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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. — Central Catholic has won games in every kind of fashion this season. The Raiders have won on the road, at home, in different states and in holiday tournaments.

The only kind of win they haven’t had yet is a victory after a loss.

Mark that one off the list.

The Raiders followed up their first loss of the season with a 57-53 victory over host Lawrence — a team they have defeated three times this season — on Tuesday night, in a Merrimack Valley Conference matchup.

Raiders coach Rick Nault saw his team go through a couple of good practices leading up to Tuesday’s matchup, and was happy with the way his team responded from the first hiccup on the schedule.

“I think sitting in that locker room after that Lowell game, which Lowell really took it to us, each kid to a man said let’s not have this happen again,” said Nault, whose team moved to 16-1 on the season. “It’s a very determined group I’ve got. I’ve had a lot of good teams in the past, but I don’t think I’ve ever had as a hard working team as this group right here. They truly believe in each other.”

Cambio steps up: One thing that sets the Raiders apart from other teams in Eastern Mass. is the fact that they can roll out a handful of players and not miss a beat.

The latest player to step up was the 6-foot-5-inch, sophomore Nick Cambio. Cambio scored six points and finished with six rebounds (five in the second half and four of those on the offensive glass). It wasn’t all about the stats for Cambio, as he helped spark a 7-0 run to help the Raiders take a 40-30 lead in the third quarter.

Cambio fumbled a pass on the break, but hustled back on defense and blocked a Lancers’ lay-up attempt hard off the glass. He quickly got in on the play on the other end and dished off to Luis Puello for an easy bucket. Cambio also showed off his range with a corner 3-pointer, which was originally posted as two points, to cap off the run.

It’s becoming normal for Nault to see his young big man be a part of so many important victories this season.

“It seems like every big game he’s the difference,” said Nault. “Every time we beat a real, real strong team he’s the guy who kinds of shifts things for us. I thought he was the key.”

Offensive drought for Lancers: The Raiders switched to a press — something that Nault doesn’t usually deploy — in the second half for stretches and also took the Lancers top scorer in the first half, Franklin Martinez, out of his comfort zone in the first half.

Martinez, who scored two points after scoring a game-high nine in the first half, saw Puello and Lucas Hammel on him for most of the fourth quarter and the Lancers offense didn’t score a field goal for the first half of the period.

“We are going through stretches where we just aren’t getting any flow to the game,” said Lancers head coach Paul Neal, whose team is now 11-4. “They did a nice job of taking us out of the stuff we wanted to do. We are a team that has to play with rhythm, and we just couldn’t get it together.”

WARWICK, R.I. –- Even Central Catholic coach Rick Nault had to admit he couldn’t have found his team’s offense Sunday with the latest GPS.

Or to put it another way, how many teams –- regardless of what league they play in –- can win a game by shooting 30.4 percent (14-for-46)?

But that’s exactly what the Raiders did as they beat perennial Rhode Island state power Hendricken, 47-43, in a game that almost completely was devoid of offense.

Central Catholic (13-0), which has been ranked No. 1 every week except one in the ESPNBoston.com MIAA poll, held the Hawks to similar shooting (34.1 percent on 14-of-41) and forced the Hawks into 18 turnovers which enabled the Raiders to remain undefeated.

“I think we’ve always prided ourselves on defense,” Nault said with a raspy voice. “If you talk to coaches in Massachusetts, I think they would say that we’re tough defensively. We challenge the guards. We try to take teams out of their offense.

“When Hendricken has players like (Lee) Messier (10 points), (Greg) Palumbo (six points) and the big kid (6-foot-6 Nick Bourdeau, who only scored six points) … they have some real good pieces. We put a challenge into trying to contain them defensively and I think we did that for the most part.”

Central really contained the Hawks (8-5) during one stretch early in the second half.

Hendricken led 30-25 when Central went on a 16-1 run, with Nick Cambio scoring six of his overall 11 points for a 41-31 lead. And during this run, the Raiders forced the Hawks into five turnovers.

Central’s proficiency during this stretch was attributed to its full-court press and its in-your-face, man-to-man defense.

“Both of our teams are known for our defense,” Hendricken coach Jamal Gomes said. “I know Central Catholic is holding teams most of the year in the high 40s, and that’s where we’re holding teams (i.e. prior to this game Central was allowing 51.0 ppg and Hendricken was allowing 49.8 ppg.). We knew going into it the game it would be a defensive battle.

“Central Catholic’s pressure on the ball is outstanding, and it’s all game long. I think what happened was we were able to stem that in the first half (which ended with Hendricken leading, 25-23). Then, their ball pressure wore us down.”

Hawks off to flying start: Ironically, Hendricken built a 23-13 lead with 4:21 left in the first half due in part to an 8-0 run -– which was fueled by its man-to-man defense.

But the Raiders countered with a 10-2 run as Tyler Nelson scored six of his overall 13 points –- and which helped offset nine Central turnovers.

“Offensively we didn’t play well,” Nault said. “We didn’t take care of the ball, either.

Halting final run: Central forged its second 10-point lead, 43-33, on a basket by Mike Barry with 4:11 left and appeared to be in good shape. But the Hawks’ work on the boards sparked a 10-2 run.

And when Messier drained both ends of a one-and-one, Central’s lead was sliced to 45-43 with 23.4 seconds left in regulation.

Hendricken’s press on the ensuing inbounds pass forced a turnover and gave the Hawks a chance to tie and force overtime –- and perhaps to win. But Bourdeau threw up an air ball and Nelson clinched the victory by again sinking both ends of a one-and-one.

“We didn’t want them to get easy touches,” Nault said. “We knew they were probably going to try to go to Messier off a screen or a handoff which they did. We were able to knock the ball loose. Another guy (Bourdeau) picked up the ball and forced a tough shot.

“Luckily we were able to come up with the loose ball. We said during a timeout just get this one stop and we were able to do that today.”

Puello getting close: Even though the Raiders are undefeated and leading the Merrimack Valley League, they could be even tougher to beat once senior guard Luis Puello is fully recovered from a sprained ankle which sidelined him for several games.

