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THE SUPER TEAM

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

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

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

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

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

BEST OF THE REST

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BOSTON, Mass. — Brockton will make its much-anticipated return to the Garden floor as the top-seeded Boxers displaced No. 2 seed Madison Park (19-3) with a 57-48 victory last night in the Div. 1 South finals at the Clark Athletic Center on the campus of UMass Boston.

The Boxers (22-2) held the Cardinals to 15 field goals at a 27.8 percent clip for the game, and clamped down hard in the final minute to set up a date with Charlestown, which knocked off Lexington in tonight's Div. 1 North final in Lowell, on Monday night.

“We’ve been waiting for a team like this to play defense against,” said Boxers head coach Bob Boen. “My big guys are getting tired of covering those 3-point players. They were very happy that they could stay in that lane and help out in what I call ‘normal’ defense with ‘normal’ help positions, instead of chasing guys out on the 3-point line.”

Sayvonn Houston had 13 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks while holding Cardinals’ big man Dakim Murray to eight points — seven of those coming in the first half.

“I just had to keep my hands up,” said the 6-foot-6 Houston. “They have a lot of size and rebounders, so I knew I had to get in position, box out and rebound.”

Will Baker, Jaylen Blakely and Jamal Reuben took care of the perimeter defense as they got in the passing lane on sever plays in the final two-plus minutes of regulation.

“We just wanted to get to every ball,” said Baker. “Coach told us to work hard and we just wanted to play aggressively. That’s what coach told us right before the game and that was the game plan.”

Stewart in Foul Trouble: David Stewart has meant so much to Madison Park on the defensive and offensive ends of the court this season, and in the biggest game of the season he could only sit and watch for the majority of the game with foul trouble.

He picked up two fouls in the first half and picked up two more in the third quarter a good 80 feet from his own basket to slow down any kind of flow he had with his game.

“Foul trouble and a couple of chippy fouls," said Cardinals head coach Dennis Wilson. "I wasn’t happy about that.”

Boen was planning on taking on both Murray and Stewart for the majority of the game, especially after seeing the success the two had against Franklin in the first half of the previous round.

“They needed both of their big guys,” said Boen. “Both big guys together were giving us a lot of trouble. When one or the other was out we relaxed a little, and we relaxed a little bit too much I think.”

When Stewart was able to stay in the game he made all the difference for Madison Park to keep things close. Stewart had 10 of the Cardinals 11 points in the third quarter and he finished with 16 in the second half after only having a single free throw in the first half.

Baker Steps Up: Baker might be the second point guard that comes into the game for the Boxers, but the ball was left in his hands in the second half as his team was trying to stave off the Cardinals.

“He got the game moving. We got off to a good start, we slowed down and then William came in and got us rolling again.”

Added Baker: “That’s what my role is. My role is to get opportunity for teammates when they are open.”

Baker -- who also added seven assists and four steals — picked off a pass on the opening possession of the second quarter and put it off the glass on the other end. Baker also set up Drew Fiske for a 3-pointer off a good dribble penetration and found Houston a couple times in the second half as he was able to create off the dribble.

Last month, prior to the MIAA Basketball Tournament seedings, I listed a number of teams in each division to be considered true contenders for the state championship. One week later, on the first day of the MIAA tournament, I went a little deeper and made my predictions for each of the 14 boys basketball brackets.

Conveniently, this has been one of the wildest MIAA tournaments in recent years. Last night, No. 1 seeds Central Catholic and North Andover went down in their respective brackets; that adds to a number of other contenders getting knocked out, including King Philip, Cardinal Spellman, Falmouth, Catholic Memorial, BC High, Holy Name and Manchester-Essex.

The next 48 hours figure to be just as crazy. We'll be covering all 12 of Saturday's North and South sectional finals, as well as Sunday's Division 1 Central final between St. John's (Shrewsbury) and St. Peter-Marian, so be sure to stick with us throughout the weekend.

For now, I've gone back and hit the reset button on my pre-tournament picks. Here's how I think Saturday and Sunday's slate will turn out.

(NOTE: Division 4 Finals are being played tonight)

BOYS PICKS

Division 1 North
Charlestown (19-4) vs. Lexington (17-7)
Nobody could have predicted this for a final -- and if you did, I have a time warp I'd like to sell you. After some early struggles, the Minutemen have picked up the slack under second-year coach Reggie Hobbs, beating Boston Latin, Westford and Acton-Boxborough in succession to get here. But with Central Catholic and A-B out of the way, the Townies have a clearer path. Expect another big game from Tyrese Hoxter and Co. Pick: Charlestown

Division 2 North
Wakefield (17-6) vs. Brighton (19-4)
Reports of Brighton's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Once thought to be stumbling following the loss of star forward Nick Simpson and subsequent early exit from City Championships, the Bengals have roared to life behind Daivon Edwards and Malik James. Ditto for Wakefield, which came into this tournament a mystery, but has suddenly put the state on notice after knocking off No. 1 overall seed North Andover last night. Pick: Brighton

Division 3 North
Danvers (18-4) vs. Saugus (14-9)
I said this was Danvers' bracket to lose at the beginning of this tournament, and the Falcons have done nothing to prove me otherwise. Saugus beat red-hot Arlington Catholic by 16 last night to advance to the finals, but I still think George Merry will provide too much of a matchup problem. Pick: Danvers

Division 1 South
Brockton (21-2) vs. Madison Park (19-2)
True, the MP Machine is the No. 2 seed in this bracket, but how many predicted the Cardinals would make it this far? Brockton has had some close calls, such as Wednesday's semifinal win over Newton North. But as they showed in their quarterfinal against Catholic Memorial, they can turn it on in a snap. The key here might come down to depth, where I think the Boxers hold an advantage. Excited to see the big-man matchup between Brockton's Sayvonn Houston and MP's Dakim Murray -- two true post players who are among the region's most physical. Pick: Brockton

