ESPN

WEST ROXBURY, Mass. -- Following last week's season-opening loss to Milton Academy, St. Sebastian's knew one slipped through its fingers — due, in part, to some costly turnovers which led to their demise.

On Saturday, the Arrows saw things from a different perspective — bearing witness to advantages one can have when they are on the receiving end of turnovers. Roxbury Latin was the gracious gift giver, coughing up the ball on its first three possessions. That led to three touchdowns for the Arrows as they went on to roll, 37-7, in an ISL contest held at Schoolhouse Field.

Still stinging from Milton Academy defeat, St. Sebastian's, who finished 9-0 a year ago and took home the Arthur Valicenti Bowl trophy, set a precedent all week that its season begins now.

Such attitude appeared to work. The Arrows (1-1) proved highly-effective on both sides of the ball against the Foxes. They limited Roxbury Latin's offense to 153 yards, just 49 in the opening half. Offensively, they finished with 290 yards — much of that coming from its strong ground attack consisting of Connor Strachan, Blake Gallagher and Edosa Onaiwu.

"Last week, we made three big mistakes and it costs us," Arrows longtime coach Bob Souza said. "This time, Roxbury Latin made the mistakes. We did a lot of good things against Milton and our kids knew it. I told the kids this league is still up for grabs and we still have our destiny under our control. I think we'll be in the hunt for a title throughout the year."

After shutting out St. Paul's last week, the Foxes (1-1) were feeling good about their chances entering this one. But confidence suddenly turned to panic after a pair of miscues in the opening minutes gave the Arrows a short field to work with.

The first mistake came after punter John Baron couldn't handle the snap, losing control of the ball that was recovered by Miles Hunter, allowing St. Sebastian's to set up shop on the Roxbury Latin 20. Four plays later, Strachan (52 yards on 8 carries) scored from a yard out giving the Arrows a 7-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Foxes returner Parker Kent failed to field the ball cleanly, allowing an alert John McNamara to pounce on it.

Standing the at the Foxes' 15-yard line, St. Sebastian's needed only one play to go up by two scores as Strachan busted through for the score with 4:11 still left in the initial quarter.

"We knew coming off our loss last week that we needed to be firing for this game," said Strachan, a Boston College commit. "We have a bunch of kids on this team playing both ways so we need to go heavy in the first half like we did today and set the pace for ourselves."

The two turnovers left Roxbury Latin deflated, as it could never get anything going thereafter. The Foxes’ run game was held in check throughout and quarterback Peter Cahill (8-of-16, 91 yards, 1 TD) was under constant pressure throughout by the Arrows' massive front line.

Things didn't get much better for Roxbury Latin to start the second quarter. Cahill was picked off by Strachan, which led to a 74-yard, 11-play drive culminated in Matt Daniel hauling in a 27-yard scoring pass from quarterback Geoff Wade and go up by 20.

"We told the kids all week leading up to this game that we needed to start fast," said Souza, who was inducted into the Massachusetts High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2010. "We can't let up and not give Roxbury Latin any kind of an opportunity to gain momentum. Now we just need to build on this win and continue to get better."

With under two minutes remaining before the half, St. Sebastian's offense was back at it. Following a Foxes punt, the Arrows drove 65 yards behind Gallagher (9 carries, 86 yards) and Onaiwu (64 yards on 10 rushes) before Strachan was given the ball from the 1-yard line and dove across for his third touchdown to send St. Sebastian's into the break well in-command at 27-0.

"Anytime the defense can come out and do what they did and put the offense in good positions to score that's huge," said Wade. "We aren't looking to gain 500 yards a game, we just want to put the ball into the end zone."

With this contest in his control, Souza began substituting other players in. But the Arrows never lost a beat. Running back James Fiore scored on a 3-yard run to begin St. Sebastian's first drive of the second half, pushing the margin to 34 points.

The Arrows added three more early in the fourth on Kevin Ginns' 27 yard field goal.

Roxbury Latin avoided the shutout in the closing minutes as Cahill connected with receiver Sean Lowrie in the back corner of the end zone.

"That's a tough team to come back against," Foxes coach Pat Ross said. "I dreaded all week in hoping we wouldn't give up something quick to them but after our first one things began to snowball. But our guys never quit and fought the entire game. We know we aren't as big as St. Sebastian's and we knew we needed to play near-perfect football against them and unfortunately it didn't work out."

