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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

BROCKTON, Mass. -- Stoughton's star point guard Aaron Calixte said before the game that losing wasn’t an option. His performance showed just how serious he was.

The junior poured in 22 points, and added eight assists and three steals, to lead the No. 4 seed Black Knights to a 68-42 victory over Hockomock league rival and ninth seeded Oliver Ames, in a Division 2 South semifinal at Brockton High.

“He’s pretty good,” Stoughton head coach John Gallivan joked. “He’s the kind of guy when he gets the ball, it’s kind of an ‘Uh-oh, who has to go guard him?’ When we spread the floor like that, it’s a tough match up for anybody.”

After a back-and-forth first quarter, Calixte’s partner-in-crime Marcus Middleton scored a quick five points to push Stoughton ahead 18-13 entering the second stanza. Calixte then took over with 10 points, outscoring the entire OA team himself.

The Black Knights received a career night from senior Antonio “Nuke” Ferreira, who put up 16 points (10 in the first quarter) and 15 rebounds -- 10 of which came on the offensive glass. Both totals were career highs. He also added four blocks.

“He got his points when we were having trouble getting them,” Gallivan said. “He gave us some room to breathe and to catch our breath and get out legs under us, and that was huge.”

The two rivals split the season series with each team winning on their home court and the Tigers with the victory in the second meeting –- something Gallivan thought was beneficial, saying the loss was “possibly” a blessing in disguise.

“It’s hard,” Gallivan said of beating a team on the third game. “It’s hard to beat a team in our league two times.”

Oliver Ames head skipper Don Byron said his team was used to scoring in the 60-point range, and credited the Black Knight defense on how they played. Gallivan also credited his team’s defensive adjustments from the two teams’ prior meeting as a key.

“One was to stop their sideline break which killed us last game,” Gallivan said. “The other thing was in their man-to-man sets, we had trouble with some of their flex stuff. We paid a lot more attention to detail on that. I thought we did a much better job tonight.

“Defense was the main focus all week. Last time we played them, they scored more points against us than anyone had all season. We just made a commitment to defense.”

Bruha Goes Out Fighting: Oliver Ames senior captain and 1,000-point scorer Nick Bruha didn’t get off to the best start, but he made sure he finished the game -- and his high school career -- strong.

Off a combination of cold shooting and solid defense from Middleton, Bruha entered halftime with just one field goal and a total of 4 points. There was no quit in the guard, who dropped 14 in the second half to finish out his last game in orange with 18 points.

“It’s going to be real odd not to have him in the gym,” Byron said. “He’s been running the team. When I came, he was a sophomore and he started every game for three years.”

In traditional fashion, Bruha found success in a number of ways, including his aggressive drives to the hoop and his three-point game.

“The next time I walk into the gym, he won’t be there,” Byron added. “I remember Nick as a five-year-old kid. He had a terrific career, a tremendous career.”

A Rivalry Continued: The semifinals matchup between these two Hockomock Davenport Division rivals was just another chapter in the storied history between these schools. With their home courts separated by less than seven miles, these kids have grown up playing with and against each other.

“This rivalry is history and it’s epic,” Gallivan said. “Every time we play, there’s a story, and tonight obviously went our way. There was no telling going into this game what was going to happen.”

As soon as each of these teams won last week, they each eagerly tried to find out if their rival would be their next opponent. When they did, the hype began. And when it was all said it done, with Stoughton putting their mark on this chapter, it was hard to describe how it felt for Ferreira.

“I can’t, it’s like unexplainable,” he said. “And plus we’re going to the finals. It’s crazy.”

Role Players Fill in Nicely With the attention normally focused in on Calixte and Middleton, Ferreira stepped in nicely, but he wasn’t the only one. Junior Steffan Jackson -- who missed the majority of the teams’ second meeting, and the following three weeks -- grabbed 13 rebounds (6 offensive) and added two blocks.

“Steffan missed the last time against these guys,” Gallivan said. “That’s the big part of our team. He’s been the missing link the last couple of games. Having him back is huge.”

Stoughton also saw sophomore Mike Gallagher and senior Raymond Bowdre come in throughout the game and play an important part. Gallagher got an offensive rebound and floated in a runner to put the Black Knights up by 11 in the second and then went on to hit a three at the buzzer of the third quarter.