Division 2 South
Stoughton (19-4) vs. Hopkinton (17-6)
Beware Hopkinton's dribble-drive motion. Just ask King Philip, which succumbed to the Hillers in last year's D2 South Final and again in this year's quarterfinals. We all know about Stoughton's athletic prowess, spearheaded by one of the state's best backcourts in juniors Aaron Calixte and Marcus Middleton. But do not sleep on the Hillers' point guard Barrett Hanlon, a two-time Tri-Valley League MVP who has been terrific this postseason. Pick: Stoughton

Division 3 South
Wareham (23-0) vs. Martha's Vineyard (21-2)
Between Wareham's dogged waterbug point guard Darien Fernandez and Vineyard's electric junior Jack Roberts, this could be one of the day's fastest games. The Vikings are constantly uptempo -- and have one of the state's best lead guards in Fernandez, to do the damage -- while the Vineyarders can run off points in bunches pretty quickly. The key might come down to foul trouble -- Tyler Gomes was the star for Wareham in the semifinals, but they can't afford to have Fernandez on the bench for long stretches again. Pick: Wareham

Division 1 Central
St. John's of Shrewsbury (18-5) vs. St. Peter-Marian (19-5)
If St. John's wins again, for an unprecedented fifth straight Central Mass. title, they may have to rename this tournament the Bob Foley Memorial Bracket. Again and again, Foley's troops have proven that no matter the personnel, bodies graduated, or overall record, they can win out as long as they get in. SPM's Matt Mobley will likely command a sophisticated defensive look, which is why the Guardians' bigs like Steve Flynn and Brian Foley are going to need to be in peak form. Pick: St. John's

Division 2 Central
Quabbin (20-3) vs. St. Bernard's (14-10)
Once one of the state's few remaining unbeatens, Quabbin lost three games but won the Clark Tournament to give themselves some momentum headed into this bracket. It's paid off, as the Panthers have beaten opponents by an average of 24 points in the tournament. Either way, this should be a terrific coaching matchup, between Quabbin's Dennis Dextradeur and St. Bernard's Mark Pierce. Pick: Quabbin

Division 3 Central
Whitinsville Christian (16-5) vs. Littleton (18-6)
Another bracket where I initially pegged a top seed as an overwhelming favorite, and nothing has convinced me to think otherwise. Sorry Littleton, but WC has been playing some of its best basketball, beating each of its opponents by 17 points or more in this tournament. Pick: Whitinsville Christian

Division 1 West
Springfield Central (21-1) vs. Springfield Commerce (16-6)
In these two teams' first matchup, Central survived a tough one, 52-43. When they met three weeks ago, Tyrell Springer nailed four 3-pointers in the second quarter and Central blew out the Red Raiders by nearly 40. I don't think that will happen again, but like Brockton, Central can turn it up in a hurry -- just ask West Springfield, which led Central by three after the first quarter of Wednesday's semifinal, only to lose by 27. Pick: Springfield Central

Division 2 West
South Hadley (13-9) vs. Mahar (19-3)
South Hadley's nine losses are misleading. They earned the No. 2 overall seed in this field, and beat their first two opponents by an average of 17 points. Can Mahar, which survived an overtime thriller to get here, buck the Tigers' trend? Pick: South Hadley

Division 3 West
St. Joseph Central (18-5) vs. Lee (18-5)
This is a St. Joe's team that nearly beat Holy Name back in December, and while I admit I haven't seen too much of this field, I like their chances. An average margin of victory of 26 points so far in this tournament backs this assertion up. Pick: St. Joseph Central

GIRLS PICKS

Division 1 North
Andover (24-0) vs. Masconomet (20-3)
Again, as good as Masco has been in this tournament -- getting Super Team production out of William & Mary signee Brooke Stewart, and great complimentary play from junior Claudia Marsh -- the freight train that is Andover and All-Everything guard Nicole Boudreau will continue to roll its way through. But unlike some of the Golden Warriors' earlier tournament results, I expect the Chieftains to throw haymakers and take the Warriors to the ropes. Pick: Andover

Division 2 North
Reading (22-0) vs. Arlington Catholic (21-3)
Another juggernaut matchup in the fold here. Both teams have gone through some dominant stretches, and AC is the defending state champion here. But the Rockets are a year wiser after last season's disappointing end, and behind Olivia Healy and Morgan O'Brien this team rattles off points in bunches. Pick: Reading

Division 3 North
Pentucket (20-4) vs. Ipswich (18-4)
Win or lose, this is a major step forward for the Ipswich program under head coach Mandy Zegarowski. Unfortunately, their reward is running into the Pentucket machine. Sachems are rolling on defense, allowing just 28 points per game in the playoffs with an average margin of victory of 27 points. So tell me...what's new? Pick: Pentucket

Division 1 South
Franklin (21-2) vs. Braintree (21-2)
Led by senior Paige Marshall, Braintree is playing arguably the state's most inspired defense. Consider the Wamps allowed just eight points -- that's eight points total -- in their first-round win, and are allowing just 22.6 points per game and the playoffs. Will that be enough for Catie Phelan to overcome, or are the defensive stats misleading? Pick: Braintree

Division 2 South
Scituate (23-0) vs. Natick (18-5)
Will Lady Luck run out on Natick, or are the Red and Blue better than we projected? Either way, this is one tough Scituate squad they're about to encounter. The Lady Sailors haven't allowed an opponent to get out of the 30's in nearly a month, and routinely pick up 40 or more rebounds a game. Pick: Scituate

Division 3 South
Archbishop Williams (20-5) vs. Fairhaven (21-2)
Kara Charette will get her points for Fairhaven, but we have to wonder if it it will be enough to overcome Archies' size, which is among the state's biggest. The Bishops are green, but talented, and are playing some terrific defense right now. Pick: Archbishop Williams

