ESPN

With the unveiling of our MIAA All-State Teams for Boys and Girls late last week, the 2011-12 basketball season has come to close. But before we officially slam the book on another exciting season of hoop, and move on to spring sports, I wanted to get out a few thoughts on the landscape for next season.

To whet your appetite for the 2012-13 season, here are my early projections on the state's must-see teams to watch:

BOYS

Central Catholic - Plenty of talent returning with this squad, which captured the No. 1 overall spot in Division 1 North despite missing Luis Puello (ankle) for most of the season. ESPN Boston All-State guard Tyler Nelson returns as one of the state’s top shooters, but the Raiders also return all three of their regular bigs in Joel Berroa, Doug Gemmell and Nick Cambio.

New Mission – Apparently it’s never too early for bulletin board fodder, because head coach Cory McCarthy is already making some barnstorming rounds, telling ESPNBoston.com this afternoon that if the Titans don’t win the Division 2 state title next year, “I should be fired.” Bold, yes, but it’s hard not to like a lineup of Isshiah Coleman, Nate Anderson, Greg Bridges, Damion Smith and Shaquan Murray. There is some promising talent in those ranks.

Mansfield – Folks are talking about the Hornets being one of the South region’s top teams in two years’ time, between promising freshman Brendan Hill and sophomore Michael Hershman. I’m of the camp that believes with those two versatile parts, paired with a terrific coach in Mike Vaughan, the future is now.

Taunton – Shaquille O’Neal Davis. That’s legitimately his full name, and one you certainly will not forget by this time next year, for reasons that have nothing to do with The Big Aristotle.

West Springfield – Terriers return virtually everyone, including Chris Lipscomb, Paul Bessette, Andy McNulty, Dewey King, and leading scorer Riyadh Asad. West Side is the early favorite next year in Division 1 West.

St. John’s (Shrewsbury) – Junior transfer Tarik Octave was one of the nice surprises of the playoffs, and freshman Davon Jones has shades of former Pioneers great David White all over him (Doesn’t hurt that Jones was also the Pioneers’ starter at safety last fall, too). A boat load of underclassmen return, including Ken Harrington and T.J. Kelley, which should more than make up for the graduation of Matt Palecki.

Danvers – Falcons graduate 6-foot-7 center George Merry, an ESPN Boston All-State selection, but return some terrific guards. Nick McKenna, Nick Bates, Eric Martin and Dan Connors can all shoot the ball, and are perfectly-suited for John Walsh’s four-out offensive system. My early pick to repeat at D3 champs.

BC High – Eagles return what ought to be one of the state’s best backcourts in point guard Charles Collins and ESPN Boston All-State swingman Jameilen Jones. Throw into the mix one of the region’s best basketball minds in Bill Loughnane (he of four state titles) and it’s hard to think of the Eagles as anything but a favorite in the South.

Springfield Central – A plethora of talent graduates, including Chris Prophet, Lee Turner, Jevaughn McMilian, and ESPN Boston Super Teamer Tyrell Springer. But All-State forward Kamari Robinson should have another terrific season, and the way Cornelius Tyson exploded onto the scene in the Division 1 state final makes us all wonder if he’s about to realize the potential that many in the Springfield area have been talking about for so long.

Stoughton – Super Teamer Aaron Calixte and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Middleton formed the state’s best backcourt in 2011-12. If all goes as planned, they’ll be well-equipped to defend that notion next season.

Wareham – Vikings might not endure an unbeaten regular season again next year. But another year of All-State point guard Darien Fernandez means they’re not going anywhere.

GIRLS

Braintree – Wamps started three freshmen this year: Ashley Russell, Bridget Herlihy, and 6-foot-1 center Molly Reagan. Expect them in conversation for state title contention from now until their time runs out in 2015.

Archbishop Williams – Ditto the Bishops, who have two 6-foot freshmen to look forward to the next three seasons. Add in sophomores Olivia Conrad and Leah Spencer, and their fiery mouthpiece Sara Ryan, and this could be another top-five team come December 2012.

Reading – The Rockets made a flawless run through the Division 2 gauntlet, winning their first Division 2 state title in school history as one of two final unbeaten squads in Massachusetts. Two-time Middlesex MVP and ESPN Boston All-State Olivia Healy returns, as does guard Morgan O’Brien.