“This was his fourth game back,” Nault said. “He’s still about 75 percent. He’s still struggling defensively. He’s not himself defensively.

“When he gets back at full speed and he can play the defense the way he’s been playing the last three years, I think we’re going to be pretty tough. But he’s still hobbling a great deal.”

Gomes has reason for optimism: Once Central went up by 10, Gomes knew his team was in a heap of trouble. But the way the Hawks responded was the polar opposite of the way they played early in the season when they lost four of their first five games.

“I’m very proud of our guys,” Gomes said. “We played tough. We battled. When they sent up six or seven (in the second half), we could have folded but we battled.

“That’s what I’ve been looking for from my team for a while … the toughness, the Hendricken style basketball. Now, we had our difficulties offensively. I don’t know if there are too many teams in Rhode Island that would beat us up like that. But a game like this tells us where we are and where we need to be and what we need to work on.

“I like playing Ricky Nault-coached teams,” Gomes added, “because they get after it. And in most years, they’re tight games.”

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."

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

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.”

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- Aside from being down by a point at the end of the first quarter, not much went wrong for No. 1 Central Catholic Wednesday against Pinkerton.

In the semi-finals of the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament, the Raiders cruised to a 56-39 victory over the visiting team from New Hampshire.

The win sets up a meeting with town rival Lawrence Friday for the tournament’s championship.

The Raiders found out early on that they could control the boards against the noticeably smaller Pinkerton team, which lead to many second-chance opportunities, while denying their opponents the opportunity at others.

Central out-rebounded Pinkerton 48-23, which included only one Pinkerton offensive rebound.

“If it wasn’t for the offensive rebounds, the outcome of the game might have been a little different if we didn’t rebound the way we did,” said Central Catholic coach Rick Nault. “I didn’t think we played all that well, especially defensively. I wasn’t happy with our performance, I think we can play a lot better.”

Central lost a large piece of its puzzle very early in the game when guard Luis Puello went down with an ankle injury when he was going after a ball. He tried to come back into the game at the start of the second half, but asked out of the game shortly thereafter.

He had a noticeable limp and struggled moving laterally with the basketball. The initial prognosis from the trainers was a high ankle sprain, which is likely to keep him out of the tournament finals Friday.

With the injury occurring so early in the game, the team knew other players would have to step up and carry the load, and Tyler Nelson helped to do just that.

After going cold on a handful of 3-pointers in the first half, the sophomore guard kept shooting. Like any streaky jump shooter, he knew all he had to do was hit one, and then a lot more could follow. That he did, hitting five 3-pointers in a row, helping to build the lead for his team. He ended the game with 17 points and 6 rebounds.

“I knew someone was going to have to come off the bench and it was probably going to be either Lucas (Hammel) or Henry (Rodriguez) to play the guard, so I kind of established myself on the wing,” said Nelson. “Luckily, they left me open a few times. My shot was off early and then I started knocking down two or three in a row, and it just picked up from there. They were leaving me open, so I just let it fly.”

It was just what the team needed on offense.

“Without Luis, we tend to struggle offensively,” said Nault. “If we can get Tyler open looks, he’s going to eventually start knocking them down. He missed his first few but eventually started knocking them down. He’s a shooter. We tell him to take the shots when he’s open, it’s just sometimes he’s too unselfish, so we need to get him going a little bit.”

Chris Light lead the way for Pinkerton with 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Not satisfied: Leave it to a coach to find flaws in his or her team’s big victory. Nault felt his team could have performed better, even though it came away with a 17-point victory.

“I think we have to take care of the basketball better, finish around the rim,” he said. “I think our halfcourt defense, something that we pride ourselves on, is usually something we’re very good at. I thought we stunk tonight.”

Cross-city rivals on tap: The victory sets up a matchup between two teams that know each other all too well. With the way his team played Wednesday combined with the confidence of Lawrence coming off its last-minute victory the game before, Central knows it is in for a tough task Friday if it wants to win the Tournament and remain atop the Merrimack Valley Conference.

“They’re a scary matchup for us Friday night,” said Nault. “It’s good for the city. It’s good for the kids on both teams. While it’s a rivalry, I think it’s a friendly rivalry. I think it will be a great atmosphere.

“They’re just tenacious defensively, they have two great players in the post in Roberto Speing and Tre’von Farley, who are two very, very active kids. Then you’ve got Yadoris Arias on the point, who is very good with the basketball. They have a lot of good pieces, including a bench that can go up-and-down. They’re a tough, tough matchup. We’re going to have our hands full.”

Nelson agreed.

“They’re going to come out and they’re gonna play tough,” he said. “They’re going to want to win and we’re going to do the same thing so it’s going to be a battle. The place is going to be crazy, it’s going to come down to who wants it more.

Nault turns 40: Wednesday was Nault’s 40th birthday. As a present, the student fans serenaded him by singing "Happy Birthday" in the final few minutes of the game. With that, even the normally straight-faced Nault cracked a smile and gave a shy wave to the crowd in acknowledgement.

“I’ve never had the kids sing on my birthday,” he said. “Last year, was the first time we ever lost to Andover in five years, so it was not a pleasant birthday. This year, it’s nice to get a W.”

LOWELL, Mass. -- It wasn’t the cleanest or most artistic basketball game you will ever see, but that is to be expected only two games into the high school basketball season.

Regardless of style points, No. 1 Central Catholic still left Lowell High School with a 53-39 win Friday night.

Both teams came out sluggish to begin the game. Lowell was kept off the board until midway through the first quarter, but when it finally scored, it erased the small lead Central had built up, putting the Raiders back on their heels.

“They came out in the first half and just took it to us,” said Central Catholic coach Rick Nault. “They held us to six points in the first quarter. We pride ourselves on playing uptempo basketball, so to hold us to six points in a quarter is a credit to them.”

Luis Puello supplied all 6 first quarter points for Central (2-0). Lowell kept the pressure on in the second, generating points off turnovers and keeping its offensive pace up.

Lowell (1-1) took a 24-15 lead into halftime, leaving one to wonder if it could keep the momentum going into the second half and possibly close out the game.