Division 1 Central
Holy Name (22-0) vs. Wachusett (17-5)
After some close calls, Holy Name's magical season lives on. The Mountaineers might be Holy Name's toughest opponent to date, and are one of the region's longest. Look for the Naps to key on Bri Schnare and Shannon Holt. Pick: Wachusett

Division 2 Central
Tyngsborough (21-1) vs. Nashoba (20-2)
The top two seeds of this bracket go head-to-head, and it's hard to tell which team has been more dominant so far. The Tigers, who have allowed just 30 points a game in this bracket; or Nashoba, which has had an easier path but has won each game by double-digits. Probably can't go wrong with this one. Pick: Tyngsborough

Division 3 Central
Sutton (19-4) vs. Hopedale (18-4)
Another matchup that is even on paper. But when you knock off Quaboag, that's big points in my book. Pick: Sutton

Division 1 West
Holyoke (20-2) vs. Longmeadow (15-7)
5-foot-2 point guard Monique Heard is the most exciting player nobody in Eastern Mass. is talking about, and a potential Super Team candidate for Holyoke. I like a good story as much as the next scribe. Let's keep this one rolling. Pick: Holyoke

Division 2 West
Mahar (21-1) vs. Palmer (18-4)
Another matchup pitting the bracket's top two seeds against one another. Mahar has survived some gutsy close calls to get here, but beware of Palmer's stingy defense, which is allowing 32 points per game. Pick: Mahar

Division 3 West
Lenox (18-4) vs. Sabis (19-5)
Sabis no doubt has revenge on its mind -- and some unfinished business -- after coming up short in this bracket last year following a dominant regular season. But any time you knock off Lee -- the region's top seed, and the golden standard for Western Mass. small-school basketball since the 1980's -- that's big points in my book. Pick: Lenox

BOSTON -- Correspondent Lucas Shapiro has highlights from last night's Division 1 South semifinals, at UMass-Boston's Clark Athletic Center.

Brockton beat Newton North, 49-44, in the first game. In the second game, Madison Park survived a furious Franklin rally to win 63-60. Both teams will face each other in the D1 South Final on Saturday night at this same venue.

BOSTON -- The play was ironically labeled “victory,” and Franklin ran it almost perfectly against Madison Park on the final possession of the MIAA boys’ South sectional basketball Tuesday night at UMass-Boston's Clark Athletic Center.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, everything worked except the shot, allowing Madison Park to escape with a thrilling 63-60 win.

The final play was one the Panthers practiced many times during the course of the season, never actually knowing whether they would need to use it.

Brendan Skidmore, a senior who had already drilled three long bombs, ran his Madison Park defender off a screen at one end of the floor while the clock stood stuck at 1.3 seconds. Russ Haddad cradled the ball at the other, ready to throw an inbounds pass the entire length of the court once Skidmore scampered free.

Franklin trailed 63-60, had trailed almost the entire game, had come storming back like an angry girlfriend looking for the final word in a heated argument, and Skidmore’s desperation turnaround was the Panthers’ final chance at overtime.

The sharp-shooter gained a sliver of separation, caught Haddad’s pass, turned toward the basket from 30 feet away and let loose a prayer.

“I didn’t even get a glimpse of the hoop. I just caught it and threw it up there,” he said.

“I thought it was in. I thought we were going to have to go for another five minutes,” Madison Park center Dakim Murray explained.

“Heart pumping, stroke city, and I’m looking, and I said, ‘No, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Madison Park coach Dennis Wilson added.

But the last ditch attempt fell inches short, bounding off the front rim. And so Madison Park narrowly advanced to the South sectional finals.

The game never seemed destined for such a critical moment. But that was before Franklin clawed its way back from a 21-point deficit. Before the Panthers discovered a way to keep Madison Park’s bruising big men, Dakim Murray and David Stewart, from dominating the paint. Before Skidmore hit a clutch three with 2.0 seconds left to bring Franklin within 62-60, and before Stewart was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass and hit one of two free throws, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.

“When we were up 20, I thought we were just going to cruise through. But nothing’s easy in states, as you can see,” said Murray, who finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

After ending the first quarter with a 14-11 lead, Madison Park owned the second quarter and took a 35-19 lead into intermission.

The 6-foot-4 Murray and his partner in interior domination, the 6-foot-3 Stewart (25 points, 10 rebounds), were critical to Madison Park’s fast start. The bruisers combined for 48 points and 21 rebounds, setting a physical tone from the tip off.

Franklin played mostly 2-3 zone defense in the first half, expecting that the strategy would force Madison Park into shooting outside jumpers. The Panthers were attempting to hide their clear size disadvantage, but it wouldn’t be that easy. The Cardinals exhibited poise while moving the ball inside to their work horses, foregoing outside jumpers in favor of higher-percentage looks.

“We practiced a lot against 2-3 defense and zone because we knew they weren’t too big and they’d have to go zone," Murray said. "If they were going to man us, me and my twin tower, D-Stew, would have just killed them –- killed them –- inside. But somehow, God willing, we still killed them."

“I probably stayed in [the zone defense] too long,” said Franklin coach Dean O’Connor. “We’re a man team. In the second half we started cranking up the pressure and getting them away from the basket more. Zone, I figured they’d get more outside shots, but we’re undersized in there and we just couldn’t box their guys out.

“That was the story of the game, the offensive rebounds and the putbacks. Dakim killed us in there, and Stewart. We’re undersized. We’re playing a power forward that’s 6-foot-1, 165 pounds against those guys, so...”

The effects were slow to kick in when Franklin switched out of the zone defense following halftime. Madison Park continued to feed their two pillars down low, building a 44-23 with four minutes left in the third quarter.

But Franklin’s hard man-to-man pressure began to take its toll. The Panthers slowly chipped away, then seized momentum fully while closing the third quarter with a 7-0 run.

Jason McKie ended the quarter by drawing two consecutive charging violations.