Andover – Golden Warriors are expected to come down to Earth with the graduation of two-time ESPN Boston Miss Basketball, Nicole Boudreau, and UConn lacrosse commit Ally Fazio. What might be overlooked amidst Andover’s unprecedented run to a third straight state title is that there were plenty of terrific complimentary backcourt pieces in the underclass.

Central Catholic – Raiders treaded water after some injuries early on. But once junior forward Casey McLaughlin was back to full strength, they made a run all the way to the Division 1 North semifinals. Have to imagine they’ll be in conversation again next year.

LAWRENCE, Mass. — If this was a potential preview of what's to come in the MIAA Tournament, then fans of high school basketball in the area are in for a treat.

Central Catholic nipped St. John’s Prep, 59-58, on a lay-in by Nick Cambio with six seconds left to claim the IAABO Board 130 Basketball Classic last night on its home floor.

Joel Berroa, who made the pass to Cambio on the determining bucket and who finished as the tournament MVP, played sparingly in the first half due to foul trouble but came on with 13 points and three tide-changing 3-pointers in the fourth period.

Cambio (four points) also picked up three quick fouls in the first half and only finished with two field goals, but got the one when it mattered most.

“When they got in the flow a little bit in the second half I felt like it was the difference for us with (Berroa) hitting some big shots and (Cambio) finishing in the paint,” said Raiders (20-1) coach Rick Nault.

The Game-Winner: The Eagles (13-7) got the ball back down a point after a costly turnover by the Raiders with 33.6 seconds on the clock.

Mike Carbone drove down a crowded lane and his shot bounced out, but Steve Haladyna (25 points, 10 rebounds) tipped the ball twice to himself over a couple of Raiders, and he was fouled sending him to the line for a 1-and-1 situation.

Haladyna sank the first free throw to tie things at 57 and nailed the first for the one-point lead with 18.5 seconds remaining in the game. Central Catholic decided against a timeout after the made bucket, but Nault quickly changed his mind when the ball got stuck at halfcourt with several Prep defenders in good position.

Nault knew exactly what play he wanted to run out of the timeout with 11.5 seconds left, but Cambio jokingly said that his coach had a little bit of trouble communicating exactly what X’s and O’s were going to be drawn up.

Apparently all of those hours of practice can build silent communication between coaches and players.

“He was too nervous writing down the play and he forgot what it was,” Cambio said with a big smile on his face. “We ran the play and that’s what the play was, an up top handoff and back screen pick over the top, and I got the lay-up.”

Berroa got the ball at the top of the 3-point line and Cambio was able to slide wide open on backdoor cut and finish with about six seconds remaining on the clock. Haladyna had an opportunity at the buzzer to take back the win, but his shot from just inside the free throw line hit the back iron and bounced out.

“It was something that we know what it is side-out,” said Nault. “I kind of forgot who was supposed to come to the ball and I was telling my assistant to help me out with it. But the kids knew exactly where to go.”

The foul that didn't come: Prep had three fouls to waste with 11.5 seconds left and the players went for the foul on Berroa and Cambio at the top of the screen that got the latter open, but the contact wasn’t enough to draw a whistle.

“We slapped him a little, but we should have fouled harder,” said Prep head coach Sean Connolly. “I told the refs to look for it, but I guess they didn’t think it was much of a foul.”

PENTUCKET 59, CENTRAL CATHOLIC 41

Before the girls final, Pentucket head coach John McNamara said his team would be in for a tough task to get a win over Central Catholic on the home floor.

The game was decided after maybe the strongest 16 minutes of defensive basketball by the Sachems.

Pentucket held the Raiders to 12.5 percent shooting and 10 points in the first half to run away with a 59-41 victory.

“We just came out and played defense the way we are capable of,” said McNamara. “We did the things that we had to do.”

The one-two combination of Sarah Higgins (17 points) and tournament MVP Tess Nogueira (19 points) helped carry the offensive load for a team that was 3-3 and one point, but ended the season 18-4.

BOYS CONSOLATION

Westford Academy 85, Lynn English 68
Westford - Alex Preckol 22 points, Matt Ellis 21
English - Keandre Stanton 19 pts, Fred Hogan 18, Ben Bowden 14

GIRLS CONSOLATION

Archbishop Williams 61, Revere 38
Williams - Michaela Flanagan - 13 points, Sara Ryan 12
Revere - Caitlyn Caramello - 14 points

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- In this MIAA basketball season of constant surprise, one of the few guarantees was that Central Catholic would live up to its preseason No. 1 billing and head into the Division 1 North tournament as a bona fide favorite.