At the midpoint of the MIAA basketball season, we've asked our panel of experts to submit their picks for ESPN Boston All-State, as well as Mr. and Miss Basketball along with a number of superlatives:

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Brendan Hall
ESPN Boston High Schools Editor

All-State Super Team
G – Tyler Nelson, Jr., Central Catholic
G – Darien Fernandez, Sr., Wareham
G – Jameilen Jones, Sr., BC High
G/F – Kamari Robinson, Sr., Springfield Central
F/C – Tyler Gibson, Sr., Rockland

Second Team
G – Jaylen Blakely, Sr., Brockton
G – Nick McKenna, Sr., Danvers
F – Nick Cambio, Jr., Central Catholic
F – Brendan Hill, Soph., Mansfield
F – Isaiah Nelsen, Sr., North Andover

Third Team
G – Riyadh Asad, Sr., West Springfield
G – Juwan Gooding, Soph., New Mission
F - Sam Dowden, Sr., Andover
C - Dakari Wornum, Sr., Dorchester
C – Chris Baldwin, Soph., Springfield Central

Girls Super Team
G - Infiniti Thomas-Waheed, Jr., Newton North
G - Donnaizha Fountain, Sr., Cambridge
F - Olivia Healy, Sr., Reading
F - Caitlyn Abela, Sr., Oliver Ames
C - Molly Reagan, Soph., Braintree

Mr. Basketball Finalists
Tyler Nelson, Jr., Central Catholic – WINNER
Darien Fernandez, Sr., Wareham
Jameilen Jones, Sr., BC High
Tyler Gibson, Sr., Rockland
Kamari Robinson, Sr., Springfield Central

Defensive Player of the Year – Drew Healy, Lowell
Coach of the Year – John Walsh, Danvers
Best Shooter – Tyler Nelson, Central Catholic
Biggest surprise (player) – Dakari Wornum, Dorchester
Biggest surprise (team) – St. Peter-Marian
Most underrated (player) – David Stewart, Madison Park
Most underrated (team) – Melrose

All-Defensive
G – Tyree Weston, Soph., New Bedford
G – Marcus Middleton, Sr., Stoughton
F – Isshiah Coleman, Sr., New Mission
F – Prince Unaegbu, Sr., Brighton
C – Drew Healy, Sr., Lowell

All-Shooters
Tyler Nelson, Jr., Central Catholic
Tommy Mobley, Soph., Newton North
Daivon Edwards, Sr., Brighton
Giulien Smith, Soph., Catholic Memorial
Ben Judson, Soph., St. John's Prep

Second half sleepers to watch

Dorchester
The Bears are a streaky team, but also a gritty one, as shown in their 58-57 loss to East Boston on Wednesday. Dakari Wornum has been one of the breakout stars of the first half of the season, but a number of athletic shooters -- including Jeduan Langston, Khalil Newson, Ceejae Agnew-Carter and Dean Lee -- can make this team explode at any moment. The expected return of 6-foot-7 junior D'Bryant Coraprez should bolser the frontcourt too.

Sharon
We knew junior point guard Brian Mukasa (18.8 points per game) was good, and we though he had potential to be this good, but we had questions about the Eagles' supporting cast. Jimmy Fritzon (14.2 points per game) has some answers.

Waltham
Hawks are my favorite to win the Dual County League's Large division, in a year of parity across the board. Keep an eye on Mike Gelineau, one of the area's more underrated shooters.

Case
Most expected Wareham to run away with the South Coast Conference (again), but guess who's sitting at 11-2 and 8-1 in the league? The Cardinals are allowing a league-best 46 points per game, and face Wareham on Wednesday for a first-place battle in the SCC. Keep an eye on 6-foot-8 senior center Matt Plante.

***

Chris Bradley
ESPN Boston correspondent

All-State Super Team
G - Darien Fernandez, Sr., Wareham
G - Tyler Nelson, Jr., Central Catholic
F - Jameilen Jones, Sr., BC High
F - Kamari Robinson, Sr., Springfield Central
C - Tyler Gibson, Sr., Rockland

Second Team
G - Jaylen Blakely, Sr., Brockton
G - Riyadh Asad, Sr., West Springfield
F - Nick Simpson, Sr., Brighton
F - Nick Cambio, Sr., Central Catholic
F - Brendan Hill, Soph., Mansfield

Third Team
G - Nick McKenna, Sr., Danvers
G - Rod Milton, Sr., Worcester South
F - Sam Dowden, Sr., Andover
F - Isaiah Nelsen, Sr., North Andover
C - Chris Baldwin, Soph., Springfield Central

