards can rely on Glynn filling the stat sheet every game, facilitating for players like Donovan and Crane to put in their buckets. With Wareham assured the No. 1 seed in the South, some are predicting a rematch between the Spellman and the Vikings; Wareham won their last meeting on Jan. 8, 80-72.

Wareham
Record: 20-0
District: South
Players to watch: Darien Fernandez, Jr. G; Jeff Houde, Sr. F; Tyler Gomes, Sr. F; Aaron Baptiste, Sr. F
The lowdown: Not a ton of size with the Vikings, but that hasn't stopped them from running off another unblemished run through the South Coast Conference and wrapping up their sixth straight league title. Two years ago the Vikings went run-and-gun en route to their first state title since 1977, and that style has paid dividends again this season. It all starts with Fernandez, a 5-foot-7 waterbug with a running back's build who can score from anywhere on the floor, and is fearless going to the hoop. Like some other running teams on this list, staying out of foul trouble will be paramount.

Danvers
Record: 17-3
District: North
Players to watch: George Merry, Sr. C; Nick McKenna, Jr. G; Nick Bates, Jr. F; Eric Martin, Jr. G; Jon Amico, Sr. G.
The lowdown: The Falcons were a preseason favorite in the North, and have done little to prove otherwise. Keying Danvers has been a stout defense allowing 44 points per game and led i the middle by Merry, who at 6-foot-7 is more than just a big body to fill the lane. Merry gets end to end quickly, and can step out on the perimeter and facilitate for the team's best perimeter players. When drawing double teams, it's essentially time to pick your poison.

Martha’s Vineyard
Record: 18-2
District: South
Players to watch: Peter Keaney, Sr. F; Jack Roberts, Jr. G; Izak Browne, Sr. G; Del Araujo, Sr. F; Charlie Everett, Sr. F.
The lowdown: Maybe it’s because being on an island makes them difficult to scout to begin with, but the Islanders always seem to sneak up on people come tournament time. It doesn’t hurt that they’re talented from the inside out, with Keaney and Araujo grabbing tough boards as well as facilitating some motion when stepping out on the perimeter. Overall, the Vineyarders are a quality offensive rebounding team that can quickly run off points in bunches

Others to watch: Arlington Catholic (14-5), Bishop Feehan (15-4), Norton (15-5), Norwell (17-2), Rockland (18-2), Watertown (6-14), Wayland (15-5), Whittier (17-1)

DIVISION 4

St. Mary’s (Lynn)
Record: 16-6
District: North
Players to watch: Nick Gagliolio, Sr. F; Tommy Deveau, Jr. G; Rudolf Thurman, Soph. G; Matt Manning, Jr. F;
The lowdown: The Spartans might have caught the entire state's full attention after losing to defending D1 state champ St. John's Prep by two in overtime, and the rest of the way they've carried that momentum -- punctuated again by another last-second loss to Prep late last week. Gagliolo is the top scoring option for the Spartans, but the X-factor going forward will be the health of Thurman, who injured his shoulder in that Prep win and was unavailable in their loss to Boston Cathedral on Friday.

Winthrop
Record: 15-5
District: North
Players to watch: Quinton Dale, Sr. F; Joe D’Amore, Sr. G; Joshawa Babb, Jr. G; Ervin DeJesus, Jr. F; Jeff Laguerre, Sr. G.
The lowdown: Defending D4 state champs are cruising again, finishing the regular season strong by reeling off six wins in seven games. For all the talk of Danvers in the Northeastern Conference, the Vikings swept them in the regular season to win the Conference's South division outright. The one to pay attention to with Winthrop is Dale, athletic and long for his 6-foot-3 frame and one of the Conference's better rebounders.

Boston Cathedral
Record: 13-6
District: South
Players to watch: Carlos Bermudez, Sr. G; Joe Green, Sr. F; Kyle Lawyer, Sr. F; Curtis Howe, Sr. G; Anthony Bell, Sr. F
The lowdown: Lawyer and Green are back after missing some time away from the team, which means the Panthers are to be taken seriously once again. This isn't a squad known for its size, but when we tell you Bermudez is one of the more exciting players to watch in the South district we're not kidding. Listed at 5-foot-4 and gifted with speed and stocky frame, this distributor is dangerous in the open court. Lawyer and Green are the top scoring options, able to go off for 20 a night.

Manchester-Essex
Record: 18-2
District: North
Players to watch: Chris Bishop, Sr. G; Joe Burgess, Sr. G; Sean Nally, Sr. F; Max Nesbit, Sr. G; Taylor Ketchum, Sr. F; Casey Weld, Sr. G.
The lowdown: One of state’s best basketball minds, Duane Sigsbury, is at it again. Last season, the Hornets ran their offense through 2011 ESPN Boston All-Stater Joe Mussachia, and were unafraid to use all 85 feet of the floor to push the tempo. This season they've sped things up even more, and are one of the state's highest-scoring offenses (77 points per game). The player to watch with this squad is Bishop, the Cape Ann League's MVP, a 20-per-night scorer who slashes through the lanes and has hit as many as six 3-pointers in a game.

Others to watch: Avon (12-8), Bishop Connolly (16-6), Cape Cod Academy (17-3), Carver (16-4), Cohasset (15-5), Mystic Valley (17-3), Pope John XXIII (18-4), Snowden (8-9), Westport (17-3)

NEEDHAM, Mass. -- No. 8 Needham hockey is again in Super 8 contention as the champions of the Bay State League.

The Rockets' bench boss, Bill Guisti, has led the team to three straight seasons appearing in the top six of the state's premier tournament.

Before the Rockets take off for the Springfield Cathedral tournament this week, Scott Barboza caught up with Guisti to take a look back at a pivotal moment in Needham's season. Earlier this season, Needham pulled out a last-minute win over Catholic Memorial, after scoring the tying goal off a play Guisti arranged with a timeout. The late-game heroics lifted the Rockets to perhaps their biggest win of the season.

In this edition of Chalk Talk, we break down the game-tying goal with the mastermind who drew it up:

Video shot and edited by James Walsh.