So maybe this next part is anticlimactic.

Before a capacity home crowd, the Raiders hosted archrival Andover in the finale of its Merrimack Valley Conference slate, and as typical of intense rivalries, the Golden Warriors made a run at them. But the Raiders never trailed from start to finish, eventually rolling away in the fourth quarter to a 72-54 win.

With the win, Central improved to 17-1 and wrapped up its league slate at 14-1 -- the Raiders have already clinched their sixth straight league title. In the last five seasons, the Raiders have lost just three MVC contests -- twice to Lowell (2008, 2012) and once to Andover (2010). The Warriors fell to 11-7 on the season, and finish their league schedule 9-5.

"It means a lot to us," sophomore Tyler Nelson (17 points) said of the league championship streak. "We have a lot of goals this year, and we really want to go out there and make a statement, and try and reach our ultimate goal of reaching the tournament and making a run."

The Raiders led 44-32 at the break, thanks to a perfect first half from Nelson. The point guard was 5-for-5 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and 5-for-5 from the foul line in one of his better first-half performances of the season.

"They didn't play box-and-one like the first time we met them," Nelson said. "So it was a little bit easier getting my shot off, and I was just knocking them down. I felt good from the start, and I knew I was going to keep making them."

But Andover came storming out of the gates to start the third quarter, opening with an 8-0 run. Chris Dunn (20 points) capped the run with a three-pointer that cut the Central lead to 44-40, pulling up to the right wing and letting loose.

That was as close as the Warriors got the rest of the way. Over the final 12 minutes, Central outscored the Warriors 28-14 behind some tough interior play facilitated by junior Joel Berroa (14 points) and sophomore Nick Cambio (11 points, seven rebounds).

"It wasn't the way we wanted to start the second half," Central head coach Rick Nault said. "I don't think we adjusted properly to start that second half. Then I thought we just went inside, and dominated the paint -- not only in scoring, but getting the ball in the post."

Max Silveira also chipped in 15 points for Andover in the loss.

Foul trouble: Central poses many a matchup problem on any given night, particularly when they go with a lineup that has all three of its true bigs -- Berroa, Cambio and junior Doug Gemmell -- on the floor. That was evident tonight against the undersized Andover front, drawing them out of position on plays around the rim, especailly in the first half. Central went to the line for 19 free throw attempts in the first half, making all of them, while Andover attempted just five and made four.

"We feel like when we have the three bigs on the floor together, we feel we've always have a mismatch somewhere," Nault said. "Our focus point is to try to get them the ball, and the fact that we can get fouled and knock them down from the free throw line is huge for us. That's always been the case in the past."

Andover head coach Dave Fazio chose not to say much on the matter, stating simply, "They shot 19 free throws, we shot five. End of statement. It is what it is. Whatever."

Puello on the mend again: It took nearly a month for star senior guard Luis Puello to get back to full strength after going down with a high ankle sprain during the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament in late December. Now, it appears the Raiders will continue to learn how to do without.

Puello, widely considered the state's best on-ball defender, was in street clothes on the bench tonight after re-injuring the same ankle in a 74-46 win over Haverhill last Friday. Nault said there is "honestly no timetable for a return", and estimates a "50-50" chance Puello returns at the starter of the Division 1 North tournament.

In the meantime, junior Lucas Hammel has taken on Puello's familar role of picking up the ballcarrier immediately and marking the best shooters all around the halfcourt.

"We'll take it day by day," Nault said of Puello's injury. "It took him four weeks to come back last time, and he's re-injured that same foot. So, I really don't know."

Dowden down as well: The Warriors have also been missing 6-foot-4 junior forward Sam Dowden, one of their top players, since spraining his ankle in a Feb. 7 win over Lowell. In Tuesday's 54-38 loss to Lowell, Dowden played less than eight minutes, and wasn't getting much push out of the foot.

Fazio considers Dowden "day to day", and has been erring on the side of caution with his recovery.

"If we're playing for a league title tonight, we probably give him a shot and let him run," Fazio said.

Fazio declares team will be 'dangerous': Answering questions about Dowden, Fazio noted the team's upcoming schedule -- a host tournament during February vacation, followed by the Division 1 North sectional -- and declared, "We're going to end up being a dangerous team."