Girls Super Team
G - Kayla Burton, Sr., Newton South
G/F - Donnaizha Fountain, Sr., Cambridge
G/F - Olivia Healy, Sr., Reading
F - Morgan Lumb, Sr., North Andover
C - Molly Reagan, Soph., Braintree

Mr. Basketball Finalists
Tyler Nelson, Central Catholic - WINNER
Darien Fernandez, Wareham
Jameilen Jones, BC High
Tyler Gibson, Rockland
Kamari Robinson, Springfield Central

Defensive Player of the Year - Isshiah Coleman, New Mission
Coach of the Year - Sean Connolly, St. John’s Prep
Best Shooter - Tyler Nelson, Central Catholic
Biggest Surprise (Team) – Wachusett
Biggest Surprise (Player) – KayJuan Bynum, Springfield Putnam
Most Underrated (Player) – Sam Dowden, Andover
Most Underrated (Team) – Dorchester

All-Defensive
G - Marcus Middleton, Sr., Stoughton
G/F - Nate Anderson, Sr., New Mission
F - Isshiah Coleman, Sr., New Mission
C - Alex Cooper, Sr., Wachusett
C - Drew Healy, Sr., Lowell

All-Shooters
Tyler Nelson, Jr., Central Catholic
Tim Dufficy, Sr., Whitinsville Christian
Tommy Mobley, Soph., Newton North
Zack Berman, Sr., Wachusett
Jaylen Blakely, Sr., Brockton

Second-half sleepers:

Andover
If Connor Merinder is back in time for the tournament, then consider Andover a favorite in Division 1 North. Central Catholic has clearly separated themselves from BC High, St. John’s Prep, Lowell, and Andover so far, but if Andover gets a healthy, productive Merinder back, they will make a run to the Division 1 North final. The Golden Warriors have gone 10-2 thus far without the 6-foot-5 forward, who is considered one of the MIAA’s best in a loaded 2015 class. Sam Dowden has done a great job of leading Andover so far, but getting a healthy Merinder makes them a legitimate contender to be at the DCU Center come March.

Worcester South
South became the first team to finally knock off previously undefeated Wachusett in Central Mass. The Cononels, who with the win moved to 8-2, did so without junior point guard Kasheen Cunningham, one of the area’s best outside shooters. South has the best scorer in Central Mass. in Rod Milton, a strong young big man in Khalil Bryan-Robinson, and a constant threat from outside in Cunningham—with Central Mass. Division 1 as up in the air as it has been in years, look for South to make a run to the Division 1 finals at WPI.

***

Ryan Kilian
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Mass. Prep Stars (www.massprepstars.com)

Boys Super Team
G - Tyler Nelson, Jr., Central Catholic
G - Jameilen Jones, Sr., BC High
G - Malik James, Jr., Brighton
F - Brendan Hill, Soph., Mansfield
C - Chris Baldwin, Soph., Springfield Central

Girls Super Team
G - Morgan Lumb, Sr., North Andover
G/F - Alana Gilmer, Soph., Archbishop Williams
G/F - Donnaizha Fountain, Sr., Cambridge
F - Olivia Healy, Sr., Reading
C - Molly Reagan, Soph., Braintree

Mr. Basketball
Tyler Nelson, Jr., Central Catholic

Miss Basketball
Olivia Healy, Sr., Reading

Defensive Player of the Year
Boys: Kendall Hamilton, Sr., Wakefield
Girls: Infiniti Thomas-Waheed, Jr., Newton North

Coach of the Year
Boys: Mike Kasprzak, Melrose
Girls: John McNamara, Pentucket

Best Shooter
Boys: Tyler Nelson, Jr., Central Catholic
Girls: Morgan Lumb, Sr., North Andover

Biggest Surprise
Boys: Frantzdy Pierrot, Jr., Melrose
Girls: Molly Bent, Soph., Barnstable

Most Underrated Player
Boys: Doug Gemmell, Sr., Central Catholic
Girls: Tess Noguiera, Sr., Pentucket

Most Underrated Team
Boys: Melrose
Girls: Ipswich

Second Half Sleepers

Boys: Wakefield – They have been hanging in the wings with a few losses and have battled some injuries but with a healthy Bruce Brown and continued improved play of Kendall Hamilton, Mikol Blake-Green and others they should be back in the title hunt by the end of the regular season.

Girls: Westford Academy – Westford Academy has played a very difficult schedule, losing to Bishop Feehan, Wachusett and Billerica by a combined five points. They have wins over Lincoln-Sudbury and Arlington Catholic as resume boosters and can play with any team in the state. Juniors Sam Hyslip and Hannah Hackley lead the Grey Ghosts in most statistical categories.