That talk was quickly negated. It took Central three minutes to erase the entire second half deficit and 6 minutes to take a 29-26 lead that it would never relinquish in route to the victory.

“I think, for us, we were just a little more controlled in the second half offensively,” said Nault. “We made more of a conscientious effort to pound the ball inside. We got Luis going a little bit, got some of our post action going, and then we made stops. It was a 16-point swing, then we were up 7 at the end of the third. Overall, it was just our defense and our execution on the offensive end.”

Doug Gemmel was the main benefactor of the reinvigorated post game. He had 9 points and 4 rebounds in the game, most of which came in the second half. He will play a big role in the post for Central Catholic this season, replacing a graduated Jimmy Zenevitch, who now plays basketball at Assumption College.

“We had 4 total rebounds in the first half,” said Nault “You’re not going to be able to run, you’re not going to be able to get up and down if you’re not rebounding the basketball. We did a much better job of rebounding in the second half.”

Central outscored Lowell 16-5 in the fourth quarter to close out the game in convincing fashion.

The Red Raiders did not have a double-digit scorer in the game. Kareem Davis lead the way for Lowell with 8 points and 3 rebounds.

Puello finished the game as the leading scorer for Central with 17 points, three rebounds, and two steals.

Rallying point: The nine-point halftime deficit was the first bit of adversity Central had faced since losing to St. John’s Prep in the playoffs last year. Puello, being a veteran presence and a senior leader on the team, knew what his team needed to do to turn it around.

“It was just about focus and intensity and concentration really,” he said. “In the first quarter we were just kind of going through the motions, so in the second quarter we knew we had to turn it on or we’d lose and get blown out.”

“They were very energized to play us right off the bat,” he added. “When one team runs through the motions and one team comes out energized, turning that around becomes the game right there.”

Good mental test: Even though Nault wasn’t happy with his team’s performance overall, he still saw it as a good mental test the team can build on going forward.

“I was talking about this with my assistant coach Kevin McCarthy: this is going to carry us a little bit I think,” said Nault.

Puello agreed, saying, "Being down by a large number for us, nine points, and being able to respond in the third quarter the way we did, I think shows a lot about the character of our team.”

Puello continued, “I like the fact that the game was away at Lowell, where people say is a hard place to play. We got the test early and I think we did well. First quarter was kind of a little bit different, but as soon as we got into the swing of things, everything got a lot easier. Its going to be better for us later in the season, so I’m proud of that.”

Holiday break: This was the last game for each team before the Christmas holiday break. Lowell will get back on the court January 6 against Dracut. Central Catholic will be off until Dec. 23 when they play in the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament against Methuen at Lawrence High School.

Here is ESPN Boston's preseason MIAA All-State boys basketball teams:

FIRST TEAM
G – Steve Haladyna, Sr., St. John’s Prep
G – Luis Puello, Sr., Central Catholic
F – Jake Layman, Sr., King Philip
F – Joey Glynn, Sr., Cardinal Spellman
F – Keandre Stanton, Sr., Lynn English

SECOND TEAM
G – Aaron Calixte, Jr., Stoughton
G – Matt Droney, Sr., Catholic Memorial
G/F – Tyrese Hoxter, Jr., Charlestown
F – Isshiah Coleman, Jr., New Mission
F - Nate Anderson, Jr., New Mission

THIRD TEAM
G – Colin Richey, Jr., Whitinsville Christian
G – Matt Mobley, Sr., St. Peter-Marian
G – Rony Fernandes, Sr., Charlestown
F – Jarrod Neumann, Sr., Northampton
C - Kevin LaFrancis, Sr., Acton-Boxborough

STARTING FIVE

Guard – Samir McDaniels, Sr., New Mission
The 6-foot-3 McDaniels was the steady hand that rocked the Titans' Division 2 state championship season. He averaged 18.8 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.1 steals as the Titans became the first team in MIAA history to win the Division 4 and Division 2 titles in back to back seasons. McDaniels recently committed to the University of New Haven for next fall.

Guard – Pat Connaughton, Sr., St. John’s Prep
The Notre Dame-bound Connaughton, currently ranked No. 96 in the ESPNU 100, once again saved his best performances for the postseason as the Eagles won the Division 1 state championship for the first time in school history. Connaughton averaged 21.8 points, 17 rebounds and 6.5 assists and took home the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year award. Connaughton, who will play both baseball and basketball for the Fighting Irish next year, is ranked No. 77 in Baseball America's list of Top 100 high school prospects.

Forward – Richard Rodgers, Sr., St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Considered one of the best athletes to come out of Central Mass in the last two decades, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Rodgers was a monster in all facets of the game as the Pioneers made their fourth straight appearance in the Division 1 state final. The senior, who will continue his football career next fall at Cal as a tight end, averaged 17.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, 4.1 steals and 3.4 assists in his final season in Shrewsbury. He is also the son of Holy Cross defensive coordinator and former Cal great Richard Rodgers, and the cousin of Buffalo Bills cornerback Jairus Byrd.

Forward – Jake Layman, Jr., King Philip
The 6-foot-7 Layman lived up to his potential high-major billing in his junior season with the Warriors, helping them end a 15-year postseason drought and set a school single-season record for wins (17) before bowing out in the Division 2 South finals. Layman averaged 24.6 points, 13.6 rebounds, 4.6 blocks, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists; he also took home Hockomock League MVP honors. Layman's 1,196 points at KP are the most by any boy in school history. He currently holds offers from UMass, Providence, Boston College, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Brigham Young.

Center – Jimmy Zenevitch, Sr., Central Catholic
A force in the middle the last three seasons for the Raiders, the 6-foot-7 Zenevitch lived up to the hype headed into his senior season. He closed out his career with a strong finish, averaging 19 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks, and stretched many a defense with his ability to post up and shoot from long distance. He earned Merrimack Valley Conference All-Star nods, and his Raiders went 39-1 in MVC play the last two seasons. Zenevitch, whose older sister Kate is a freshman forward for Boston College, will continue his career next fall at Division 2 Assumption College.