Up Next: Stoughton will now play Hopkinton High in the D2 South Finals on Saturday at UMass-Boston's Clark Athletic Center. The Hillers are coming off a thrilling 64-62 win over Wellesley tonight in the other D2 South semifinal, at Taunton High.

And in case we need another reminder that Hopkinton is the defending D2 South champ, they knocked out No. 2 seed and would-be state title contender King Philip in the quarterfinals.

FRANKLIN, Mass. -- "I don't know whoever said that third time thing," Franklin head coach Dean O'Connor laughed to reporters, moments after putting the finishing touches on this surprise season.

The first two times the Panthers squared off with Stoughton this season were forgettable ones. In their most recent meeting, last Feb. 2, the Black Knights came rocketing out of the gates, and quickly left Franklin in the dust en route to a 20-point win.

So tonight's result, a 69-56 win at Franklin High's Field House that captured the Hockomock League Cup, had to feel good. After coming into the season as a dark horse with question marks, the Kelly-Rex Division champs are thoroughly a thoroughbred.

"It's been crazy," junior point guard Sam Bohmiller (12 points) said of these last few weeks. "But I mean, it's a huge confidence boost. Winning the Hockomock against archrival Mansfield, we knocked off KP [King Philip] here, and now knocking off Stoughton, that's huge."

The matchups between the Panthers (14-4) and Stoughton have been intriguing each time for their contrast of style, with O'Connor countering John Gallivan's uptempo style with a surgical flex scheme from the other end of the basketball spectrum. And this time Franklin was the lead dog; they never trailed in this one, and turned in some of its most inspired defense of late to start the first half.

Franklin opened the second quarter with a 13-2 run to head into the break holding a 27-17 lead, essentially grinding Stoughton's affinity for an uptempo pace to a halt. A stout zone defense forced the Black Knights (15-3) into settling for low-percentage shots, and it reflected on the stat sheet -- the Black Knights shot just 6 for 25 in the first half, including 1 for 10 from three-point range.

As expected, the Knights made a run in the third quarter, hitting their first four 3-pointers, including two from Marcus Middleton (18 points). But it didn't make much of a dent in the Panthers' cushion of a lead; they returned the favor with three-balls from Matt Pellegri (17 points) and Joe Palazini (10).

Just how much did the Panthers slow the game down? Exhibit A might have been the final scoring sequence of the third quarter from Bohmiller, who called for a spread play, spacing players far apart from each other around the halfcourt to initiate dribble penetration. With 15 seconds left and just a few ticks on the shot clock, Palazini launched up a three that hit front iron, but senior forward Matt Pilis (14 rebounds) hauled in the long board and sent it back out to Bohmiller with another 15 seconds to work with.

From there, Bohmiller dribbled around the left wing before pulling up near the elbow, shaking his defender with a shot fake, and sinking a feathery 12-footer at the buzzer to make it 48-37.

"I trust him," O'Connor said of Bohmiller. "He'll make a good decision. He doesn't take very many bad shots, and he's such under control. You feel confident with it in his hands. He knows what we want, and he's going to do the right thing, so you can kind of let him go a little bit."

Marking Calixte: It's hardly the first time Stoughton's superstar junior point guard Aaron Calixte has seen a box-and-one defense this year, and hardly the last. Heck, tonight wasn't even the first time he'd seen it from the Panthers.

On most nights, Gallivan has countered the box-and-one defense by sending Calixte to the blocks and having him play with his back to the basket, often drawing repeated touch fouls from guards who aren't accustomed to post-up defense. Tonight, however, the Panthers stuck Pellegri on Calixte and had him dogging him around the court, with Perdikis periodically coming in to give him a break.

Calixte is in perpetual motion at times, and a difficult player to mark. But Pellegri was able to stay on the star point guard's hip most of the night, and while he ended up with respectable stats -- 12 points, on 4-of-9 from the field -- he was not a factor for some of the most integral stretches of the game.

"Pellegri, I mean, he does it to everybody," O'Connor said. "He's a great defender. He's a glue guy on our team. He makes it all happen, he's a great leader, he defends, and he scored the ball well tonight, too."

Pellegri said Calixte, who currently holds scholarship offers from Towson and Quinnipiac, is "much better than people think."

"He dishes the ball, and gets all his teammates involved," Pellegri said. "Second time we played them, they beat us pretty good, and he was dishing, so we wanted them to force the other guys to beat us.