***

Rob Sarmiento
Founder and Editor, Beantown Hoops (www.beantownhoops.com)

First Team
G - Jameilen Jones, Sr., BC High
G - Darien Fernandez, Sr., Wareham
F - Sam Dowden, Sr., Andover
F - Tyler Gibson, Sr., Rockland
F - Doug Gemmell, Sr., Central Catholic

Second Team
G - Jaleel Bell, Sr., Wayland
G - Jaylen Blakely, Sr., Brockton
G - Malik James, Jr., Brighton
G - Tyler Nelson, Jr., Central Catholic
F - Isaiah Nelsen, Sr., North Andover

Third Team
G - Giulien Smith, Soph., Catholic Memorial
G - Juwan Gooding, Soph., New Mission
G/F - Bruce Brown, Soph., Wakefield
F - Brendan Hill, Soph., Mansfield
F - Nate Anderson, Sr., New Mission

Girls Super Team
G/F - Donnaizha Fountain, Sr., Cambridge
G/F - Olivia Healy, Sr., Reading
G/F - Molly Bent, Soph., Barnstable
G/F - Morgan Lumb, Sr., North Andover
F - Sarah Hope, Sr., Medway

Mr. Basketball - Jameilen Jones, BC High
Miss Basketball - Olivia Healy, Reading
Coach of the Year - Mark Antonelli, Somerville
Best Shooter - Tyler Nelson, Central Catholic
Biggest Surprise (player) - Molly Bent, Barnstable (Girls)
Biggest Surprise (team) - North Reading
Most Underrated (player) - Jaleel Bell, Wayland
Most Underrated (team) - Melrose

All-Shooters
Tyler Nelson, Jr., Central Catholic
Sam Dowden, Sr., Andover
Sam Bohmiller, Sr., Franklin
Tommy Mobely, Soph., Newton North
Mike Gelineau, Sr., Waltham

Second Half Sleepers

Boys: Franklin - Well-coached and playing in a tough conference will make them battle ready come playoff time. Plus, they have a player who can make threes in bunches with Bohmiller.

Girls: Arlington Catholic - Seem to always make a run and their style of play is tough to prepare for. They are young in some key positions, but first half of the season experience will show during the playoffs.

Some thoughts and observations from the first week of MIAA basketball in 2013:

Guardians on a roll –- again: Just when you thought St. Peter-Marian was done, ready to be written off as a one-year wonder, the Guardians come out swinging again. Sunday’s 54-49 upset of Catholic Memorial wasn’t glamorous, but it’s the program’s biggest win since trouncing Charlestown 61-46 some 12 months ago.

(That game, for those unfamiliar, ended up leading Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso to scrap their man-to-man defense altogether. The result was a Division 1 North title)

The Guardians have snuck under the radar for the first half of the 2012-13 season, and for good reason. After graduating stars Steve Flynn, Tre Watson, Brian Foley or ESPN Boston All-Stater Matt Mobley, there were questions abound in the talent department. Make no mistake, there’s no superstars in this year’s squad, but it’s a unit head coach Marcus Watson is very satisfied with, led by a senior-laden starting five of Tim Berry, Kevin Riley, Jaylen Ashton, Terrence Watson and Anthony Manzello.

“We’re fine with that, we don’t want to be ranked,” Watson said. “We just go out and battle. You look at us one-on-one, there’s not one kid you look at and say, ‘He’s a stud’. Yet if you look at us collectively they all do their job, they take charges, they box out. We’ve got absolutely no outside interference this year.”

CM figured to be rusty out of the gates, but caught fire in its 7-0 start with the emergence of sophomore shooting guard Giulien Smith (26 points per game). Not only did the Guardians keep him a non-factor, holding him to four points, but they mirrored the Knights’ vaunted 2-2-1 press with some of their own wrinkles added in, giving some man and diamond-and-one variants as well.

It’s a faster pace, a higher intensity of playing style, but it’s one Watson feels his team is conditioned for after a rigorous offseason. Players went through some dynamic strength training over the offseason, among the highlights in typical sessions: one-legged box drills; wrapping 45-pound plates in towels and pushing them the length of the floor; suicides on hills; wheelbarrow runs the length of the court, ending with pushups; all of it sprinkled over with deadlifts, calf raises, pull-downs, and two-mile runs.