BEST OF THE REST

Jaylen Alicea, Sr., Lawrence
Few had as explosive a postseason as the 5-foot-8 Alicea, who averaged 30.4 points in five playoff games as the Lancers became the first No. 15 seed since 1998 to advance to the Division 1 North final. The run included a 35-point effort in a shocking first round upset of No. 2 seed Cambridge, followed up the next game with 38 on Westford. For the season, Alicea averaged 19.3 points, four assists and three steals and earned a Merrimack Valley Conference All-Star nod.

Travonne Berry-Rogers, Sr., Lynn English
The 6-foot-1 Berry-Rogers made a name for himself as one of the North Shore's best finishers in his senior campaign, which ended in a D1 North semifinal loss to Lawrence but with some Northeastern Conference recognition. The senior, who was also an NEC All-Star in football, averaged 23.5 points, five assists and five rebounds to lead the 21-3 Bulldogs. He plans on pursuing basketball at the next level, and is considering several Division 2 and Division 3 colleges.

Joe Bramanti, Sr., Andover
The 6-foot-2 Bramanti was the Golden Warriors' prized horse in 2010-11, and they rode him to a 15-5 record and an appearance in the Division 1 North tournament. Bramanti averaged 22.3 points, six rebounds and four assists in his senior season, in which he took the Merrimack Valley Conference's MVP honors by an almost unanimous decision. Bramanti is currently looking into pursuing a post-graduate season at a prep school.

Grant Cooper, Sr., Northampton
Cooper, a 6-foot-3 forward, played an instrumental role in the Blue Devils' Division 1 Western Mass championship season, and established himself as one of the premier forwards in the western part of the state. He finished his career at Hamp on a high note, averaging 11 points, 12 rebounds, 4.5 assists this season while also posting a field goal percentage of .550.

Marco Coppola, Sr., Watertown
The 6-foot-1 Coppola was instrumental to the Raiders' run to their third Division 3 state title game in six seasons, and also pitched in tremendously on the defensive end -- before losing to Whitinsville Christian in the state championship, they held their previous four opponents in the 30's. Coppola was Eastern Mass' leading scorer, averaging 25.1 points per game, and finishes fourth all-time on the school's scoring list, behind his older brother Anthony, Max Kerman and Kyle Stockmal. Coppola is currently undecided on college plans, but is leaning heavily towards Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Mark Cornelius, Sr., Westford
The 6-foot-2 Cornelius was a scoring machine this season for the Grey Ghosts, winning the Dual County League scoring title with an average of 21.1 points per game, and was co-MVP of the league. He saved arguably his best performance for last, getting 33 points and 23 rebounds in a loss to Lawrence in a Division 1 North quarterfinal. Also a standout wide receiver for the football team, Cornelius is undecided on college plans.

Alex Gartska, Sr., Westfield
One of the state's sharpest shooters, the 6-foot-1 guard averaged 19.7 points, three rebounds and two assists per game as the Bombers marched to a 20-3 record and an appearance in the Division 1 Western Mass final against Northampton. Gartska, who was recently named the MassLive/Basketball Hall of Fame's inaugural Western Mass Player of the Year, finished his career at Westfield with 1,172 career points. He is currently undecided on college plans.

Steve Haladyna, Jr., St. John’s Prep
The 6-foot-3 junior was the Pippen to Pat Connaughton's Jordan on this year's squad, but that proved to be a pivotal role in the Eagles' first basketball state championship season. In 2010-11, he averaged 19.7 points and seven rebounds as the Eagles battled through the toughest Division 1 North bracket in recent memory.

John Henault, Sr., St. Bernard’s
The Bernardians ended their season on a sour note with a shocking upset by Oxford in the Division 2 Central tournament, but the 6-foot-2 Henault ends his career on Harvard Street on a positively high one. He leaves St. B's as the school's all-time leading scorer (1,682 points) and led the state in scoring average (27.8 points) this season. He also racked up over 600 rebounds, 200 assists and 170 steals in his four-year career with the Bernardians. Henault is currently considering several Division 2 and 3 colleges.

Mike Lofton, Sr., Mansfield
With such a unique skill set, the 6-foot-4 senior played anywhere from point guard to power forward this year for the Hockomock League champions, and excelled in every role. Lofton averaged 13.5 points, 11 rebounds. 4.5 assists and 2.7 steals this season for the 24-3 Hornets, who won a wide-open Division 1 South before falling to eventual state champ St. John's Prep on the TD Garden floor. Lofton is currently considering several Division 2 and 3 schools.

Akosa Maduegbunam, Jr., Charlestown
In 25 games this season for the Townies, the 6-foot-4 slasher averaged 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals as they captured their first Boston City title since 2006. in his two seasons at Charlestown, he has averaged 20.5 points, seven rebounds and three assists. A two-time City all-star, Maduegbunam was also named the City tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Hans Miersma, Sr., Whitinsville Christian
Few teams in the state could match up with the Crusaders' size this season, and none was more pivotal than the 6-foot-9 Miersma. He averaged 14.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks as the Crusaders captured their first Division 3 state title since 2005. The first team All-Dual Valley Conference center will continue his playing career next fall at Gordon College.

Joe Mussachia, Sr., Manchester-Essex
The 6-foot-6, Amherst College-bound forward excelled in a multitude of roles for the Hornets, who won the Cape Ann League and advanced all the way to the Division 4 North semifinals. Mussachia averaged 25.2 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks, and finishes as the school's all-time leading scorer (1,714 points). For his career at M-E, he averaged 20.9 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Jarrod Neumann, Jr., Northampton
The 6-foot-3 guard/forward helped to form Western Mass's most intimidating, swarming defenses, as the Blue Devils marched all the way to a 21-3 record and the Division 1 Central/West Final, where they lost to state runner-up St. John's of Shrewsbury. For the season, Neumann averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds. Barring the unexpected, Neumann should return next fall as one of the MIAA's top 2012 prospects.