"We're going to put all our pieces together," Fazio said. "We haven't put all our pieces together. The kids are hungry. A lot of teams are winding down in February, they're tired. These kids are hungry, and that says a lot about these guys."

And just what makes them so hungry?

"We've just got great kids, man," Fazio laughed. "We've got great kids like (senior captain) James Costello who pour their heart and soul into it. Sam Dowden's a warrior. We've just got a bunch of great kids who love basketball."

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- Last season's two meetings between Central Catholic and St. John's Prep -- once late in the regular season, and again in the Division 1 North semifinals a few weeks later -- can be summed up in short as epic. The two games, both wins for Prep, were decided by just five points total, and featured last-minute heroics from ESPN Boston Mr. Basketball and Notre Dame freshman Pat Connaughton.

So what to say of this, then, an 80-56 win over the Eagles that was polished from start to finish? The Raiders (11-0) never trailed in this one, and strung together runs of 12-3 and 9-0 in the second and third quarters, respectively, to maintain control throughout.

"It feels great," said senior Luis Puello, a major player in both of last year's battles, who came off the bench tonight in recovering from an ankle injury. "There's not a better feeling than that, you know. They come to our house, and we beat them by however much we beat them. But they're a good team, you know, we're going to face them again [next month, in Central's host tournament], and we've just got to bring it again."

Prep (9-2) cut Central's lead to 25-20 midway through the second quarter on a three-pointer from the corner by Freddy Shove, but the Raiders answered with a Nick Cambio (16 points, eight rebounds) three from the opposite corner, off a Joel Berroa kickout pass, that made it 30-23. After Central head coach Rick Nault was called for a technical foul, Lucas Hammel finished off the 12-3 run with a steal in the open court and breakaway layup.

Central led 37-24 at the half, and the Eagles never came within eight the rest of the way.

"That was probably our best 32 minutes of basketball all season," Nault said. "We lost to these guys twice last year, they ended our season. And since March now, we've talked about that feeling we had in the locker room last March, and it stuck with these guys. They were pretty fired up all week, and it showed tonight in terms of their energy and effort."

The junior Berroa poured in a double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds) in the winning cause, while Hammel and Tyler Nelson added 11 points each. Prep was led in scoring by Mike Carbone (17 points) and Steve Haladyna (10).

Cambio climbing: After earning some hype with a strong summer campaign, it has been a breakout season for the sophomore Cambio to say the least. The 6-foot-5 forward had some crucial minutes in the Raiders' 69-67 overtime thriller over Lawrence last weekend, totaling 16 points and 12 rebounds.

This afternoon, it was more of the same for the stretch four-man. In the second quarter, he kick-started the 12-3 run with a baseline three off a kickout pass from Berroa. In the third quarter, he sparked another run with a momentous two-handed slam that made it 53-36, taking a diagonal pass from Berroa across the paint and gathering just under the left block.

On the next trip down, Cambio hit a three from the left corner off a kickout pass from Nelson, before closing out the third quarter with a dagger three from the opposite corner, just before the buzzer sounded.

"I like that penetration," Cambio said of his affinity for playing close to the baseline. "Then I kick right out, when I can either step out and get the three or go in for the layup with a dunk. I like that."

Said Puello, "I've liked Cambio since the beginning. He was always in the gym in the summer, and seeing his development has been great. It's an asset to the team, it's good. As long as he's playing well, we're all playing well."

Easing back into it: Since Puello went down with a high ankle sprain in the first minute of the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament semifinals last month, the Raiders coaching staff have erred on the side of caution. After all, the Raiders have a rough next month of a schedule that starts next weekend with Rhode Island powerhouse Bishop Hendricken and continues with rematches against Lowell, Andover, Lawrence and Prep. The Raiders are going to need a fully-healthy Puello come February; with the 6-foot-1 senior's relentless marking defense, the Raiders are one of the state's toughest outs.

Puello cringed from the sidelines as he was held out of games against Andover, Lawrence (twice) and Springfield Cathedral (at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield), but knows it's for the best interest of both him and the team. This afternoon's performance, though, had to be encouraging.

Coming off the bench, Puello first entered the game with 1:39 left in the first quarter and immediately got to work. On one of his first possessions, an Eagles inbound play, Puello hip-checked Shove out of bounds as he came around the baseline on a backdoor cut, eventually leading to an out-of-bounds violation. At the other end, Hammel hit a layup that extended the lead to 19-13. The next trip down, Puello notched a steal in the open floor.