The Guardians come into our poll this week at No. 25, its first appearance since the final 2011-12 poll, but tonight’s litmus test against rival St. John’s of Shrewsbury will give us a better measurement of where they’re at right now. The progress of underclassmen such as Connor Brown, Mike Boateng, George Anan and freshman Makai Ashton-Langford will be key, but they have shown great strides this first half of the season.

“We’re not even close to peaking, hopefully we just want to get better,” Marcus Watson said. “The kids believe in each other. They’ve never been a problem as a team, they all know their role. You can see them getting on each other, they all know what they’re supposed to be doing. We call them our ‘Fab Five’ -– not one of them is a stud, but they all do their job.”

Nobody’s yawning at Division 3: Interesting comments from Pentucket coach John McNamara following the Sachems’ 59-39 defeat of Billerica last Wednesday, saying flatly “We get tired of hearing we’re a D3 school. We can play with anybody. D3’s can play with anybody, there’s a lot of good teams.”

If that’s truly the whisper going around Eastern Mass., then it’s a circumventing one. With the Sachems’ win over the Indians, that will put three D3 squads in the top five of ESPNBoston.com’s girls basketball poll: Archbishop Williams (3), St. Mary’s of Lynn (4) and the aforementioned Sachems (5). Say what you want about the dominance of Braintree in D1 and Reading in D2 – and at the end of the day, D1 has the most depth – but the teams atop D3 can hang with anyone. I don’t think that’s an axiom.

Pentucket has a slew of quality shooters this year, but as usual it’s defense that’s the calling card. It starts with 6-foot senior Tess Nogueira, whom McNamara feels is underrated for her talents. It’s plausible to see why – she doesn’t fit into a natural position on the floor, and doesn’t always light up the scoreboard – but suffice it to say she’s one of the state’s better defenders.

“She’s a unique player for a six-footer,” McNamara said. “She’s not a natural post player, but she can do anything. She can defend the point if we want her to, but unfortunately we don’t have any other bigs. If we press, we put her at the top of the press [and] she’s long and lanky and quick, with great habits.”

In the Sachems’ 2-2-1 and diamond-and-one press looks, it’s often Nogueira that comes flying up the floor to trap. With her length, and he tenaciousness, she can create some havoc out there.

“We have had her cover point guards, if we have other matchups we think we can survive, we’ll put her our front, or if we do a zone press we’ll put her at the point,” McNamara said. “She’s got good instincts, she’s long, lanky, makes good decisions on doubling and when not to double.

“She’s one of what I think the most unsung players in the state, because she doesn’t score 20 points a game. She does a lot of other things.”

Miscellaneous: One of the more interesting stats has be Hockomock League newcomer Milford. Off to a 7-0 start, the Scarlet Hawks sit atop the Davenport division and lead the league in team scoring at 70 points per game. Yet not one player sits in the top five in league scoring average. ... We’ve mentioned New Mission, Brighton, Wakefield and North Andover as heavyweight favorites in Division 2 North. Perhaps we’ve found a sleeper in Lynn Classical, which sits at 4-5 overall but with a two-point Everett loss, overtime St. John’s Prep loss, and a win over Lynn English on its resume. Keep an eye on the Brown brothers, senior Jalen and junior Jordan.

WEST NEWBURY, Mass. –- The Pentucket Sachems hit eight 3-pointers in the first three quarters on their way to a 59-39 win over the Billerica Indians on Wednesday night.

Pentucket’s (6-0) offense was led by the sharp-shooting tandem of Kelsi McNamara (15 points) and McKenna Kilian (13). The sophomore guards scored 19 of their combined 28 points in the second half, with McNamara nailing three big 3-pointers out of the halftime break.

“Coming out of the half we wanted to get the game going our style and we can shoot threes,” Pentucket head coach John McNamara said after the game. “If teams are going to play zone, someone is going to get the hot hand. It was just a matter of finding that kid.”

The reigning MIAA Division 3 State Champions led at the end of each of the first three quarters, and used timely shooting and their patented pressure defense to keep the game at a comfortable margin throughout.

“We get tired of hearing that we are a D3 school,” McNamara said. “We can play with anyone. There are a lot of good D3 teams.”

Leading 46-35 after three quarters the Sachems shot Billerica out of their 2-3 zone and held the Indians to just four fourth quarter points to secure the twenty-point victory.

“We are not a big team, so if we have the look we are going to take it,” McNamara said. “We will shoot threes in transition and I am confident we will hit more than we miss.”

Despite being held scoreless in the second half, UMass Lowell-bound point guard Brittany Lomanno led Billerica with 10 points, five assists and three steals on the evening. Lomanno also did a good job pushing the pace for the Indians on both ends of the floor early in the game.

