ESPN

ACTON, Mass. — At first glance, Acton-Boxborough may look like a lumbering, big team that will only play in the half court and lull you to sleep in the post with size at seemingly every position.

But once the Colonials get into the flow of a game and move the ball inside and out, you start to realize that the size also has a little hop to its step. The Colonials put that gitty-up on display last night in the Div. 1 North quarterfinals in a 63-58 win over lightning quick No. 7 Lawrence at Regan Gymnasium.

The Colonials had three players in double figures, as Kevin LaFrancis — who added 12 rebounds — and Jake Pilecki each scored 20 points. Joey Flannery contributed with 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists, as the No. 2 seed will now face Lexington in the semifinals.

“We are versatile,” said Flannery. “It was pretty much a contrast in style, so we had to pick our spots when we were running and everything. We had to try and take advantage inside against them and try to deal with their quick guards.”

Flannery himself is the ultimate measure of versatility for A-B. At 6-foot-4, Flannery is the de facto point guard and he had to deal with the quick hands of Yadoris Arias, Franklin Martinez and Leonny Burgos buzzing around trying to swipe the ball out of his mitts all night.

“When I was playing up top with the ball they were pressuring me hard,” said Flannery. “They took the ball from a couple times, but I just had to use my size to my advantage.”

There was a stretch in the third quarter when Flannery went out with foul trouble that really could have turned the tide in the Lancers (15-6) direction. Flannery went to the bench with his third personal at the 3:39 mark, and the Colonials had trouble breaking the extended pressure in the backcourt.

The Colonials played survival for that time period without much flow to the offense and held a 51-46 lead at the end of the quarter and averted a bit of disaster.

“That was a time, late in that third quarter, we give up a basket and suddenly the momentum could change,” said Colonials head coach Rick Kilpatrick. “I thought that was big.”

Pilecki Comes Up Big Again: Kilpatrick has talked over and over again about the spark that his senior captain brings to the team in the most dire of situations, and Pilecki came up big again.

With the shot clock dwindling down to two, Pilecki fired away a deep, straightaway 3-pointer and drained it to push the lead back up to 8 with a little over four minutes left to go in the game.

“I’m just going to pull it,” Pilecki said of his mindset. “It feels good. I practice shooting it deep and I’m always screwing around from deep before practice. I throw it up there and it goes in, so I guess it works.”

Lancers Cold From Outside: Lawrence relies heavily on its speed to create a nightmare matchup for anyone trying to guard it for 32 minutes. But the Lancers also use the deep ball to open up the lanes for Burgos, Martinez and Arias to play around and use their ballhandling skills to get to the rim.

The shots just weren’t falling like they were in the first round victory against St. John's Prep. The Lancers finished 1-of-17 from behind the 3-point line, eliminating a major weapon in Paul Neal’s arsenal.

“They took that away from us,” said Lawrence head coach Paul Neal. “They really took away what we were good at. We couldn’t get anything going.”

Kilpatrick switched to a zone defense in the first half and stuck with it most of the night after starting out in a man-to-man look.

“I didn’t think we were going to play a whole lot of 2-3 (zone),” said Kilpatrick. “I thought we were going to play more man. We threw it at them in the first quarter, late first quarter, and it seemed to work. We still played some man, but obviously we played a lot of 2-3 the rest of the way. I thought we did a great job in the zone of recognizing where the shooters (were).”

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- Paul Neal slouched on a bench outside the Lawrence High gymnasium, the Lancers head coach exhaling deeply after a hard-fought Division 1 North First Round battle with St. John's Prep that took on a frenetic pace. Then his wide-eyed, unsung sophomore walked by, and Neal extended his left hand for a low-five.

"Great charge, brother," Neal said softly, but with authority. "That sealed the game."

Anyone who's watched Lawrence this year is familiar with the Lancers' affinity for the run-and-gun, and against set plays. So it shouldn't come as a whole heck of a surprise that the kid driving the stake into this 80-69 win over Prep was 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Roberto Speing's crunch-time work on the glass.