"We just wanted to be physical with him, and not let him get into his groove. Because once he gets into his groove, the whole team starts going. And we don't want to let them get going."

STOUGHTON, Mass. -- Marcus Middleton is considered Stoughton's best on-ball defender, if not one of the best such south of Boston, and perhaps that still holds up when he's only able to give it 80 percent.

That was head coach John Gallivan's diagnosis when the two crossed paths in the school hallway at 10 this morning, the junior off-guard unable to practice the previous two days with flu-like symptoms, and still feeling a bit groggy.

"I talked to him, he said 'How ya doing?', he was sucking down a Powerade," Gallivan recalled. "And then he said 'I'm fine, I'm ready to go'."

One hundred percent, 80 percent, no matter, Middleton turned in another vintage performance for the Black Knights in their win tonight over the red-hot Franklin Panthers, snapping the Panthers' 10-game win streak with a dominant 81-60 win before a packed house at Stoughton High's gymnasium.

Chasing Franklin's leading scorers Sam Bohmiller and Joe Palazini, and having to constantly plow through perimeter screens to get it done, Middleton did his job in keeping coach Dean O'Connor's patented flex offense from getting going. On the offensive end, he led all scorers on the night with 26 points, 19 of them coming in the first half as the Knights (13-1) jumped out to nearly a 20-point lead at the break.

"He's a physical specimen," Gallivan said. "I keep asking him, 'Are you tired?', 'Are you OK?', and he says, 'Yeah coach, leave me alone, I'm fine'. And that's a kid who had a stomach virus for two days this week, so imagine what he's like when he's completely healthy."

Heading into tonight, the Panthers (10-4) were the Hockomock's hottest team, winners of 10 straight, and scoring upsets over No. 11 Mansfield and No. 9 King Philip in the last week and half to punctuate their good fortunes. But with an explosive second-quarter run, the Knights doused those flames in a snap.

Up 22-15 to start the stanza, Stoughton opened up the quarter with a 13-2 run, keyed by three-pointers from Middleton and junior point guard Aaron Calixte (19 points, nine rebounds, eight assists). O'Connor tried fanning the flames with various presses, but that ended up playing into the Knights' hot hand.

After Calixte's first trey of the period, O'Connor called timeout, and the Panthers returned to the floor in a 1-1-2-1 full court press. Calixte funneled the ball down to the right corner, where Joe Bunce-Grenon nailed a baseline three. Out of the next timeout, the Panthers showed a 1-3-1 three-quarter press, and again the Knights broke it with deep perimeter shooting, this time Middleton knocking down his second trey of the quarter.

Calixte capped the run with a walk-up three with under a minute to go, giving the Knights a perfect 5-for-5 quarter from three-point range. Stoughton outscored Franklin 24-13 in the quarter to take a 46-28 halftime lead.

O'Connor admitted going from Tuesday's battle with King Philip -- which generates offense off of penetration from 6-foot-8 stretch forward Jake Layman -- to game-planning for the uptempo Stoughton attack in less than 48 hours had its challenges.

"King Philip, we wanted to spread them out, and wanted to dribble-drive," O'Connor said. "These guys, they got more quickness than we do, whereas we had the quickness advantage against KP. So, I think we expended a lot the other night, both physically and emotionally, but Stoughton's a hell of a team. They played like we did the other night, and we didn't match that level tonight."

Jason McKie led the Panthers with 12 points, while Bohmiller chipped in with 11.

Middle Man: After this two-game swing, it's pretty clear who the X-factor is on this Stoughton team. Tuesday night, with Middleton battling aforementioned illnesses, the Knights struggled to overcome a 4-10 Foxborough squad, winning 62-55.

Tonight, with a somewhat healthier Middleton, the Panthers were held to just over 30 percent from the field in the first half, and the Knights held a 46-25 advantage on the boards.

"It's a great energy for Marcus to come in and [take on] the best player on the court," Calixte said. "We know he's our best defender, and he always does a great job. He doesn't let us down."

Interest for Calixte picking up: Besides the obvious proximity of Boston College, the Atlantic Coast Conference has had a history with the Hockomock League, going back to the late 1990's with North Attleborough's Mike Babul (Georgia Tech) all the way up through this year with King Philip senior Jake Layman, who signed with Maryland last November and is currently ranked the No. 61 overall senior in the country.