“Jason had like four or five charges the whole game," said Sam Bohmiller, who paced Franklin with 19 points and five assists. "He’s been doing that all year. That’s what he does. He’s huge for us. Taking charges is a huge momentum swing."

By the time three minutes passed off the clock in the fourth quarter, Franklin had already used its fierce full-court press and suddenly-falling jump shots to pull within 50-48.

Madison Park answered with four straight points to make it 54-48, but after digging out of its own grave, Franklin wasn’t prepared to die again. The Panthers quickly clawed back to within two at 56-54, and had a chance to tie or take the lead with two minutes left. But a lefty scoop shot by Joe Palazini (15 points) missed its mark and Madison Park maintained its slim margin.

With all the quit of a 92-year old working the same construction job for 70 years, Franklin continued to knock relentlessly on the door of a glorious comeback. Skidmore drilled a triple from the corner with 46.9 seconds left to bring the Panthers within one, 58-57, the closest the score had been since the first quarter.

But again, Madison Park’s offensive rebounding emerged as a factor. The Cardinals rebounded their own misses on two consecutive sets of free throws, ultimately being fouled three different times on the same possession while pushing the lead to 61-57.

Franklin missed a three on the ensuing possession, Matthews hit one out of two free throws, and the comeback finally seemed to have lost all its air.

But Skidmore drilled a triple from the corner with 2.0 seconds left, making the score 62-60, Stewart split a pair of charity shots (63-60), and O’Connor used the ensuing timeout to call the team’s “victory” play.

Everything worked except the shot.

“They’re disappointed, but I think even inside that once the hurt goes away -– by the time we get on that bus -– they’re going to be proud of the way they fought. How can’t you be?” said O’Connor.

Brockton up next: With the win, Madison Park advances to meet Brockton in the South Division 1 finals on Saturday at UMass Boston.

“Brockton’s real tough -– real tough. But it’s go hard or go home. I’m a senior. I have to make it to the Garden,” said Murray, referring to the TD Garden, annual site of the state's Eastern Mass. Finals.

A season to be proud of: During his 13 years coaching basketball at Franklin, O’Connor never had a team quite like this year’s.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this team. We lost our first three games, then we won 19 out of our last 20, with a team that had three guys that played at all last year,” said O’Connor. “Nobody thought we were going to be anything this year. These seniors came together and they played with a lot of heart, chemistry. We’ve got some skill too, but that was the key. This is the best –- the team that gets it the most of any team I’ve ever coached.”

O'Connor's star point guard, Bohmiller, still felt the pain of defeat afterward, but admitted that his team surpassed expectations.

“Coming into the season, no one thought we’d make the South semifinals. So we just proved those people wrong. It was a hell of a season, and I’m going to miss it,” he said.

ROXBURY, Mass. -- East Boston did not take possession of the ball first in overtime, but the buzzer-beating shot by Kenny Ramos was all she wrote, as the Jets come from behind to beat Madison Park by one, 60-59, taking Boston City League Championship after losing in the finals to Charlestown a year ago.

“I told this team earlier this game was going to come down to the last 38 seconds,” said East Boston coach Malcolm Smith. “I didn’t know it would be 35 seconds.”

In regulation, the Jets were down 50-47 when Zack Gattereau hit a trey with 7.1 seconds left on the clock to tie the game up at 50. Madison was unable to score on the following possession so overtime was called. Madison got the ball first and quickly went up 54-50 after scores from Rashawn Matthews and David Stewart.

Senior Dakim Murray had been coming up big for the Cardinals all game (18 points, 11 rebounds), but picked up his fifth foul, a hack on Ramos, with 2:54 remaining in the overtime period. Ramos made his two free throws to put the Jets within two.

Less than a minute later, Ramos tied the game up at 54 with two minutes left. An MP timeout at 1:47 got Madison Park back on track, as Joy hit another two after the ball bounced around for a bit. Unrelentless, Ramos came back and tied the game at 56 with 1:15 to go, but Joy had the hot hand for MP and drained a tre with 1:00 to go in the game to make it 59-56, advantage Madison. This would be Madison’s last score of the game.

Eastie’s Will March scored off of a Kenny Ramos assist to put the Jets within one with 34 seconds left. Madison Park could not score on the following possession, and with the ball moving around the court, senior Kyle Fox was able to swipe the ball, giving Kenny Ramos a chance to sink a shot with the clock ticking down to send the East Boston cheering section into an uproar and capture the city title.

Everybody played their role and the East Boston players and fans embraced at the end of the court near their bench to celebrate their comeback 60-59 victory on Madison’s home court.

Fourth Quarter: Going into the fourth, Madison was up by four at 39-35. They would maintain the lead after exchanging baskets with East Boston until Eastie’s Kyle Fox hit a three-pointer to tie up the game at 45 with 2:05 left in the game. Madison’s Joy came back for a quick pull up jumper to regain the lead for MP at 47-45.

After exchanging possessions and Ramos missing two free throws, he was finally able to get a score to tie the game up again, but Madison’s David Stewart quickly got MP back ahead at 49-47 with 40 seconds left in regulation. A Rashawn Matthews trip to the free throw line netted only one shot, leaving enough space for Zack Gattereau’s three pointer to send the game into OT.

“I have the whole team run when he does that,” said Smith of Gattereau’s three point shot.

Smith likened it to Kobe Bryant taking a three when he comes down court. Usually the entire Jets team runs when this happens, so Smith was not feeling good when the shot went up.

“I was screaming no when he let it go," Smith said. "But Zack’s got a lot of confidence in what he does and that was nothing but bottom of the net.”

Although Gattereau was confident, he admits that he was not the first option. The possession was drawn up for Kyle Fox, but with his practice in the morning, the ability to sink the key bucket came to Gattereau.

“I was praying this morning, so I feel like God blessed me,” Gattereau said.

Todo Corazon: Scoring eight out of the final ten points in overtime to lead your team to victory is a feat few could physically pull off, but the psychology and mental energy exerted by Kenny Ramos in the last minutes of the game is what gave East Boston that victory.