Speing had four defensive boards in the fourth quarter, all of them coming in the final two minutes as the Eagles (13-8) tried to rally with a number of attempts from deep. The icing on the cake, though, was taking his third charge of the game with 1:01 left and the Lancers (15-5) leading 75-65, sliding in front of Prep's Tyler Dooley as he crashed into the lane from his right.

"I had to take it," Speing laughed. "Coach Raymond [assistant Raymond Nunez] told me I had to take three charges today, and that's what I did. That was my third one."

Neal recalled a late-night conversation with Speing earlier this season, urging him to continue working hard on the glass -- continue to "dominate the last four or five minutes with rebounding," as he put it -- in spite of the lack of attention from the public. Eventually, Neal told him, people will take notice.

Tonight might have been an eye-opener for some. On the big stage, in front of an enthusiastic capacity home crowd, Speing finished with 10 rebounds -- six in the final frame.

"I think he's finally starting to understand that," Neal said. "He's starting to get recognized. I said, 'Listen, you're the Dennis Rodman of this team. You're the guy that can put a stop on people, and seal the defense'. Tonight, I think he was the man. He rebounded when we needed rebounds."

On the offensive end, meanwhile, it was senior guard Yadoris Arias (31 points, seven rebounds) leading the way with an explosive outburst, which included a 4-of-7 effort from three-point range.

But his most crucial possession was a heady one late in the game. Charging upcourt on a fast break off a long rebound, Arias drifted to the left corner, took a kick-out pass, hesitated for a moment and then pump-faked his defender. Arias drove baseline, took a foul on his way up to a reverse layup, and hit the free throw to complete a three-point play and go up 75-65 with 1:25 left.

"It gave us a lot of momentum, it felt great," Arias said. "Bunch of young guys on the court, they're hyped, they're bringing me up. So it's just a good play."

Stumbling, he continued, "I dunno, it just feels good right now, man. I'm speechless right now. It feels good."

Seniors Franklin Martinez (nine rebounds) and Leonny Burgos both added 14 points, and senior Tre'Von Farley 11, in the winning effort for Lawrence. Prep senior Steve Haladyna finished his stellar career on a good note, finishing with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Need for Speed: Lawrence pushed up the tempo significantly in the second quarter, leading to an 11-2 run to open, and overall it yielded some pretty favorable results. Defenders up top began strafing upcourt as soon as Prep shot went up, leading to long outlet passes. After baskets, the ballcarrier either took a long outlet on the run or brought the ball over halfcourt quickly.

That led to a number of good looks from the perimeter. Lawrence was 5-for-5 from three-point range for the quarter, three of them coming from Arias. But when Neal motioned for the troops to slow it down a bit with under three to go in the first half, the Eagles quickly mounted themselves right back into the game. Haladyna took an entry pass from freshman Marcos Echevarria and kissed a hook shot off the glass; that was followed by a tip-in and backdoor layup from Owen Marchetti.

Prep cut the lead to 41-37 at the half, but Lawrence turned up the speed again in the second half, leading 61-54 after three and never relinquishing control.

"We're not an offensive set team," Neal said. "We've got athletes, and we want to make guys keep up with us. I think execution-wise, [in the] halfcourt St. John's Prep is a much better team -- and most teams we're going to play, you know what I mean? But if we can get guys that we know can run and jump and get the game up and down, I think it favors us."

Playin' Like Jaylen: Folks around Lawrence are still talking about the Lancers' run to last year's Division 1 North final at TD Garden, after entering the tournament a No. 15 seed. Fueling that run was Jaylen Alicea, who played his way into an ESPN Boston All-State nod after averaging 30 points in five tournament games.

Arias considers Alicea a close friend, and displays many of the same characteristics -- same haircut, same chin-strap beard that's long in the chin area, similar-looking tattoos. Arias wore No. 12 last season, but has switched to Alicea's number.

"He was like a brother to me," Arias said. "When we were younger, he always had 12 and I always had 15. He left last year...so I just wanted to keep the number going and represent it well."

With 31 points tonight, Arias is off to a good start in following the momentum Alicea built in last year's tournament.

"He's playing on a mission, because I think he was in the shadows of Jaylen for years," Neal said. "They're different kinds of players, but some things are similar and they're good buddies. So I think it's his time to show he can play without those guys and still accomplish stuff as a team. There's some drive in him from that era, too."