Another potential ACC-to-Hockomock connection appears to at least be in its infancy. Gallivan confirmed with ESPNBoston.com tonight that coaches from the University of Maryland have reached out to him recently, inquiring about Calixte. The electric junior point guard already has mid-major Division 1 interest, with Towson University extending a scholarship offer.

It'll be interesting to see if any legs develop here, or if it is merely due diligence. Layman, one of the Terrapins' prized recruits, has raved both publicly and privately about Calixte's skills, and there is a local tie with Leominster native and St. Bernard's High alum Scott Spinelli on Maryland's staff. Spinelli was among the first to recruit Layman while at Texas A&M, and when he came over to the Terps alongside then-Aggies head coach Mark Turgeon as Gary Williams' replacement, the Terps jumped to the top of Layman's list of suitors.

WRENTHAM, Mass. -- John Gallivan remembers the first time his star point guard was in a situation like this.

The Stoughton head coach recalled two years ago when a young Aaron Calixte, at the time a freshman, went to the line needing to make one crucial free throw. Calixte promptly clanked the shot, and the Black Knights went on to lose a close one.

"I think he basically said to himself, 'That's never going to happen again'," Gallivan said.

And it hasn't. The electric 5-foot-11 junior point guard put on an offensive clinic in the first half, but was attacked for shooting fouls repeatedly by the fourth quarter. But in going 8-of-12 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, he kept the No. 6 Black Knights just enough ahead to hold off No. 9 King Philip, 73-69, in a thrilling atmosphere at the Warriors' gymnasium.

"It feels good, really good," said Calixte, who finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. "We came to their home court, they had a crazy home crowd and we shut them up. We just did good, we played well."

Between KP's prized 6-foot-8 Maryland signee Jake Layman, and Calixte -- who has started to garner interest from Division 1 schools, including an offer from Towson -- this game had some considerable hype coming into it. And the billing did not disappoint, with both stars carrying their teams for stretches of this one. Calixte had 19 points by the half and several swift dishes, while Layman finished the night with 30 points and 13 rebounds.

KP (9-2) cut the Stoughton (10-1) lead to 60-56 with under three minutes to go in the contest, but the Black Knights seized control with some heads-up play on the break. First, Marcus Middleton (20 points) drew a shooting foul and sank both free throws; the next trip down, Steffan Jackson (seven points, seven rebounds) cut backdoor for a quick layup.

On the ensuing KP possession, Stoughton's Antonio Ferreira came up with a steal near midcourt, drove to the lane and delivered a behind-the-back pass to Calixte, who was taken down hard but nailed both free throws to make it a 66-58 game.

Stoughton increased its lead to 10 with under a minute to go, but the Warriors got off two quick three-pointers from Sam McDonald to make it 71-66. But Calixte hit two more free throws to ice it.

The Knights led 44-36 at the half, but just 53-52 after three quarters.

"Middleton and Calixte were tremendous tonight," said KP coach Sean McInnis. "I think they went 27 of 33 from the free throw line. Tough to beat a team like that."

Marking Layman: The key matchup tonight was how the Black Knights, who don't dress a player over 6-foot-2, were going to defend against the 6-foot-8 Layman, a returning ESPN Boston Super Teamer who has single-handedly toyed with teams at times so far this season.

The task was given first to Middleton, the team's best on-ball defender, who at 5-foot-10 gives up nearly a foot to the nation's No. 61 overall player. Reminded of this, Gallivan cracked, "It's only a foot."

Yes, Layman got his buckets, leading all scorers on the night. But Middleton covered him from end line to end line, digging his chest into the big man's midsection, keeping his hands and hips active, and generally making him labor on any movement into the painted areas.

When it wasn't Middleton pressing on Layman, Gallivan left the duties to Jackson, with Calixte rotating in with some help defense.

"Marcus is just an animal defensively," Gallivan said. "He covers everybody's best player, so why should we switch it? And the other guys helped Marcus. You can't chin Layman and expect to box him out at the same time, so the other kids helped him, kept him off the boards a few times."

McInnis conceded that Layman "worked for every point that he had."

"He's such a tremendous defender," McInnis said of Middleton. "John does such a great job with them on defense, he preaches defense, and that's exactly what we saw tonight. Middleton was tremendous on Jake, took away some of his inside game on Jake, and what happened to us is that it too Jake out of the flow of the game, where it was tough to get Jake inside because he was fighting so hard to get down there. He exhausted a lot of energy to do that."