Pentucket senior forward Tess Nogueira was the only other Sachem in double-figures, as the versatile forward netted 12 points on the night.

Senior guards Coley Viselli (nine points) and Alex Moore (six points, two blocks) also played well for Pentucket in the win.

“All of our guards work really hard and they know when to move the ball and when to shoot,” Nogueira said.

Rebounding edge: Kilian led Pentucket on the evening with eight rebounds, but Pentucket used team rebounding and aggressive on ball play to keep Billerica off the glass.

“We worked on it the past couple of days because we knew they were bigger than us,” McNamara said. “We knew we could not play one of those post-players one-on-one by themselves so we had one kid digging from the weak side. The girls pretty much did a great job.”

Underrated Nogueira: Nogueria also pulled down six rebounds to go with three assists on the night.

“She is a unique player for a six-footer,” McNamara said. “She is not a natural post player but she can do anything for us. She can defend a point guard if we want her to. She is one of the most unsung players in the state, especially since she does not score 20 points a game. She does a lot of other things.”

Nogueira helped control the paint and held the Billerica post game in check all evening.

“I try to do whatever I can out there,” Nogueira said. “I will fill whatever role I am needed to fill and will be up for the challenge.”

Schedules: Pentucket gets back to action on Friday when they host Newburyport. Pentucket is fresh off a championship win at the York (Maine) holiday tournament where they defeated Dover (N.H.) and host York in the finals. McNamara and Viselli were named to the All-Tournament team.

Billerca continues a very difficult part of their schedule when they host impressive Merrimack Valley Conference newcomer North Andover on Friday night. They'll follow up that matchup with upcoming games against top MVC teams Central Catholic, Methuen and Andover.

WORCESTER, Mass. -- For the second straight game, freshman guard Kelsie McNamara came off the bench to knock down several 3-point shots that allowed her teammates to start working the ball inside and get to the free throw line.

McNamara scored 13 of her 14 points in the first half, while senior Sarah Higgins made 14-of-16 free throws and finished with 22 points as Pentucket captured its first state championship with a 55-32 victory over Sabis in the Div. 3 final at the DCU Center Saturday morning.

“Once we started getting people going, none of us were scared anymore and I think we just wanted to put everything we had into it to have no regrets after the game,” McNamara explained. “Sarah was really aggressive, Alex (Moore) got a couple of steals and I think that helped get us motivated to play better.”

After a back and forth opening frame, the Sachems (23-4) opened the second with a 10-2 run as Moore created a pair of buckets for herself off turnovers and then fed McNamara for one of her treys. Shyanne Wellington (10 points, 10 rebounds) slowed the surge with a three of her own, but McNamara came right back down the court and dropped her third trifecta of the half as Pentucket would extend its lead to 29-17 at the break.

“Kelsie hit some threes like she did at the Garden the other day for us,” said Pentucket coach John McNamara of his youngest daughter. “She’s got no pressure on her. The other kids take the pressure, the starters, and she comes in she hits some open looks. It got us going because we were a little stagnant on offense. And then our defense, we got some transition layups. Alex Moore hit a couple and then in the second half, Sarah Higgins got the rim. That’s our style - transition layups off of defense.”

Higgins took over in the third and her relentless aggression toward the hoop kept sending her to the free throw line. Her teammates got in on the act as well, and while the Sachems managed just one field goal in the final seconds of the quarter, they were able to maintain a double-digit lead (39-24).

“After the first quarter we definitely thought it was going to be a lot closer game,” Higgins said. “ We definitely wanted to pull away and hopefully lessen their confidence and boost ours. In the second quarter, Kelsie started making her threes and then I started getting to the line, it definitely gave us a lot more energy. That’s exactly what we needed.”

Higgins was perfect in the fourth, hitting all six of her free throws and adding a pair of layups. As a team, the Sachems (23-4) went 23-for 32 at the free throw line for the game. They also forced the Bulldogs into committing 24 turnovers and enjoyed a slight 33-30 on the glass. Center Tess Nogueira led with seven rebounds, while Moore, Nicole Viselli, Higgins and Leigh McNamara each grabbed six.

“She’s been knocking down foul shots all season for us,” said John McNamara in praise of Higgins. “If you come up empty on a hard take to the hoop, it’s a mental letdown for the team but when she’s knocking them down, we can set up our press too. We make foul shots, we get into our press. She played a great game and had a great senior year.”