Kachi Nzerem, Sr., New Mission
As one part of the Titans' three-headed monster of a backcourt, the 6-foot-5 Nzerem was a physical force around the rim. He averaged 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds as the Titans became the first MIAA squad in history to win the Division 4 and Division 2 titles in back to back seasons. Nzerem is considering pursuing a post-graduate season at several prep schools.

Keandre Stanton, Jr., Lynn English
It was quite the breakout season for the 6-foot-6 Stanton, a Northeastern Conference All-Star who turned in a monster junior campaign to establish himself as one of the state's best pure athletes on the blocks. He averaged 19.5 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks and achieved 10 triple-doubles on the season for the 21-3 Bulldogs, who advanced all the way to the D1 North semifinals before bowing out to Lawrence.

Jacquil Taylor, Soph., Cambridge
At 6-foot-8, the sophomore was one of the state's most imposing forces in the paint. He has started every game in his two years on the Falcons' varsity, and has only blossomed under head coach Lance Dottin; after averaging nearly a double-double as a freshman (nine points, 10 rebounds), he turned in an even more impressive sophomore season, with 13.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.8 blocks as the Falcons won the Greater Boston League outright for the second year in a row. He has already amassed 166 blocks in his young career (including over 100 this year), and is a two-time GBL All-Star.

Noah Vonleh, Soph., Haverhill
Ranked the No. 23 overall player nationally in the Class of 2013 by ESPN, the 6-foot-7 Vonleh came into the season with a load of hype, and lived up to it in spite of the Hillies' struggles to a 7-13 record this season. Vonleh averaged 18.4 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks and earned Merrimack Valley Conference All-Star recognition. Kansas, Pitt and Boston College are among the early offers for Vonleh, but expect that list to get quite lengthy over the next six months.

COACH OF THE YEAR: SEAN CONNOLLY, ST. JOHN'S PREP
Yes, one of the North Shore's all-time schoolboy greats has had one of New England's top senior talents to work with the last three seasons. But this season, which culminated in the program's first state championship, was all about the role players. And between Steve Haladyna, Freddy Shove, Isaiah Robinson, Mike Carbone and Owen Marchetti, this season was about a different player stepping up every night to ease the load off superstar Pat Connaughton. For that, and to survive one of the most loaded Division 1 North brackets in recent history, Connolly deserves some credit.

RUNNERS-UP:
1. Paul Neal, Lawrence
2. Cory McCarthy, New Mission

FINALISTS:
Bill Daley, Westfield
Paul DiGeronimo, Fitchburg
Rey Harp, Northampton
Rick Kilpatrick, Acton-Boxborough
Sean McInnis, King Philip
Duane Sigsbury, Manchester-Essex
Malcolm Smith, East Boston

ALL-DEFENSIVE
G – Joe Bramanti, Sr., Andover
G – Luis Puello, Jr., Central Catholic
G – Akosa Maduegbunam, Jr., Charlestown
F/C – Jacquil Taylor, Soph., Cambridge
C – John Swords, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury

ALL-SHOOTERS
Pat Connaughton, Sr., St. John's Prep
Marco Coppola, Sr., Watertown
Alex Gartska, Sr., Westfield
John Henault, Sr., St. Bernard's
Jake Laga, Sr., Northampton

ALL-FRESHMAN
G – Jonathan Joseph, Brockton
G – Tyler Nelson, Central Catholic
G – Damion Smith, West Roxbury
F – Drew Shea, Medfield
F – Aaron Falzon, Newton North

BEST FANS
1. Northampton
2. St. John's (Shrewsbury)
3. Newton North
4. Central Catholic
5. St. John's Prep

(NOTE: Some headshots were provided by ESPN's Adam Finkelstein, courtesy of his New England Recruiting Report)

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- Nobody seemed to know too much about this gangly, shaggy-haired kid named Freddy Shove when the junior arrived on the St. John's Prep campus this past fall, fresh from Lynnfield High, to try out for the school's basketball team.

"I knew him from playing summer league, but other than that I had no idea," admitted Notre Dame-bound senior captain Pat Connaughton.

All the 6-foot-2 Shove offers on a given night is hustle -- granted, in bunches. And last night, in the most crucial moments of this massive Division 1 North semifinal tilt before a capacity crowd at Lawrence High, all those little things -- all those kamikaze crashes to the boards after every shot release -- added up to give the Eagles just enough to hold off and knock off defending D1 state champ Central Catholic, 63-60, to return to the TD Garden for a second straight appearance in the D1 North final.

Prep (22-1) now awaits the winner of tonight's Lawrence-Lynn English semifinal at Reading High, while Central ended its season 21-3.

"He's been like this for us all year," Prep head coach Sean Connolly said of Shove. "He works non-stop, he works as hard as anyone you'd expect. He goes full-out all the time."

Shove put in a season-best 15 points to go along with nine rebounds, helped catapult the Eagles along with Steve Haladyna (23 points) in a 12-0 second quarter run, and toiled in rotations against Central's big man, 6-foot-7 Assumption commit Jimmy Zenevitch (33 points, 13 rebounds). But he'll most be remembered for his efforts in the final 2:30 of game, in which he sandwiched a foul-drawing put-back in between two crucial offensive boards.

"Just crash the boards, make Zenevitch work," Shove said of his mentality tonight. "Zenevitch doesn't box out as well, but he grabs the rebounds because he's 6-foot-7. So, you have to look for the spots where he's not, and just hope the ball bounces that way, and just get behind the players and go for the ball."

Said Connaughton, "He's brought toughness. We had George Sessoms bring a lot of the toughness last year, and Freddy's brought it this year. He goes hard every single practice, every game, every single second of every single time he's on the floor. So that's huge to get us over the hump."

The Eagles turned in arguably their best defensive rotation of the night, with Shove on the floor, as the Raiders had 16 seconds out of a timeout to create a shot from behind the arc. With Luis Puello stalled off a high screen, and Jaycob Morales under heavy pressure out of a double, they ended up settling for their third option -- Zenevitch -- hucking up a contested 30-foot three-pointer that clanked as the buzzer sounded.