Switch to zone hushes Warriors: In the second half, Stoughton switched to a unique 2-3 zone defense that gave the Warriors some trouble. Gallivan would surmise later that "You throw it all against the wall and you see what sticks," but this was certainly a package he'll keep in his binder.

Installed just two days prior to tonight's game, the Black Knights' zone was tight for the most part, cutting off diagonal lanes through the zone, forcing ball reversals around the perimeter and long lobs over the top to the opposite sidelines. Against the zone, the Warriors went through stretches where they settled for circumventing rather than penetrating, and it showed on the stat sheet -- KP was just 11 for 32 from the field in the second half, with seven of the baskets coming from three-point range.

Layman's buzzer-beating three to end the third quarter fired up the home crowd, as he flexed to the student section. But against the zone, those moments were too few in between.

"I think we started to feel comfortable taking those shots," McInnis said. "We felt as though the zone was open in the middle, but I think our guys saw that first look at the three and took that shot...I think some came in the flow, and some were shots that we're gonna work on in our shot selection. I think that we forced a couple up -- we took some on the first pass that we could have had two or three passes later."

With many teams across the state reaching the midway point of their schedule this week, here are my mid-season picks for our annual MIAA All-State, All-Defensive, and Coach of the Year awards.

THE SUPER TEAM
G – Aaron Calixte, Jr., Stoughton
G – Steve Haladyna, Sr., St. John’s Prep
G – Tyrese Hoxter, Jr., Charlestown
F – Jake Layman, Sr., King Philip
F – Isshiah Coleman, Jr., New Mission

BEST OF THE REST
Yadoris Arias, Sr. G, Lawrence
Tyler Delorey, Sr. G, Holy Name
Matt Droney, Sr. G/F, Catholic Memorial
Joey Glynn, Sr. F, Cardinal Spellman
Leroy Hamilton, Sr. F, New Mission
Jameilen Jones, Jr. G, BC High
Kevin LaFrancis, Sr. C, Acton-Boxborough
Alex Lopez, Sr. G, Springfield Commerce
Damian Lugay, Sr. G, Weymouth
George Merry, Sr. C, Danvers
Marcus Middleton, Jr. G, Stoughton
Matt Mobley, Sr. G/F, St. Peter-Marian
Brian Mukasa, Soph. G, Sharon
Tyler Nelson, Soph. G, Central Catholic
Quinton Perkins, Sr. G, Fitchburg
Luis Puello, Sr. G, Central Catholic
Colin Richey, Jr. G, Whitinsville Christian
Kamari Robinson, Jr. F, Springfield Central
Tyrell Springer, Sr. G, Springfield Central
Michael Thorpe, Sr. G, Newton North

ALL-DEFENSIVE
G – Luis Puello, Sr., Central Catholic
G – Anthony Hodges, Sr., Holy Name
F – Jake Layman, Sr., King Philip
F – Antonio Ferreira, Sr., Stoughton
C – George Merry, Sr., Danvers

COACH OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Scott Boyle, Lowell
Hugh Coleman, Brighton
Paul Connolly, Newton North
Paul DiGeronimo, Fitchburg
John Gallivan, Stoughton
Paul Neal, Lawrence
Brendan Smith, Boston Latin
Malcolm Smith, East Boston
Mike Vaughan, Mansfield
John Walsh, Danvers

STOUGHTON, Mass. -- During the preseason, much of the talk within the Hockomock League circles surrounded two teams boasting talented individuals players -- King Philip and Maryland-bound stretch forward Jake Layman, along with Stoughton and their electric junior point guard Aaron Calixte.

All this, in spite of Mansfield's resume -- a Division 1 South title last March, some of the state's best coaching, and overall supremacy over the league the last few seasons.

Suffice it to say, after tonight there are no questions about who still reigns supreme in one of the MIAA's most competitive conferences. The Hornets dispatched KP to start the season; tonight, they knocked off recently-anointed No. 2 Stoughton, 73-66, after trailing by 13 headed into the final frame.

With the win, the Hornets run their league winning streak to 26 games, dating back to a loss to North Attleborough on Jan. 15, 2010.