BOSTON -– Pentucket slowly build its lead quarter by quarter before pulling away with a 53-39 victory over Fairhaven in the MIAA Division 3 Girls Eastern Mass. Final tonight at TD Garden.

Led by the charge of senior forward Sarah Higgins, the Sachems outscored the Blue Devils in every quarter except the second, where each team struggled and only produced five points apiece.

“I definitely did not want to see us lose,” said Higgins, whose score line (20 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, four steals) spoke this sentiment loud and clear. “Especially because when I’m older and I look back at one of these games and think, ‘Oh, I could’ve done that differently… I really wish we had won’ because winning the state championship sounds way better than losing the state championship.”

Higgins had a strong first quarter, as did Pentucket’s Nicole Viselli (two 3-pointers), but the star of the first set in this series was Fairhaven’s junior guard Ashley Brown. Having accumulated two rebounds and seven points, her last coming on the completion of a three point play, Brown put Fairhaven (22-3) ahead by one at 13-12 late in the first.

With 1:16 left in the first though, diving for a loose ball, Brown hit the scorer’s table next to the court, falling to the ground and grabbing at her face and neck. She was surrounded by staff and medical technicians for several minutes before being put into a brace, lifted onto a gurney. She did not to return to the court.

Pentucket (22-4) took the lead in the last minute of the quarter, however, to lead 14-13. The second quarter saw the teams knot up at 16 briefly, but Pentucket went up by one going into the half at 19-18. The only player to score for Fairhaven in the second was senior forward Kara Charette, who ended the game with 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“We settled down at halftime,” said Pentucket coach John McNamara. “For the first minute we were still a little flustered but once Sarah got a few easy baskets and we were able to put our press on, I think we did a great job in containing them in the second half.”

By the end of the third quarter, the Sachems were able to stretch the lead out to six at 34-28 and the start of the fourth quarter indicated that they were going to elongate that stretch by any means necessary. With 20 seconds into the fourth quarter, Higgins executed a three-point play to extend the lead out to nine with 7:40 left in the game.

Fairhaven would come within eight at 43-35 midway through the fourth quarter, but the damage had been done, and the Blue Devils fight turned into a bard to be sung for the defeated brave, while Pentucket’s star is still on the rise.

Long Shot: According to the roster and the bent necks in the media room, Pentucket’s 5-foot-5 freshman guard Kelsie McNamara is the shortest person on the team. But when McNamara drained three pointers in the fourth quarter, and added a 1-2 free throw showing to round out her ten points, she seemed colossal, even in the middle of the famed parquet floor.

“It was a little nerve-wrecking at first," she said. "But once the game starts going, I get more used to it and get more in control playing.” McNamara was active without the ball as well, racking up a steal, a block and a rebound as well.

Father Knows Best: “Last night, my dad told me that I should always envision myself finishing and staying positive,” Higgins beamed after the game. “So that’s all I was thinking about before I went to bed, and today when I was at school I was thinking, ‘Righty lay-ups, lefty lay-ups, foul shots’. Now that I went out there, I didn’t think about it too much and it just came to me.”

LOWELL, Mass. -- Pentucket coach John McNamara and his Sachems girls basketball program has its share of history in the Division 3 North tournament. But for this year's team, those were mostly just memories.

Freshman and sophomores during the Pentucket's 2010 state finals loss, the now upperclassmen Sachems are two year removed from the team that went to four consecutive sectional final appearances and are looking to set their own legacy.

After a 49-30 trumping of No. 4 seed Ipswich (18-5) in this morning's final at the Tsongas Center, No. 3 seed Pentucket (20-4) has made it clear the girls are ready to make their own mark.

The Sachems will play Division 3 South winners Fairhaven (22-2) in the TD Garden in Boston on Tuesday.

“This is their legacy now,” said Pentucket coach John McNamara. “They were part of that team, but these kids have done it own their own for the first time. They have taken their team to the (TD) Garden.”

The Sachems opened in dominate fashion by forcing nine first quarter turnovers to pull ahead 9-0 at the four minute mark. After grappling a pair of steals, senior Sarah Higgins used a screen off the passing motion to lay-in Pentucket's its ninth point.

Higgins was a powerful presence both counter-attacking and forcing turnovers at mid-court. The forward lead Pentucket with 12 points, five steals and five rebounds. Teammate junior Alex Moore also scored 10 points.

“I am hoping for five second calls, “ said Higgins. “They look to somebody to put on the ball pressure and force as many turnovers as possible. I want to get in their head and show what I am a defensive player.”