“That was all heart,” said Ramos. “That’s East Boston basketball at it’s finest.”

The other two points in OT came from March, who has a history with Ramos.

“We’re good friends, we go back in AAU since eighth grade,” said March. “I just had to help my boy Kenny out.”

ROXBURY, Mass. -- Madison Park came from behind 54-51 to start the fourth quarter and swung the game six points to finish out the Brighton Bengals 67-64 on their home court to advance to tomorrow's Boston City Championship final against East Boston.

"These guys exemplify MP heart, MP character, MP pride, MP find-a-way-to-win," said Madison Park coach Dennis Wilson of his squad.

Wilson admitted that this bunch may not have as much raw talent as he has seen in the past, the intangible factor of resilience is strong within this cohort, and it was exemplified in the fourth quarter.

O’Shea Joy tied up the game with a three pointer to begin the fourth (22 points on the night, five 3-pointers), but Brighton was quickly back up by 3 after a score by Jerad Mayers and a free throw by Theo Oribhabor. A steal by Dane Lawladownie and a three point-play by Rayshawn Matthews would give tie it up for the Cardinals, and a free throw by Stewart at 5:39 and a bucket at 5:00 would put MP up 60-57, a lead that they would not let go of from there in.

Brighton’s Malik James scored a free throw with 4:40 left, but banging in the post, MP’s David Stewart drew a foul and made one free throw putting the Cardinals back up by three with 4:30 left. Brighton Daivon Edwards scored a two to make it a one-point game, but again, Madison’s Stewart scored a deuce to make the game 63-60 and 57 seconds later Joy hit a basket to put Madison ahead 65-60 with 2:10 left in the match.

Brighton’s Tre Dowman scored down low then Harper hit two free throws with 1:39 left to bring the Bengals within one at 65-64 and a fighting chance at retaking the lead with a turnover. Instead, Madison’s Matthews scored a crucial baseline drop with a minute left. Brighton came back down the court letting the ball rain, but shot after shot failed to fall. At :16.2, a Brighton shot went off a Madison player giving them the ball and a fresh chance to tie it up.

Instead of Oribhabor’s shot falling and Brighton taking the game to OT, Matthews grabbed another rebound down low. Failing to score on the possession, Brighton had one final chance to tie the game up, but the nearly half court shot made it close to the hop but did not kiss the net, preserving MP’s 67-64 victory and a shot at donning the Boston City League crown.

Get It Done: Located in the heart of Roxbury, Wilson is used to seeing great talent come through his doors -- some his players, some coming to Madison Park for recreational play. This year, Wilson says that there is even less talent on his roster than in previous years, but he had adapted a slogan that fits a scrappy team well.

“Get It Done”, says Wilson of his team’s motto for the season. “It ain’t about a star studded cast, it’s about dudes that step up and get it done.”

Ball So Hard: A 5-foot-10 guard playing the post and grabbing rebounds? Yes.

MP captain Rashawn Matthews may not have had a height advantage today, but taking a cue from the “Get It Done” campaign started by coach Wilson, Matthews was able to pull in seven rebounds and score 10 points on the day, including five of his team’s 16 in the fourth quarter.

“I knew in order for us to be competitive in this game, we were going to have to box out because they had a couple of big boys and they get a lot of offensive rebounds.”

With Madison Park beating Charlestown to clinch the final berth, next week's Boston City Championships have been finalized.

Below is the schedule for next week's championships, to be held Wednesday through Friday at Madison Park High:

WEDNESDAY - GIRLS SEMIFINALS
Fenway vs. New Mission, 4
O'Bryant vs. Madison Park, 5:30

THURSDAY - BOYS SEMIFINALS
Brighton vs. Madison Park, 4
East Boston vs. New Mission, 5:30

FRIDAY - FINALS
Girls Final, 5
Boys Final, 6:30

CHARLESTOWN, Mass. -- Madison Park entered its rematch with Charlestown as underdogs and for the first two and a half quarters it played the role.

But a late physical push, and a dominant scoring effort by David Stewart, led to a thrilling comeback victory that would remind people who had won the previous battle between the Boston City North rivals. Trailing for the first 22 minutes of the game, the Cardinals flipped the switch late on host Charlestown to roll to a 61-57 comeback win.

With both teams entering yesterday with two division losses, and East Boston (13-4) a game ahead of each, the MP Machine (15-2, 10-2) grabs the division's second spot and advances to face Boston City South leader No. 5 Brighton (16-2) in the City League tournament semifinals.

“The amazing machine,” said MP coach Dennis Wilson. “No where near the talent of the (2007 or 2010) teams. We emphasized defense and that was the key for us to being successful.”

Despite a dominant 81-68 triumph the first time the two teams played, MP entered the day recovering from 68-42 loss to Eastie, while No. 9 Charlestown (14-4, 9-3) rolled in with an eight-game win streak, including a 73-65 besting of the Jets. The Cardinals played like the lesser team for the first three quarters, but showed the same ability to eliminate second efforts late as they had done throughout the entire previous game.

Trailing 41-38 with three minutes left in the third quarter, MP scored 12 straight points by forcing turnovers and motioning quick baskets to Stewart. A rebound by Rayshaw Matthews was tossed to fellow senior Dakim Murray to put the Cardinals up 50-43 with 5:20 left in the game.

“I said 'Fellas it is a big game for both teams, but we have to relax and play ball',” said Wilson. “I knew they were preparing for our 1-2-1 trap so I would switch out of that and go to a 2-3 matchup and then I would go into a 1-2-2 extended. (We were) creating turnovers through defense and creating offense through defense.”




After dropping four points, MP flustered the Townies' passers again for another eight straight to go up 58-47 with two minutes remaining. With leading Townies rebounder junior Tyrik Jackson (eight boards) on the bench, Murray bodied the opposition to tip in a pair and start the streak.