"He's just so active, and his athleticism alone makes plays for him," Nault said. "You could still see he's rusty, he's hobbling a little bit, and I think it's affecting him more on the offensive end than the defensive end. When we get him back full-speed, I think defensively we're going to be pretty tough."

Puello

"It's a process," Puello said. "But little by little, we'll get healthy and I'll get back to where I need to be."

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — It seemed like it was a matter of time before Tyler Nelson’s hand regained its magic touch Friday night at the Spalding Hoophall Classic at Springfield College.

After continuously being the thorn in the side of the Springfield Cathedral’s zone defense for three quarters it appeared the Panthers finally had found a way to slow down Nelson. Yet after being held scoreless for most of the fourth quarter, Nelson drilled a three-pointer when it mattered most.

The sophomore extended his arms from the left side of the key with just under 1:30 remaining to give Central Catholic (8-0) a 66-62 lead over the Panthers (5-2), and delivered the Raiders their first win at the historic high school showcase in school history, 72-66.

“They were playing a 2-3 zone and mostly they kicked it from the corner, I squared my feet, shot it and luckily made it,” Nelson said.

“I just wanted to go out there and get a win,” he added. “Central has been here four years and probably had better teams in the past and still hadn’t won.”

Nelson finished with a team-high 19 points and was 5-of-9 from behind the arc. Overall, the sophomore guard was 6-of-12 from the field while also grabbing seven rebounds.

“As a young player, he does so many good things for us,” said Central head coach Rick Nault. "We run a lot of things for him. He’s a very confident kid and we definitely feel comfortable with the ball in his hands. He is willing and ready to take the big shot and he did that for us tonight.”

Nault preached to his team all week the opportunity they had to become the first in school history to win at the Hoophall Classic, and he couldn't be happier.

“It’s a long ride for us to come up here,” Nault said. “But to get a win against a real good team is a great feeling.”

An Expected Play: After Cathedral’s Lou Garcia stole a poor Central Catholic inbound pass and made a lay up to cut the Raider lead to 66-64 with 55.4 seconds remaining, Central Catholic senior captain Shawn McCoy grabbed a tough offensive rebound underneath the basket at the other half of the court, and went up strong to give the Raiders a two-possession lead.

“For us to have such a young group, and for him being the only senior captain, to come up with a big play [like] that is expected of him,” Nault said. “The tip in was huge.”

McCoy expected to have to fight for a rebound.

“Joel [Berroa] made a nice pass to Doug [Gemmell] underneath the hoop and I knew there was going to be some kind of rebound with a lot of people down there, fouling and hacking and stuff,” McCoy said. “I was hoping I could get the rebound and I got it.”

McCoy (14 points, 5 rebounds) started the game on a tear, scoring the Raiders' first eight points in a fast-paced first quarter.

A Bigger Advantage: One of the biggest difference-makers in the game was Central Catholic’s interior presence on both ends of the court. The Raiders outrebounded Cathedral 48-23, and the Raiders used 18 offensive rebounds to register 21 second-chance points.

“We always pride ourselves on rebounding and we do that in practice all the time,” McCoy said. “We pride ourselves on a physical defensive presence and that comes hand in hand with that.”

Joining McCoy on the glass was Gemmell’s game-high nine rebounds and Berroa’s seven.

Slow Starting Trends: For the fourth time in the last five games the Raiders have struggled in the first half.
Friday, Cathedral used a tough, gritty defense to open up a 18-17 first quarter lead and battle neck-and-neck against the best in the state. The Panthers scored 18 of their 23 points off turnovers in the first half and trailed 32-31 at halftime.

It was the most points allowed by the Raiders in a first half this season according to Nault and he believes the Raiders are still struggling to adjust to playing without star guard Luis Puello, who has been out with a high ankle sprain.

“I think guys have to realize Louis isn’t here and they have to realize they can’t rely on him and have to be ready to step in right away and make plays,” he said.

Puello 'day to day': Puello was on the bench in dress clothes after missing another game due to an ankle injury suffered in the Raider’s 56-39 victory over Pinkerton Academy (N.H.).

Nault said he hopes to have the 2011 ESPNBoston All-Defensive Team selection back within seven to 10 days, but is also calling Puello “day-to-day.”