Meanwhile, Connaughton finished with 17 rebounds but a miserable 12 points on 5 of 23 from the field, including an unheard-of 0 for 9 in the fourth (a stanza for which he usually reserves his best performances) -- "I had a bad game, that's the bottom line," he said.

In his place, Haladyna -- who watched game film of his sub-par performance against the Raiders two weeks ago to get pumped up for tonight -- stepped up in a multitude of dimensions. First, he shook a defender in transition with a euro-step to spark a 12-0 run at the start of the second quarter. Then late in the third, he gave the Eagles their biggest lead of the night at 50-35, when he took a Mike Carbone inbounds pass, drew a foul on the way up to a successful floater, and hit the ensuing free throw.

"[Connolly] was on me real bad about that [last game]," Haladyna said. "So that definitely motivated me."

The and-one seemed to re-energize the Raiders, as they outscored Prep 25-13 the rest of the way. Freshman Tyler Nelson took a Zenevitch outlet and nailed a three in transition to cut the lead to eight, then cut it to as close as 57-56 with two made free throws. But in the waning minutes, and with a four-point lead, the Eagles used stall tactics and were able to reset the shot clock with crucial long rebounds by Shove and Isaiah Robinson.

"I said this at the end of last season -- they were going to be the No. 1 team headed into this year," Central head coach Rick Nault said of the Eagles, who entered both the preseason and postseason as the top overall squad in ESPNBoston's state-wide MIAA poll. "I said it again two weeks ago, and I'm saying it again now. They're the best team in the state.

"They're so well-coached. And it's not just all about Pat. I mean, Haladyna's a sensational player, he took it to us tonight. They had other kids step in, Shove had a tremendous night, he attacked Jimmy at will. They just have a lot of the right pieces, and they do all the little things so well."

Brendan Hall is a high school sports editor for ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter.

DANVERS, Mass. -- Freddy Shove clutched the basketball he had just wrestled away seconds ago and punched the air as he went to the line with 0.7 seconds left, his St. John's Prep squad ahead by two over No. 1 Central Catholic, and the navy-clad student section to the left of him screaming in euphoria.

For the first time in his career, and his head coach Sean Connolly's tenure at the Prep, the Eagles came away with a win over the Merrimack Valley powerhouse, gutting out a 72-70 win after the Raiders crawled back from a seven-point deficit with under three minutes left to take a brief lead with 50 ticks left. With the win, the Eagles (19-1) now await the result of tomorrow night's clash between Madison Park and No. 3 Cambridge (17-1), to find out whether they'll get the No. 1 overall seed in Division 1 North when the MIAA Tournament seedings are unveiled Friday morning.

Make no mistake, had 6-foot-5 sophomore Isaiah Robinson not deflected Jaycob Morales' inbounds pass with 3.8 seconds to go, unleashing a scrum that led to Shove scooping up the ball and drawing a foul, this could be an entirely different narrative.

"We were trying not to let an easy shot get off," said Robinson (eight rebounds). "I took to the pass when it came in, and it's history from there."

But don't get it twisted, either -- simply put, in the final 30 seconds of the game, Pat Connaughton happened.

The Prep's Notre Dame-bound, ESPNU 100 superstar quietly put together his umpteenth double-double of the season (23 points, 16 rebounds), but he'll most be remembered from this game for two plays he made in the final three possessions to carry the Eagles to victory.

First, with 23 seconds to go, Connaughton went to the hole on a play that was initially designed for him to hit running mate Steve Haladyna coming off a back screen. Instead, Connaughton ended up leaping to snatch a lob pass away from Luis Puello, dribbled to the middle of the paint, gathered and floated it at the rim.

"It was more like a hop step to get in between Puello and [center] Jimmy [Zenevitch], and then I kinda of rose up and just tried to concentrate on hitting the glass, and that was it," Connaughton said.

Ten seconds later, at the other end of the floor, Connaughton swatted the 6-foot-8 Zenevitch (32 points, nine rebounds) as he went to the hole, sending the home crowd into an uproar. Puello (12 points) fumbled his dribble on the ensuing inbounds pass, and he tugged the the ball with Prep's Mike Carbone (21 points) for a jump ball that gave Central possession again, and Morales (10 points) with the inbound with 3.8 seconds left. Both Connolly and Central head coach Rick Nault used a timeout before Robinson came up with the deflection to seal the game.

"It don't want to say it was like a last wind, but it was more like 'Alright, last two minutes, this is where the game's decided'," said Connaughton, who took the duties of matching up with Zenevitch all night. "And it just kinda came down to that [block]."

Said Connolly, "Pat made some big plays at the end, I mean he really stepped up. He took the game over for us at the end. You expect that out of someone like him."

The teams were tied at 55 apiece headed into the final frame, but the Eagles jumped out to a seven-point lead with a series of free throws, Connaughton hitting the first of two free throws to give them their second-largest lead of the game at 69-62 with 2:43 left.

But things quickly went south for Prep, as the Raiders (19-2) deployed a full-court man-to-man press to cause some turnovers and create some baskets around the rim with swift entry passes. The turning point, though, came when Zenevitch made a swat on Haladyna that very nearly looked like a goaltending call; Connolly, infuriated, turned to the refs to protest but was immediately hit with a technical foul.

Freshman Tyler Nelson (10 points) hit the two free throws, and the Raiders took a 70-69 lead with 1:17 left on a nice feed from Puello to Zenevitch.

"I was kinda going like this," Connolly said, feigning a brushing motion. "And I touched him, and he said because I touched him he called the T. So...I don't know, but it looked like a goal tend to me."

Connaughton tied it up at 70 by hitting the first of two free throws with 56 seconds left, and then came through with the heroics a handful of seconds later.

PLUGGING PUELLO

Last week, following the Raiders' buzzer-beating win over archrival Andover, Luis Puello was asked by an ESPNBoston reporter whether he expected to be assigned to Connaughton tonight, to which he responded, "Of course. I don't care if he's 6-7, you know what I mean, I'll play him all night. We'll see what happens."