A midcourt steal by Stewart set up an open layup for the junior to place the Cardinals up 58-47 with two minutes left. Stewart led the game in scoring with 32 points and nine rebounds.

“They only have one big man and when their big man came out we took over,” said Stewart. “We were crashing the boards and getting touches inside.”

Charlestown put pressure on MP late when a stolen pitch by junior Tyrese Hoxter lead to an eight point run of its own. Three turnovers on the Cardinals inbound put the score at 60-56 with 40 seconds left.

However Matthews grabbed a pair of rebounds and hit three foul shots to put the game out of reach.

“When we were moving the basketball, everything was flowing and their defense was not shifting fast enough,” said Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso. “When we start holding the ball too much their defense got the chance to rest and close us out.”

Charlestown burst out early by scoring the first seven points of the game, including a trey by senior Rony Fernandez off a screen, but gradually blew their lead to three quick counter-layups from Stewart. As was the case most of the night, the Townies showed signs of superior athleticism, but struggled to hold a margin when Stewart went on a run.

Murray had eight in both points and rebounds for MP, while senior Omar Orriols fronted the Townies offense with 12 points, six blocks and five rebounds. The Cardinals out rebounded Charlestown 33 to 25 in the teams' first matchup and came with a similar intensity the second time around for a 32 to 22 advantage.

“To come out with a win against a talented team like that is a credit to these kids,” said Wilson. “If we come with heart and we play smart, everything will take care of itself.”

EAST BOSTON, Mass. -- Sometimes it's just a matter of getting back to basics, and doing what you do best.

In the case of the East Boston boys basketball team, what they do best is play defense. The Jets know they won't fill up a stat sheet in the offensive end. What head coach Malcolm Smith loves to see, however, is numbers spilling into the margins in the turnover column and at least an even matchup in the rebounding section.

No. 21 Eastie rediscovered its dogged, defensive mentality at the right time, forcing 26 turnovers in a 68-42 victory over No. 22 Madison Park Thursday night at East Boston High.

It was a big win for the Jets (12-4) on a number of fronts. First, it puts them up by a game atop the Boston City League's North division ahead of both Madison Park (12-2) and Charlestown, giving them an edge for one of the division's two spots for the upcoming City playoffs. It also wipes away the bad taste of Tuesday's 73-66 loss to the Townies.

And finally, this win was about Eastie getting back to the roots of what has made it a successful basketball team.

"It was a reality check for us on Tuesday night over at Charlestown, in terms of us being a family, us having to fight to the finish and not taking possessions off," admitted Smith. "The bottom line is, it took 15 games for us to realize we're a family, that we need every single person on this team to contribute, both defensively and offensively."

Missing a pair of regulars meant that contributions had to come from everywhere at both ends of the floor. Zack Gattereau led the offense with 15 points, Kyle Jimenez-Fox added 13 and Kenny Ramos chipped in with 12. Defensively, led by Travon Moore and a strong effort off the bench from Algino Jean, the Jets forced 11 of the 26 turnovers in the first quarter and out-rebounded the bigger Cardinals, 36-35.

Gattereau was big in the first half, dropping a 3-pointer at the end of a 12-1, first quarter run and scoring 11 of his 15 in the first 16 minutes. The MP Machine was able to cut the deficit to four points (22-18) midway through the second, but Eastie closed out the half with six free throws and an 11-5 spurt for a 33-23 advantage at the break.

"We were shorthanded this game because we didn't have all of our players so all of us had to bring extra intensity on the defensive end and that's what we did, turn defense to offense easily," Gattereau said. "I was just trying to get offensive boards to get me going and hope my teammates would find me after that."

The Cardinals appeared ready to rally in the third, but every time they put a couple of baskets together, Jimenez-Fox was there to knock down an open three. He did so three times, and each trey put the Jets back up by double digits.

"Our objective was to just play hard and the way we prepared in practice," Jimenez-Fox said. "We had to fast break to beat this team. We weren't trying too many set plays. Our guards were driving down the middle and the wings would collapse and they kicked it out to the wing and I was wide open."

Strong defense makes for a happy coach: Smith couldn't but help smile after watching his squad turn in a superlative defensive performance. The Jets mixed parts of a 1-3-1 zone with a lot of basic man-on-man defense and timely trapping in the corners with great success.

And it was truly a team effort. Six players had at least four rebounds, Gattereau added to his offensive night by keeping close tabs on MP big man Dakim Murray (six points, 12 boards), and everyone on the floor seemed to have a steal or at least be in the mode of disrupting Madison's flow.

"Travon Moore brings more defensive flair than anybody and more grit and inten sity, and Algino Jean came off the bench and sparked our defense tremendously today," Smith praised. "Those two were big and Charles Hines, a sophomore, came off the bench and got a key steal. The thing I'm more proud of than anything, it was 85 percent man to man today and that right there showed the grit of this team."

"I don't usually celebrate wins or get too gassed up about them, but this one felt very good," he continued. "Not just because it was a rivalry but because we got back to being who we were."

Lamenting a tough night: Madison Park coach Dennis Wilson is a veteran of the hardcourt wars, and he has been on both sides of the coin more times than even he would care to count over the years.

David Stewart led all scorers with 17 points and six rebounds and Rayshaw Matthews added 13, but Wilson found very little on the positive side to take away from this loss.

The Cardinals now have to beat Snowden and then capture a rematch with a resurgent Charlestown if they want to reach the City playoffs.

"They are a very aggressive team, they play hard they come at you and you have to be able to deal with that, keep your composure, find open people, attack the basket," Wilson explained. "We didn't do that. We lost our composure. We started off pretty good and then we fell apart, throwing the ball away. Last time I checked, we were wearing burgundy, they were wearing white. We were throwing it to white shirts. We panicked."