"I told my guys, we're not going down without a fight," Hornets head coach Mike Vaughan said. "That's a great team. We had to play a lot of outstanding basketball for a lot of time, just to get ourselves back in the game.

"I like that team a lot. They compete, they play hard. We had to make some big plays down the stretch, and we weren't going down without a fight."

Down 58-45 headed into the final frame, the Hornets (5-3) strung together a series of big plays for an impressive 21-0 run that put the clamps on any Stoughton comeback, after the Black Knights (6-1) led for the first 24 minutes.

It started with some terrific play around the glass from freshman forward Brendan Hill (16 points, six rebounds, two blocks), and stiff defense on the perimeter from Ryan DeAndrade and Michael Hershman. The Hornets seized the lead with some heady play by senior captain Brian Hershman (15 points). First, the guard stole a loose ball near midcourt that had Calixte (28 points, eight assists) initially lost control of, driving in for an easy layup to tie it at 58 apiece.

The next trip down, Mansfield took the lead for good with a perfectly-executed backdoor play right through the heart of Stoughton's 3-2 zone. A high entry pass was dumped into the elbow to Hill, who took one touch and immediately slapped it back out to the three-point line on the right wing. From there, Brian immediately fired a diagonal pass to the opposite post, where Greg Romanko cut down the baseline for a wide-open layup and 60-58 score.

The Hornets never trailed again.

"Every day in practice, we go through a zone," Brian said. "We run a certain play, we swing it, then look for back cuts, anything that's open, take a layup."

Interestingly enough, Brian threw the same pass two possessions earlier, only to have it stolen by Calixte.

"I'd throw that pass 10 times, make it nine times," Brian said.

From there, the Hornets were able to make all their requisite late free throws to ice this one. In all, they made 13 of 15 free throws in the fourth quarter; and in total, they outscored the Black Knights 28-8 in the final frame.

"It's kind of an age-old story of we gave in, in a lot of different ways, to pressure, mentally and physically," Stoughton head coach John Gallivan said. "We just had an internal collapse across the board. We didn't want to do the things we normally do. We had guys hiding from the ball, just dying to get rid of it, and we missed some shots we didn't hit, and all of a sudden we haven't scored in five minutes. You can't do that against a Mansfield team."

Hill 'the real deal': Coaches and players both within the Hornets program and around the Hockomock are already speaking highly of the freshman Hill, who came off the bench and provided the needed spark in the fourth quarter. When they speak of his potential, they're talking about plays like the one he made early in the fourth quarter, a block of the physical Calixte as he crossed up his defender and drove to his right towards the basket -- a clean block but one that nonetheless planted the Division 1 guard prospect square on his behind on the floor.

"He's gonna be a special player," Vaughan said. "He's still learning varsity basketball, and what it takes to play at this level. He got beat up pretty early for a couple of quarter there, and I called him out at halftime. To start the fourth, he showed what kind of a special player he's going to be the next four years and the type of plays he can make for this team."

Brian Hershman takes the praise just a tad further.

"He's gonna be the deal," Brian said. "Give him another two years, he's gonna be one of the best players in the state. He's already showing it right now. He's dominating.

"He sees the floor tremendous. You see his passes, no-look passes, he finishes down low, [he can] do it all."

Chess match: Vaughan showered praise upon Calixte, calling the electric junior "fun to watch", even admitting that sometimes, "I get caught up watching on the sidelines."

Asked about devising a game plan to slow him -- the junior sizzled slightly in the second half, finishing 10 of 23 from the field -- Vaughan chuckled.

"Throw the house at him?" he asked rhetorically, with a laugh. "The house, the garage, the cars, everything. I mean, we did everything we could to neutralize him, and he's...just special. He made big play after big play, and that's the way he'll do it all year, and that's how he's done it up to this point."

Lately, Gallivan has been adding a new ripple to the Black Knights' offense when opponents key on Calixte. Last Friday night against Oliver Ames, a 63-44 win, Calixte went to the blocks and posted up whenever the Tigers came out in a box-and-one defense. Tonight, a similar strategy played out, with Calixte drawing fouls on the floor against DeAndrade when he went to the blocks.

On the other end, Gallivan has been experimenting with putting Antonio Ferreira at the top when in zone defenses. The sparky Ferreira -- whose one-handed slam lifted the crowd to end the third quarter -- could be a nuisance in this look, with his long arms able to disrupt the passing lanes while hustling back quick enough to crash the boards.