On the soccer pitch, they might call Puello's defense of Connaughton "marking". The junior, considered one of the state's best on-ball defenders, followed Connaughton all over the floor wherever he wandered when the Raiders went to man-to-man sets. And while Connaughton ended up with a double-double, it wasn't without its share of troubles.

"He's got very quick feet, probably one of the best on-ball defenders I've ever seen in high school," Connolly said. "He makes it tough. I mean, you've got to work to score on Puello. He does a good job denying you, he's physical, moves his feet better than anyone I've ever seen. So I mean, he makes you work."

Said Connaughton, "Puello plays tough 'D'. He's always moving, and it's really kinda hard to get used to. I mean, he did a great job the entire game. I got the best of him at the last one, but really he played the best of anyone who's defended me all year."

CARDIAC CARBONE

With the Eagles holding a 36-31 lead at the half, but some of their key players like Haladyna in foul trouble, they turned to junior Michael Carbone for some big buckets in the third quarter. And boy did he deliver, scoring 11 points (two 3-pointers), knocking down all his free throws and going 3 of 4 from the field.

"Mike had a very good game. He's a tough kid," Connolly said. "He stepped up and made some big shots for us. I mean, he's been playing well. He did a very good job defending Morales, made him work the whole time, so he did a great job for us."

ANDOVER, Mass. -- Among all the sub-plots and side stories headed into the latest installment of this intense cross-river rivalry at Andover High, the most intriguing one might have been the one-on-one matchup between Andover's Joe Bramanti and Central Catholic's Luis Puello, widely considered two of the state's premier perimeter defenders.

No disrespect to the talented Bramanti, but Puello never looked at it that way. Never has, never will. Never puts these things on a pedestal.

"I don't really prepare for it, man. I just play defense," Puello smiled in his trademark bluntness. "I just play hard, I just play him straight up. I didn't really think about it too hard, except to just challenge every shot and contest him. That's about it."

So did he take this as a personal challenge?

"Of course, I take every challenge as a personal challenge," Puello said, quick to interrupt the reporter's follow-up question. "That's how I am. I'm competitive, whoever challenges right in front of me I'm going to try and beat him. That's about it.

"I don't care, I legit...I don't even take it as a role. I just do it. If you're the best player on the court, I'm guarding you. If you want to guard me, that's fine. But I won't let you score on me. If you're better than me, I'm going to work harder than you."

Suffice it to say the 6-foot junior made his mark in the Raiders' 59-56 win over Andover. He might be remembered most from this game for his beautiful dish to Jaycob Morales to set up the buzzer-beating three-pointer that silenced the raucous Golden Warrior crowd, but where he did most of his damage was in the six inches in front of Bramanti's face.

With his blank, focused stare, Puello picked up the ballcarrier Bramanti as soon as he took the inbounds pass, digging his chest into his opponent's upper torso; keeping his shoulders square; keeping his arms active; driving his hips; and keeping his hips open, shuffling with his man step for step wherever the 6-foot-3 swingman tried to go on the court.

Bramanti got his, finishing with a game-high 22 points. But Puello had clearly done his damage, dogging Bramanti into a 6 for 20 night from the field. Andover head coach Dave Fazio admitted Bramanti might have been a little worn out by the fourth quarter, after the Warriors stormed back with a 22-4 run.

"Yeah totally, and he’s a freaking warrior," Fazio said. "He’s got to cover, rebound, yeah totally, fatigue’s definitely a problem. I’ve got to do a better job of resting him. But the problem is, when the hell do you rest him? It’s hard. So we try to use timeouts to get him some water, but this is the horse we’ve got. And we’ve got to ride him, you know."

On the other side, Puello's own teammates found themselves praising Puello's defense -- yet again.

"He is the best on-ball defender in the state," Central head coach Rick Nault said. "I’ve said that for two years now. It’s just remarkable, his athleticism, his quickness, and Joe’s a tremendous player – he might have gotten 30 tonight, I don’t know. But he worked for every single point he got. Luis wants that assignment. He takes that as a personal challenge."

Said Morales, "I mean, I’ll be the first one to tell you, he’s the best defensive guard in the state. I may be in the minority, but I haven’t seen a guard who can defend like him. He gets into people, he makes people become a whole different person when he’s defending them."

He might know better than anybody else at the school, having first befriended Puello years ago during pickup games at the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence. That rivalry continues every day in practice -- one getting the better of the other one day, vice-versa the next -- and the chemistry is evident on the court.

But when it comes to that lateral quickness Puello uses to stay on his defenders, Nault says that's all on him.

"To be honest, there hasn’t been any development on our part –- it’s God-given," Nault said. "You know, we’ve spent a lot of time in practice, on him playing the ball. But in terms of teaching him how to defend, he’s learned that all on his own. He really has."

Puello says he "just want(s) another ring -- that what it's all about", alluding to a potential repeat as Division 1 state champions. While he's waiting, there will be ample opportunity the next seven days for a tune-up -- if not in his own battles with Morales, then in the ones looming from two teams ranked in the top 10 by ESPNBoston's state-wide MIAA poll.

The Raiders first look forward to this weekend's IAABO Board 130 Tournament on their home court, where a potential Monday final with No. 7 Lynn English looms. Should that pan out, one should expect Puello to badger the Bulldogs' Travonne Berry-Rogers, one of the North Shore's most physical playmakers. Then Wednesday night, in Danvers, it's a showdown with St. John's Prep and its Notre Dame-bound leader, ESPNU 100 shooting guard Pat Connaughton.

Asked if he expects to cover the 6-foot-4 Connaughton, Puello exclaimed, "Of course. I don't care if he's 6-7, you know what I mean, I'll play him all night. We'll see what happens."

Surely, he'll keep his feet active, and engage him in one of those trademark stare-downs, the ones with that Zen-like focus.

The trick to Zen, of course, is not thinking.

ANDOVER, Mass. -- Jaycob Morales wasn’t the first option, but he turned out to be the best option.

Thursday night’s boys basketball game between Andover High and Central Catholic was tied when Central coach Rick Nault called a timeout with 12.5 seconds remaining in regulation. Nault called a play designed for junior guard Luis Puello or 6-foot-7 senior Jimmy Zenevitch to take the final shot.