"Nobody played well. Nobody," he continued. "We didn't box, we threw the ball away, we didn't attack the basket, we didn't defend, we didn't do anything right. So all we can do, and sometimes good teams have days like that. I'm hoping we got it out of our system. We'll file this away, everyone will be honest with themselves and realize they didn't play well."

We've updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 Boys Basketball poll this afternoon, and as in every other week, the merry-go-round continues.

With Catholic Memorial beating St. John's Prep by 25, BC High beating CM by two, and the Prep turning around and beating BC by 13, the Catholic Conference race is officially airtight. With that in mind, we give the edge to CM this week, leaving them at No. 2 based on strength of victories. Prep moves up six spots to No. 4, while BC High remains in the top five at No. 5. Central Catholic remains No. 1, while Newton North slides into the No. 3 spot, up four from last week.

The biggest mover this week is Springfield Central, which moves up seven spots into the No. 8 spot. It's a significant move, because it's the first time the Golden Eagles have cracked the Top 10 since the 2010-11 preseason, when a talented but green Eagles squad grabbed the No. 6 spot in the preseason poll.

A few steps down Roosevelt Ave, Springfield Commerce is in the poll this week for the first time in poll history. The Raiders are off to an 11-0 start after leading scorer Alex Lopez notched his 1,000th point in a win over Amherst. Madison Park makes its season debut at No. 23, following a convincing win over Charlestown, while Fitchburg returns to the poll at No. 25 following a one-week hiatus.

Charlestown, Lowell and Boston Latin drop out of the polls following losses last week.

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

ROXBURY, Mass. -- Rushing back on the counterattack Madison Park's Dakim Murray grabbed the offensive rebound and quickly threw it up.

As the ball bounced off the rim, teammate David Stewart grabbed the second effort, missed, grappled the ball again and pitch it to teammate Rayshaw Matthews for the open jumper to go up 16 late in the second quarter.

It was the same issue all night for No. 18 Charlestown. It did not matter if the Cardinals missed, because the second chance was always there.

Dominating the Townies on the boards, host Madison Park trumped No. 18 Charlestown 81-69 to grab second place in Boston City North on Thursday.

“We grew up tonight,” said Madison Park coach Dennis Wilson. “I wanted to attack the inside, because they only really have one big men. If you looked at my (chalk) board, the three things I emphasized were defense, boxing out by putting bodies on people and taking care of the basketball.”

The Cardinals (10-1, 5-1) out rebounded the Townies 33 to 25 in total and 20 to 13 in the first half to pull away midway through the second quarter and never looked back. A layup by senior Iser Barnes and a trey by junior Tyrese Hoxter gave Charlestown (6-3, 4-2) its only lead of the night, a 19-18 margin at 6:11 in the second quarter.

Madison Park would immediately respond with nine straight points all from Murray, Matthews, and Stewart to edge up 27-20. The three attacked the boards all night for the Cardinals, with seniors Matthews and Murray both netting 17 points and junior Stewart tallying 14.

Murray and Stewart also each had seven rebounds.

“I am looking to see if the defense is crashing in on me then finding open teammates or taking my man off the dribble,” said Matthews. “After they put up every shot, you have to find a man and box them out.”

“Five to the boards is what coach preaches,” added Murray.

As the lead spread to 16, an effective half court press would prove to little to late for Charlestown. An open corner 3-pointer from senior Jawarhi Dawan Abdullah pushed the score to 52-40 late in the third.

However, Madison Park outscored its rivals for the remainder as Charlestown continued to struggle against the 1-3-1 trap.

Hoxter had 21 points for the Townies, while teammate senior Tyrik Jackson was a beast on the boards with 14 rebounds, 10 points and seven blocked shots. Charlestown had trouble getting second effort production from the remainder of its team who totaled 12 rebounds.

“We have been pressing all season and trying to create havoc,” said Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso. “Tyrik was grabbing rebounds, but the rest of the guys were not crashing or boxing out. Our weakness is rebounding.”

As was the case tonight, Charlestown will have to play the remainder of the season without starting guards Ronny Fernandez and Omar Orriols.With both teams previously dropping a loss to league leader East Boston (5-0, 7-2), the win was an important step in the battle for the conference's top regular season spot.

“I felt kind of strange sitting up in the stands (during the conference postseason) last year,” said Wilson. “You know I want to get back there. We still have a lot of basketball left.”

ROXBURY, Mass. -- Sometimes, it’s better to look at the scoreboard than the state sheet.

That is something that East Boston boys basketball coach Malcolm Smith will have to remind himself after Thursday night’s 61-59 win over Madison Park. The stats did not paint a pretty picture for the visiting Jets. They made just 2-of-25 free throws in the second half (yes, you read that right). Madison Park out-rebounded the Jets by a 45-27 margin.

However, Eastie forced Madison into 32 turnovers –- including 20 in the first half –- and the Cardinals (6-1) could not capitalize on the Jets’ inability to put the game away late.

“I’ll take any win,” said Smith, whose team improves to 5-2. “As I told everybody before, we’re just not that really good. We just play with a lot of emotion and we play very hard.”

And they play suffocating defense at times, which Eastie them build a 40-27 halftime lead. Led by Dakim Murray (18 points, 16 rebounds) and Rayshaw Matthews (19 points), Madison began to chip away in the third quarter, twice getting within four points. But baskets by Eastie's Kyle Fox and Kenny Ramos pushed the advantage up to 51-41 heading into the final stanza.

A drive into the lane and finish from Madison's David Stewart (seven points, 12 rebounds) cut the deficit to 53-48, before a put-back from Ramos and layup by Pat Santos off another Madison turnover made it 59-49 with just 2:10 to play.

The game was not close to being over, though, as the Cardinals -- led by Murray and Matthews -- went on an 8-1 run to make it 60-57 with 50 seconds left.

Eastie continued to miss free throws, and Terell Matthews of Madison made a pair with 21 seconds left to make it 61-59.

But despite the Jets missing four more freebies in the final 17 seconds, the Cardinals could not get any quality looks in the final moments and Eastie escaped with the win.