When we last checked in with the tattooed one (nicknamed "Nuke", and equipped with his own special chant from the student section) during the preseason, Gallivan told ESPNBoston.com, "He’s playing with unbelievable passion and confidence...He’s about 6-2, but he plays like he’s 6-6."

"We'll throw stuff against the wall and see [what sticks]," Gallivan said of the strategies with Calixte and Ferreira. "In a game like this -- especially with Mike Vaughan coaching the other team -- if you stay in anything too long, they're eventually going to rip you to pieces. You've got to mix things up."

RANDOLPH, Mass. -– For the first time in school history, Stoughton (5-0) captured the Blue Devils Holiday Classic tournament by defeating host Randolph, 66-36.

“They’re a good team,” said Randolph head coach Kalon Jenkins. “They’re a very good team, very well coached, they play tough, [and] there’s a lot of familiar faces for me on that team, [but] I thought for us, knowing how good they are, we had a little bit of stage fright, we had some moments to do some things, but that’s a very good team.”

The Black Knights wasted little time after winning the opening tip to secure the lead, and eventually the game, as senior forward Steffan Jackson sparked his offense with a highlight reel dunk, which then led to an 11-2 run to close out the first quarter. That gave them an 18-7 lead.

Randolph (3-1) attempted to rally midway through the second, as junior forwards Emmanuel Manoli and Chisom Echebiri connected on back-to-back three-pointers before Stoughton head coach John Gallivan called a timeout.

Stoughton then responded by scoring 16 points, and holding the Blue Devils to just four points for the remainder of the opening half to take a 39-19 lead into the break.

“[We had to] stop missing the box outs, and stop trying to run for dunks and just run for lay-ups,” said Gallivan, when asked to elaborate on what he said to his team during the second quarter timeout.

The head coach continued by saying, “I think we probably left eight points on the court tonight where we should have got a fairly easy lay-up, and we didn’t because we were trying to set our feet up or our hands up for a dunk, and we end up dropping the ball or missing the dunk.”

Junior co-captain Aaron Calixte (21 points, four assists, four steals), helped the Black Knights grow their lead even more during the first few minutes of the second half, as he knocked down his second three-pointer of the evening, as well as two back-to-back free throws before his team secured a 30 point lead in the fourth quarter.

“Basketball is a game of runs, and we’re always going to run every single game, but we just capitalized off the run, [and] didn’t make too many mistakes, and we [then] kept scoring and defending well,” said Calixte.

“I think we try to make it a one possession at a time mind frame,” said Gallivan. “They’re hard workers, and they want to play, they love playing, and whether it’s a starter or sub, they’re going to play as hard as they can.”

Stoughton’s reserves finished the game, and held Randolph’s bench to just five points during the closing seconds to preserve the win, and their fifth victory of the season.

Myers Struggles: Blue Devils senior co-captain Devante "D.J." Myers struggled all game, and didn’t record his first and only field goal until the fourth quarter.

“He’s been a little bit colder this year than last year. He’s taken some good shots,” said Jenkins. “As a coach, I just have to get him more opportunities to shoot the basketball. [If he] can get himself in a rhythm, he’ll be fine.”

Gallivan also commented on the play of Myers when he stated, “We talked about their guys, and he’s definitely one of their guys. Sometimes it’s like that. You have a tough night shooting the ball, but it does a lot of other things that are impressive that maybe don’t show up on the stat sheet.”

Calixte named Tournament MVP: After Friday’s game concluded, Calixte was awarded the most valuable player of the tournament. He was humble when asked about the honor, explaining that his team’s victory was more important than a plaque.

“It doesn’t mean anything [because] it’s a team effort, so it’s all about my team,” said Calixte.

Stoughton’s junior guard and co-captain Marcus Middleton (11 points) and senior forward Antonio Ferreira (8 points) were announced as two of the members of the all-tournament team as well.

Friends and Allies: After the game concluded, John Gallivan told the media that this game was special for him because he was able to coach against a former co-worker, but also a close friend. Jenkins was an assistant under Gallivan from 2003 to 2009.

“This is our first time [playing in the Blue Devils Holiday Classic],” he said. “It was a special game for me because Kalon and I coached together for seven or eight years, and we were very good friends. We talk every day. We talk about his team, and my team, and to have the two teams play is definitely different.”