Andover had the play well-defended, however, and with time running out Morales launched a shot from behind the 3-point line that fell through the hoop as time expired to hand the Raiders a 59-56 victory.

“It wasn’t a shot that I was just praying to go in,” Morales said. “It felt good. I was happy with a shot like that, make or miss.

“You could say I’m not incredible (from three-point territory), but it’s more that I don’t shoot the ball as much. My team does have a lot of confidence in me, and that really helps me out with my shooting."

Morales finished with 10 points, including three 3-pointers.

“We didn’t want to run anything until there were eight seconds to go,” Nault explained. “I told Jaycob the first option was a handoff to Luis. Our first look was to create something one-on-one. Our second look was Jimmy on a dive.

“We knew the defense was going to collapse. I said, ‘Jaycob, your guy’s gonna sag. You’ve got that kick-out three at the buzzer.’ He made it.”

It was the second time Central Catholic has defeated Andover in three tries this season. The Raiders, the No. 1 team in ESPNBoston's MIAA Top 25 poll, raised their record to 17-1 overall, and 13-0 in the Merrimack Valley Conference.

Andover, which received 22 points from senior guard Joe Bramanti, dropped to 13-4 overall and 9-4 in the MVC.

“We did everything we’re supposed to do [on the final possession], and then we lose Morales in the corner,” Andover head coach Dave Fazio said. “They make a huge shot. They always make big plays. I feel bad for the kids. It’s their Senior Night, but it’s a learning experience for us. It doesn’t cost us anything because we couldn’t win the league anyway. It’s a pride game. It’s a Duke-North Carolina game."

He added, “I just put on the board: Victories tell you a little, defeats tell you a lot.”

Central Catholic received a game-high 26 points from Zenevitch. Puello finished with 12. Craig Luschenat tossed in 13 and was the only other Andover player to reach double figures.

“This rivalry is truly the best rivalry in the state in my opinion –- in terms of high school basketball,” Nault said. “It’s something special to the kids.”

Central Catholic held a 27-20 lead at halftime, but no one in the gym could have predicted what unfolded in the third quarter. Andover scored the first 18 points in the third. Central Catholic didn’t score until Morales made a 3-pointer with 1:22 left in the quarter.

Andover led 42-31 entering the fourth.

“I thought we played a very energetic first half,” Nault said. “In the third quarter we were very flat with emotion, and offensively there were a lot of guys standing around. We weren’t getting any ball movement. We weren’t getting guys in the post. We weren’t getting ball reversals, and we struggle when we do that.”

“When you’re down going into any quarter – especially the fourth – if you stay calm and trust in your team then you can pretty much do anything you want,” Zenevitch said.

Central Catholic went on a 17-2 run at the start of the fourth and led 48-44 with 5:12 to play. Zenevitch made two old-fashioned three-point plays during the spurt. He scored 14 of his 26 points in the fourth.

The Raiders led 56-53 after Zenevitch made his final field goal with just over a minute to play, but Andover tied the contest on a Luschenat 3-pointer with 56.8 seconds left. It remained that way until Morales connected on the 3-pointer that made him the game’s unlikely hero.

“The game is all tempo and momentum,” Fazio said. “It’s no excuse, but fatigue obviously plays a factor with our guys and our depth.

“The difference in the game is Zenevitch. We just can’t match up. We have to cheat, and when you cheat and you help other guys make you pay.”

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- The Central Catholic boys’ basketball team comes out of the locker room to Fat Joe’s 2006 platinum single, “Make it Rain”, and rightfully so. The Raiders, when on top of their game, shower teams with knuckle-up defense that greatly alters game plans; and coupled with a barrage of offensive weapons, going hard in the paint and draining rainbow threes, sends the opposition running for the nearest exit.

Although they jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first quarter, No. 14 Lawrence was bombarded in the second quarter, 29-7, and never regained the lead or came close, as pole position No. 1 Central Catholic defeated their cross-town rival 81-54.

“They gave us a punch in the mouth at the start of the game,” Central Catholic head coach Rick Nault said. “We got back up and responded; we gave them a punch in the mouth. I think our intensity dominates games on the defensive end.”

“I took it upon myself to play more defense,” said Central junior captain Luis Puello, who had four steals. “Especially since Jaylen Alicea (nine points) is such a great player, but I love the competition, that’s why I love playing him.”

Although Puello loves being competitive, he is humble, and defers to his teammates who are also adept at scoring -- even when he is hot. In the second quarter, when Central was opening up the game, Puello pitched the pill to freshman Tyler Nelson, who flushed two three-pointers that sent the Raiders’ stands going crazy for the baby-faced gunner.

“Me and Tyler had been playing all summer long,” Puello said. “As soon as he joined the team, I said ‘We have a good opportunity to win.’… Especially when I drive, I know they back off, or they try to help, but I know I’ve got my boy Tyler’s who’s going to hit the three automatically, and I always have confidence in him.”

“I know in the game, with players like Luis and Jaycob [Morales] being so aggressive,” said Nelson, “and being able to take it to the basket, that I was going to get open if they hedged a little bit, and I had my shot.”

Morales (six points, four assists) was being forceful, jawing back and forth with a Lawrence player, the two of them being cautioned by the referee to keep the play civil, but he relishes the gritty play and allows it to enhance his game.

“I’m an aggressive kid,” said Morales, who had four charges called against him. “So I like when someone comes at me, especially since I know almost every player on that basketball team personally, because I am from this town.”

Although he plays with vigor, as a senior point guard Morales has to maintain equanimity, and keep the flow of the game in favor of his team.

“Once we set up, no one is stopping us,” added Morales.

One of the team’s best set up men is 6-foot-7 senior Jimmy Zenevitch, who tallied 22 points and seven rebounds on the day. Some of his points came from looks his teammates gave him, but he also made the best use of offensive rebounds, banking some in off the glass.

“We are averaging 17 offensive rebounds a game,” said Zenevitch. “I think that’s one of the biggest reasons we are winning right now.”