Up Next: The No. 7 seed Lancers await the winner of Thursday night's contest between No. 2 Acton-Boxborough and No. 15 Methuen, with the game likely to be played over the weekend. A-B is the heavy favorite, but Neal said for preparation purposes "I spend a lot of time focusing on us, and then do a few simple changes."

"We want to run, and everybody knows that," Neal said. "And if you can stop that, well, good luck. We're going to try to come at you, no matter who we're playing."

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- With just under six minutes to go and his team up by 8 points Friday against Andover, Lawrence’s Tre’von Farley stole the ball around the Andover three-point line and sent a long pass ahead to a sprinting Franklin Martinez.

Seeing no one in front of him, he already knew what he was going to do. He skied to the rim and threw down a one-handed drunk, bringing the home crowd to it’s feet. That put a charge into his team, which stretched its lead to double-digits in the remaining minutes, eventually leaving the gym with a 54-38 victory.

“Once I saw Tre’ get the ball, I ran,” said Martinez, who finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. “I wanted it. It was there. I didn’t see anybody on me but I did see someone out of the corner of my eye, but then I was like, ‘Who cares?’ and threw it down.”

With the crowd behind it and a new-found energy, the Lancers (10-3) went into attack mode. On the very next Andover (8-5) possession, Yadoris Arias took the ball away from an Andover player and passed it ahead to Roberto Speing in transition. As he brought the ball into his offensive zone, he passed it to a cutting Farley, who got fouled going up for a layup.

Martinez even kicked up his aggressiveness. For a player perhaps more known for his jump shooting, he started taking the ball strong to the hoop, sometimes taking on as many as three Andover defenders to do it.

“I started taking it to the basket to be aggressive, because I knew that they are too slow, so I started attacking more,” he said. “I was getting hit, and wasn’t always getting calls (from the referees) but it’s okay because at the end of the day, we won.”

It was a productive game for the senior, who is making the most of his playing time this year after failing to see the floor much last season.

“You know what he does well? Not only is he a good shooter, but he gets to the hole and he finishes,” said Lawrence coach Paul Neal. “He has a nice little mid-range game so it’s really hard to cover him. He’s smart enough to know when he’s not hitting those shots, that he can find other ways to score.”

Complete game effort still needed: Although they ended up winning by 16, there’s a feeling within the Lawrence team that it hasn’t put a full game together yet. It puts quarters of good play together, but there hasn’t been a full 32 minutes of quality basketball played yet this season.

For example, Friday it held Andover to 13 points in the entire first half. That was with one player, Sam Dowden, scoring 10 of those 13. He finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Then late in the third, its lead was cut to 6 points, only to have it go back over double-digits in the fourth.

As the season rolls along, there are positive signs, but still a lot of team growth necessary, especially as the season begins to wind down.

“We always have one good half, but we haven’t put together a full game yet,” said Martinez. “From the first quarter to the fourth quarter, we haven’t done it yet. But in the fourth quarter, we always seem to come together and we seem to end up good. In the third quarter every team comes back so in the fourth quarter we just push and play more defense. Tonight in the third quarter we didn’t really play defense. It’s like we get the lead so we just slack off. In the fourth quarter, we always end up picking it up.”

Even sheet: One of the encouraging signs for Lawrence is there was no one standout scorer. Multiple players contributed to what Neal felt was a team effort. Farley lead the way with 13 points, but Martinez was right behind him with 11, while Arias had 10, and Argenis Reinoso had 6.

“It was a balanced night offensively,” said Neal. “When you have a balanced team, people can’t scout and prepare for you. Who are you going to prepare for? Who’s the big scorer? Who are you going to stop? If they all have around the same amount of points, you can’t. I like that better. I like when we score with balance and no one guy dominates. We certainly have the potential for some guys to take over on any night, but I think tonight if we did that, we might not have won the game.”

Fueled by loss: Rarely ever will a coach admit that a loss is a good thing, but in Lawrence’s case, it might have just been one. Coming into it’s Sunday matchup against Boston Cathedral, Lawrence was 8-2 and riding high in the Merrimack Valley Conference Large behind only Central Catholic. The Lancers lost 73-69 that day, showing the team that their record may not have been indicative of where they were as a team.