A Valiant Effort: Cathedral’s Lou Garcia went shot-for-shot with Nelson and finished with a game-high 23 points and five steals. The junior made some big three’s to help the Panthers come back from a 10-point third quarter deficit.

“This year we moved him into the point guard spot and he’s kind of taken on that role and he found his shot earlier and made some huge shots for us," said Cathedral coach Justin Dalessio. “He kept us in the game which is great to see. He played great.”

Garcia said he and his teammates were not intimidated by the top-ranked team in the state but said the game was a good reminder.

“It’s a wake-up call because we were on a winning streak and we were getting too high on ourselves,” Garcia said. “This brings us down to reality and we have to work even harder every single game.”

ANDOVER, Mass. –- Andover gave it the good old college try, but their archrivals No. 2 Central Catholic dominated the third quarter and shattered the Golden Warriors hope of an upset, winning 61-51 tonight.

“They kept giving us different looks and we were out of wack a little bit,” said Central-Catholic coach Rick Nault. “Trying to get Tyler [Nelson] into the offense, he’s been our leading scorer all year. Tonight, they did a tremendous job on him.”

Andover’s Sam Dowden opened up the game with two free throws and from there until the end of the first half, Andover and Central Catholic would play follow the leader. Tied at 25 late in the second quarter, James Costello made two of his five first quarter free throws to put Andover up 27-25 at the half.

In fact, 13 of Andover’s 27 points in the first half came from the free throw line, the only missing coming on the last of three shots taken by junior guard Max Silveira after being fouled behind the arc.

In the third quarter, the Raiders got busy. Scoring 17 straight points, Central Catholic opened up a substantial lead for the first time in the game, a wound from which Andover could not recover.

“They’re a good team,” said Andover coach David Fazio. “They’re tough man-to-man. They get up in you.”

The Golden Warriors closed out the third quarter down by nine at 45-36, and twice in the fourth quarter they were able to come within eight at 49-41, Central Catholic turned up the heat on defense and would not allow Andover to get within striking distance, remaining undefeated at 7-0.

Going Hard in The Paint… And Behind the Arc: Doug Gemmell scored 22 points, with 15 of those coming from behind the three-point line. Although Gemmell grabbed six rebounds, made two steals and with his wide frame helped to slow down traffic in the lane on defense and take up space on the offensive end, allowing his teammates to out rebound Andover, his stroke from deep was smooth, showcasing a very diverse talent on both ends of the floor.

Four Quarters: Central Catholic won the game, but as the number three team in the state, the defensive showing in the first half was not indicative of their potential. Free throw opportunities that Andover was able to capitalize on in the first quarter kept them in the game, and Central continued to foul the Golden Warriors, allowing them to keep the game close.

In the third and fourth quarter, aggressive and craftier defensive play by Central Catholic kept Andover away from the line (5 opportunities in the second half compared to seven in the first half) and the ball out of the basket to maintain their winning lead.

Doug Gemmell didn’t have an explanation for why the Raiders picked up the defense and how they could manifest that same effort in the first half to definitively put some distance between teams early on, but that doesn’t mean he is not going to focus on it in the future.

“It starts with our defense,” said Gemmell. “We have to come out in the first half, just denying everything. One pass away and help side defense.”

LAWRENCE, Mass. –- If the second quarter was the only quarter that counted, Lynn English would have knocked out the number one seed. Central Catholic broke Lynn broke the Bulldogs’ full court press in the third quarter and walked away with a double digit victory in the Board 130 Basketball Classic championship, shocking Catholic Central captain and tournament MVP Jimmy Zenevitch.

“Definitely surprising,” said Zenevitch, ”to win by 26. I was expecting a four point game, eight point game because we lost to them by 20 two years ago in the states.”

Zenevitch (22 points, six rebounds) scored four points in the final quarter for the Raiders (19-1) before fouling out, but the few minutes he had, he did not play with his ordinary potency. “Defensively, I played a little more conservative. I didn’t go for any blocks, and when kids drove the lane, I didn’t reach; I just put my hands up.”

Stepping in for Zenevitch down low for a decisive edge over the Bulldogs (19-2) were sophomores Joel Berroa (nine points, four rebounds) and Doug Gemmel (nine points, nine rebounds).