Struggling to score from outside the arc, Ipswich began pressuring the paint early in the second quarter to produce their lowest deficit of the night. Positioning her body out front Bridget Curran drew a pair of free throws, while Julia Davis (both juniors) caught a give-and-go off the 3-point line to cut the score to 12-9 at 5:50.

“We did a better job moving the ball weak side,” said Ipswich coach Mandy Zegarowski. “We were a little more patient with the pressure and clogged up the middle. I think it was just getting the ball over the halfway point and setting up the offense.”

Up 14-10, the Sachems scored 16 straight to put away the Tigers in the final three minutes of the half. A pair of layups by juniors Nicole Viselli and Tess Noguera off breakaways opened the run. While strong motion around the arc and a half-court buzzer beater sent Pentucket into the break up 30-10.

“We focused in practice on eliminating their point guard and big players,” said Zegarowski. “We needed or defense to start creating turnovers. It is a lot easier to score on the fast break when they are trying to set up their zone offense.”

An eight straight point run from Masey Zegarowski in the fourth proved to little to late for Ipswich as they failed to ever cut the second half margin into single-digits. The freshman topped the Tigers in scoring with eight points.

“Last year was a real upset not to get to the Garden,” said Higgins. “I am so happy my senior year we made it there. It is what Pentucket girls' basketball is all about.”

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

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- Amanda Foote, like the rest of her North Andover High teammates, admitted to some nerves throughout all of Friday morning and afternoon. Although, maybe that's typical of a Cape Ann League team when perennial Division 3 power No. 12 Pentucket Regional rolls through town. Emotions tend to run high on Sachems night.

Lucky for the senior guard, though, she has a lot of latitude from Knights head coach Sue Breen to shoot whenever she gets the space. And when she got a wide-open look behind the three-point line at the right wing with a little over two minutes to go, she didn't hesitate, swooshing a feathery, high-arching three-ball to make it a two-possession game. Her teammates did the rest with several key turnovers late, to seal an historic 38-31 win over the Sachems.

"Obviously, I'm not the number one shooter on the team," Foote smiled. "But it feels great to just come down and hit that and really secure the lead in the final minutes, to get us pumped up to win the game."

Said Breen, "Footie, she'll probably be kicking herself because she got alot of traveling calls, but that was probably the biggest play of the game."

For the Knights (4-2), it's the first win over Pentucket (6-1) since 2006. So yeah, emotions were running high in the post-game; it's just, they had trouble putting those feelings into words.

"It's crazy. It's amazing," senior forward Erika Zahoruiko (17 points, nine rebounds) said. "We all came to play, and...I don't even know what to say. I can't even explain the feeling right now."

Said Foote, "I feel like we're CAL champs right now. This feels great."

What the Sachems lack in experience -- having graduated several key stalwarts from last year's Division 3 state finalist squad, including Erin McNamara and Ashley Viselli -- they make up for in length and speed. Early on, they made their best efforts at dictating a quick pace, with junior Sarah Higgins and sophomores Alex Moore and Nicole Viselli leading the way. But with tight defensive pressure in both the halfcourt and in full-court -- routinely bringing as many as four players above half-court for man-to-man and diamond-and-one looks -- the Knights got called for alot of contact, but forced a slew of turnovers and bad shot selection.

The Knights' lead was slim, just 16-15 headed into the break. But looking at the offensive totals -- the teams combined for a miserable 9 of 48 from the field, with Pentucket making just four field goals -- a point had been made.

Then in the third, the Knights got it going with a series of ball reversals, making it a two-possession game with two perfectly-executed plays off a very familiar connection. Tied at 22-all with 3:30 to go in the quarter, Zahoruiko stepped up in the key and fed her familiar soccer teammate Alex Medlock with a bounce pass as she cut to the basket unguarded. The next time down, the roles reverse, Medlock took a jab step and threw an entry pass to Zahoruiko, who backed in and nailed a turnaround hook shot to make it 26-22.

"When we see each other on the court, we've just been playing together for so long, that we just find each other wherever," Zahoruiko said. "We're just connecting."

From there, the offense began to find its rhythm, culminating in Foote's key three.

"They're a very tough team, they're an awesome team, they have an awesome program," Breen said. "You know, I just think my kids played a little bit better."

Pentucket head coach John McNamara didn't dispute that.

"Give credit to North Andover," he said. "They outplayed us, they out-hustled us, they out-scrapped us, they wanted it more than us. We're kind of a young team, and I think hopefully we can use this as a learning experience. They dominated us in every phase of the game."