“A loss is never good, but I think it really shifted their mindset,” said Neal. “I think they were starting to believe that we were really good, and we’re not good. We’re a team that has to work hard to be good. For us to win, we need hard work, and I couldn’t get them to practice hard. Even going into the Lowell game (a 62-57 win on Jan. 20) we went in really frustrated.”

“The practice after that Cathedral game was terrific. We played defense. In the game after that we held Tewksbury to 24 points (in a 63-24 victory). I don’t care who you’re playing against, if you can hold them to 24 points, you must have played well defensively.”

LOWELL, Mass. -- After Lowell pulled within 3 points of Lawrence after a Corey Brown steal and layup, the Lancers were set to inbound the ball with under half a minute to go Friday.

Coming out of a timeout, Lowell coach Scott Boyle wanted his team to disguise their press as man-to-man when it really was more of a trap zone.

As the ball was inbounded to Yadoris Arias, two Lowell defenders converged on him, trapping him in the corner. He made what some would call a risky decision and sent a cross-court pass to a teammate. The pass was successful, and it was quickly pushed ahead to Tre’von Farley, who was fouled under the basket.

With the entire gym anxiously watching, knowing the outcome of the game could potentially hinge on his ability to hit one of the two free throws, Farley converted them both. Lawrence left the gym with a 62-57 victory in a crucial Merrimack Valley Conference tilt.

“I’ve been in the gym shooting free throws since our last game (a 69-67 loss against Central Catholic),” said Farley. “I was just thinking about the free throw. I was thinking, ‘Nothing’s gonna stop me from hitting these free throws,’ so I was really confident and just focused on hitting those free throws.”

Farley had 28 points and eight rebounds to lead the Lancers. He was 8-of-10 on free throws. His presence underneath was important for Lawrence (8-2) since his frontcourt mate, Roberto Speing, picked up his 4th foul early in the third quarter, forcing him to the bench.

“He played well, he was one of the only guys that played well offensively,” said Lawrence coach Paul Neal. “He was also big rebounding. He was a guy that just did a lot. He scored when we needed a big score and he got his hands on the ball.”

Lowell had no answer down low for the 6-foot-3 senior, who played with a tenacity and aggressiveness of someone bigger than his size.

“For me, I look to score and be aggressive, if not I look to pass,” Farley said. “Being aggressive tonight was successful, so every chance I got I went to the hoop and looked to score. It ended up being a good game.”

Jonathan Perez was the leading scorer for Lowell (8-3) with 23 points, including 8-of-10 from the free throw line, and 5 rebounds.

“We didn’t play well, but I think it’s also a good sign for a team,” said Neal. “It’s a road game against a very scrappy team, so to be able to get a league win, you’ve got to feel good about it.”

Going Green: Earlier in the season, Neal referenced his team’s lack of game experience as a potential pitfall for his team as the season wore on. While there are eight seniors on the team, some of them are players that did not see the floor much last season, if at all.

Although they hung on for the victory, their youthful aggression was evident early in the contest. In the first quarter, his team was called for at least four charging fouls as they were driving to the basket. It became a point of emphasis for Lowell, believing it could get an offensive foul called on most Lawrence offensive possessions if players were in position.

For every mental lapse and youthful mistake his team can make at times, Neal still likes the direction his team is headed as the focus starts to shift towards the postseason.

“I like where the team is at because I think we can improve,” he said. “Even in this game, I don’t see anything that I can look at and say we did that well. We found a way to win, which is good, but as far as execution, even defensively, we had a lot of mistakes. This team has a lot of potential to get better, so hopefully we can get it out of them.”

Streak snapped: The win snapped a five-game winning streak for Lowell and put Lawrence in second place in the MVC Large, behind cross-town rival Central Catholic. The Lancers’ only two losses on the season have come at the hands of Central. There will be another meeting on February 7. That is not lost on Lawrence, who came into the game stinging from the 2-point loss from last weekend.