“Berroa’s been key for us all year,” Central Catholic head coach Rick Nault said. “He was with us last year and won the state tournament with us. He’s an experienced guy. I thought the key guy that was huge for us was… Doug Gemmel off the bench. When we made that run in the third quarter, he was a big part of that in terms of he hit his shot, made a couple of free throws (four-four), he got us a couple of huge rebounds. When we can get contributions like that from our bench guys, it’s so helpful.”

“At practice, I’m always looking for my shot. When I got it and I was open, I just fired,” Gemmel said of his scoring. On the boards, play begins before the ball is in the air, especially against more developed and taller opponents. “I find the man first, box him out, and then go for the rebound. I just thought o myself every ball needed to be mine.”

Lynn English head coach Buzzy Barton had in mind to stifle the main scorers for Central Catholic, and it kind of worked. Captain Luis Puello only had two points, but Evan Sheehan woke up and snapped his shooting slump, dropping 20, including four 3-pointers, and contributing on the defensive end with four steals.

“I’ve been missing a lot of threes, haven’t had my hot hand,” said Sheehan. “I didn’t have the confidence to shoot it. I’ve been working on my three the last couple of days and coach told me to keep shooting it. Once I hit that first one [in the first quarter], found that corner shot, he said keep shooting. I tried keeping it the same shot every time, it kept going in, so I kept doing it.”

“When kids step up like that… it’s a confidence boost to the team,” said Zenevitch. “It shows that if everyone plays their role, we’ll win by even more.”

“It’s one game,” added Barton. As the regular season winds down and the postseason is within view, his focus is on the next time they may see the reigning champs. “Luckily, it’s not the state tournament, and we live to fight another day.”

English was led in scoring by senior Travonne Berry-Rogers (16 points), who fouled out in the fourth quarter, alnng with Josh Castillo (12) and Keandre Stanton (13), the latter of whom also added three blocks.

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- What is the difference between the Central Catholic and Andover boys’ basketball teams? On the year, six points, advantage Central Catholic on the heels of their 64-55 win tonight. The victory was retribution for the Raiders, as the Warriors served them with a 55-52 loss during the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament last week.

“There’s not a whole lot that separates these two teams right now,” head coach Rick Nault said. “We’ve got them one more time, and we’ll find out in round three who’s on top” he added, referring to the February 17th matchup at Andover.

With 2:00 left in the game and down by 10, Andover’s Sam Dowden (nine points, eight rebounds) missed his first free throw and made the second, leaving the score at 55-46. On the following possession, Central Catholic (7-1) freshman Tyler Nelson threw one up from behind the line and missed.

“Why did he do that?” yelled a Central supporter from the stands.

Andover’s James Costello got the rebound and down the other end, Joe Bramanti (11 points, five rebounds) went to the rack, was fouled as he scored, and made the free throw to bring Andover within six at 55-49.

With the Andover (6-2) crowd reinvigorated and having scored on the last two possessions, the making of a comeback was in the air. Up six, against their biggest rival, the Raiders give the ball back to Nelson.

Why?

“He’s our second leading scorer on the team as a freshman,” said Nault of Nelson, whose trey, his only score on the day, made it a nine point game, the difference in the game at the buzzer. “He really has a ton of confidence in himself… that may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“They have faith in me,” said Nelson of his teammates. “And they know that I can hit a shot when they need someone.

“I’m a shooter.”

Senior captain Jimmy Zenevitch led the Raiders with 18 points and added eight rebounds.

“Last week, we came out with no intensity,” said Zenevitch. “This week, today we did our best to deny the ball and finish on defense. Defense is what sets us off.”

Andover coach Dave Fazio was very clear on what he thought the difference was.

“Defensive rebounds. That’s the game,” said Fazio. “We gave up probably 20 defensive rebounds and that’s our biggest deficiency. Until we can figure that piece out, we’re going to lose those tight games.”

Central Catholic's 6-foot-4 sophomore Joel Berroa was one of the culprits, grabbing 11 rebounds and adding seven points, including a three pointer in the first half.

“I was actually just playing my game,” said Berroa, who felt no pressure, even though coach Nault advised him to get 17 points and 13 rebounds. “The shots weren’t going in, and I was like, ‘Let me just get my rebounds, play some defense and do the best I can.’”

Junior Luis Puello, who scored five of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, was pleased with the outcome in tonight’s game.

“The difference between the last two minutes over there and the last two minutes over here is that we thought we could go for a win and everything was going to be OK,” said Puello. “Here, we made it happen.”