It's in the Books: The first quarter took about as long as most halves because of problems with the scoring books. First, East Boston was hit with a technical foul because Algeno Jean went to the free throw line but was apparently not in the Madison Park book. That ordeal lasted maybe 10 minutes.

Shortly after, the game was stopped again because of an inaccuracy over the score. While East Boston was up, 15-10, the Madison Park scorekeeper had it at just 12-10. The delay caused some frustration and confusion all over the gym, but was eventually sorted out.

The Eastie Swarm: The East Boston halfcourt press made life miserable for Madison Park in the first half and it proved to be one of the keys to victory. One reason why the Jets can play with such a ramped-up intensity level is their depth. While East Boston does not have a ton of size, the Jets do have a seemingly endless well of aggressive guards to bring off the bench and act as pests to opposing ballhandlers.

On Thursday night, the player who stood out the most for his effort was senior Travon Moore. Despite coming off the bench, Moore led Eastie with 12 points, and his hustle set the tone when other facets of Eastie’s game were not up to par.

Cards Control the Crease: Although Madison played inconsistent, especially against Eastie’s pressure in the first half, part of that had to do with the Cardinals missing starters O’Shea Joy (asthma) and Dane Lawladownie (ankle).

However, the Cardinals can take solace in the fact that they had a very strong effort in the paint. Murray is 6-foot-4 and burly enough to push his way into position, while Stewart is an athletic presence at 6-3 who can go up and snatch rebounds away from taller players. If the Cardinals can get healthy and take better care of the ball, they will be a tough out in the city.

“We only have ourselves to blame,” said Madison Park coach Dennis Wilson. “We missed too many foul shots and made too many turnovers. But that’s what happens with a young team.”

The National Football League has announced that 51 top high school football coaches, one from each state and Washington, D.C., have been selected to participate in the 11th annual NFL-USA Football Youth Football Summit during the lead up to the 2011 Hall of Fame Weekend on July 20-21 in Canton.

The Summit will be held at the Kent State Stark Professional Education & Conference Center and is funded by the NFL Youth Football Fund (YFF).

Here's a look at the New England coaches participating in the Summit this week:

Connecticut - Brian Crudden, Windham High School
Maine - Kevin Cooper, Bonny Eagle High School
Massachusetts - Roosevelt Robinson, Madison Park High School
New Hampshire - Ed Kiley, New Hampton School
Rhode Island - Generro Ferraro, Burrillville High School
Vermont- Tom Perry, Colchester High School

Rudy Hypolite’s documentary “Push: Madison vs. Madison,” which follows the Madison Park boys’ basketball team throughout the 2007 season, begins with Cardinals head coach Dennis Wilson crossing off opponents listed on a chalkboard. With his back to the camera, Wilson runs a line through the names of each team the Cardinals beat, with the ease that Madison Park won games during that magical season. The Cardinals had a perfect regular season and captured the coveted City League title in ’07.

However, Hypolite’s film – akin to Madison Park’s season that year – is about promises made and promises unfulfilled. And the final shot before credits roll is that of Wilson erasing Madison Park’s name from the board, following images of the Cardinals’ season-ending loss in the state tournament.

“Push” made its hometown debut in a Saturday night showing at the Somerville Theater as part of the Independent Film Festival of Boston. Although basketball is at its heart, the documentary is more an account of the struggles presented at inner-city schools and its students.

Madison Park, a vocational and technical school, hosts students from all of Boston’s neighborhoods. That creates a breeding ground for hostility. To become a team — better yet, the team that Wilson believes they could be — each of the Cardinals need to put aside the chaos that seems to befall them at every step.

They must put aside allegiances to their turf. Madison Park’s stars Malik Smith and “Radio” Raheem Singleton were raised at rival housing projects, so there’s an uneasy tension between the competing recruits. The tension isn’t fully revealed until the season’s most critical game. As Madison Park comes unglued in their playoff loss to Braintree, Singleton turns a deaf ear to Wilson’s advice, feeling he was spurned by Smith who wouldn’t give up the ball in key situations.

They also must put their personal histories behind them. There is the story of Jakeen Cobb, who lost his mother at age 12 and relied on his eldest sister to lead the family. At another early point in “Push,” one of Madison Park’s players reports to Wilson in the middle of practice explaining his absence because his mother’s boyfriend sent her to the hospital with a punch to the face.

Through it all, the grounding force that keeps the team (and the film) together is its charismatic leader, Coach Wilson. His swagger emanates through the screen. Wilson is introduced into the film as the camera follows the former history teacher (now retired) through Madison Park’s corridors. It is in this sequence that Wilson is seen in the roles he played day-to-day at “MP.” He is a friend, a councilor, a disciplinarian and a hoops tactician whenever need be. And he’s always quick with a one-liner.

In a lighter moment, we also get a glimpse of Wilson in his younger years as a member of a Harlem Globetrotters-style show basketball team with an Afro that rivaled Dr. J’s.

While Wilson is the flamboyant face of MP basketball, school police officer and assistant basketball coach Frank White is its imposing muscle. He’s seen strolling the gym, lending his advice during drills dressed in his full uniform. It is revealed later in “Push” that White is also Smith’s father. The audience is left somewhat in the dark about the nature of White and Smith’s relationship. White tells the story of breaking the news to Smith while he was in the sixth grade. Later, during the closing credits, we’re told that father and son are now on speaking terms, but it remains a subplot largely unexplored.

But what’s clear is that “Push” has a lot to say and it’s not just about basketball.

After the Cardinals’ on-court meltdown in the state tournament game against Braintree, the camera follows Wilson into the locker room as he addresses his team one last time.

“This is just a minor setback in life,” Wilson tells the dejected team.

In a relaxed but assertive tone, he questions how his team is going to confront their latest setback.

Basketball season was over, but life would move on. That’s when the test of will is truly determined.