“I don’t think this was a statement win,” said Farley. “I think we just came in and did what we had to do. There’s bigger teams than them. We know they’re a good team, but we’re still looking to make our statement.”

When asked if he was referencing a particular team, he simply replied, “Central Catholic.”

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

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- It was an ending eerily similar to a quality sports movie.

Down 11 points going into the fourth quarter Wednesday night against North Andover, in a semifinal of the Greater Lawrence Holiday tournament, any hope of a Lawrence victory was gone. They appeared defeated before actually being defeated.

One couldn’t blame the Lancers though. They had been playing from behind the whole game.

Then suddenly, a minute into the quarter, it was a 10-point game. A minute after that, it was an 8-point game. With three minutes to go, it was a 6-point game. Then, with under two minutes to go, the Lancers seized the lead to escape with a 52-47 win that puts them in Friday's final against familiar rival Central Catholic.

With each bucket, the home crowd got a bit louder. In a matter of minutes, everyone in the building, including North Andover, felt like it might not be over after all.

As the score got tighter and the all-powerful momentum was securely in the Lancers’ corner, their defensive intensity started to pick up.

Earlier in the game, Lawrence was having trouble letting North Andover players get behind them when they were pressing. After giving up transition baskets and outlet passes, the Lancers were starting to create their own points from turnovers and driving to the basket.

Leading that charge was Franklin Martinez, the 5-foot-11 senior guard, who just last year wasn’t seeing the floor for the Lancers. There he was, in arguably the biggest quarter of his high school career, and he had the ball in his hands.

When all was said and done, he had 21 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, which all came in the final quarter.

“We wish he would do that consistently throughout the game,” said Lawrence coach Paul Neal. “We’re trying to get him to have the ball in his hands. He’s one of our better scorers. He can make things happen. He gets to the basket, he an shoot it, but sometimes I think he’s almost too unselfish. We want him to be more aggressive.”

With under a minute to go and his team down 47-46, Lawrence inbounded the ball looking to get the ball to the basket, but again, Martinez found himself with the ball in his hands. Instead of opting for the safe shot close to the basket, he popped a 3-pointer. In a fitting end to the fourth quarter, it went in, putting the Lancers up by 2 with seconds to go.

“The defender was backing off, so I just thought about shooting it,” said Martinez. “Coach is always telling me to shoot, so I just took the opportunity there.”

After a back-and-forth exchange, North Andover’s Zach Karalis stole the ball and headed back the other way. However, after he walked the ball over halfcourt, Yadoris Arias picked his pocket and found himself all alone in transition. Instead of taking it himself, he selflessly gave it up to teammate Luis Torres, who put a cap on the game with a basket, giving Lawrence the 52-47 victory.

Martinez breaks out: The game was a sort of coming out party for Martinez. One year ago, he wasn’t the team’s 6th man, 7th man, or even 12th man. In his words, he was “No man.”

“I didn’t see the court (last year), I just learned,” he said. “The coaches helped me, and the team from last year helped me a lot.”

There he was, ending the game as the leading scorer to send his team to the finals of the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament.

“In the first half I was nervous,” he said. “I wasn’t used to the big game feeling. In the second half, I was just zoned out. After the first couple of free throws, I was just zoned out. I didn’t hear any of the noise or anybody. I was just in the game and worked hard.”

Fervent crowd: One of the obvious advantages of hosting a holiday tournament like the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament is the ability to play on one's home court. If you are lucky enough to play in all three rounds of the tournament, the sixth man is on your side. The overwhelming crowd was very much a contributing factor in Lawrence’s (4-0) comeback victory, and will be again when it plays Friday.

“Just having a lot of support like that helps out,” said Ramirez. “It gets us amped. Things like hearing your name gives you pride. It makes you want to push until the end.”

Neal deferential: In the moments after the game, Neal was deflecting any of the credit from himself to his team. He credited players like Roberto Speing, who tallied 16 rebounds in the game, for doing the things a team needs to do to stay in a game.

“I told the guys I don’t think it has anything to do with coaching,” he said. “I think it had to do with a group of guys who decided they weren’t going to lose. With some of the plays they made and the things they did, they just started creating opportunities for themselves.

"They started making shots, but I think more importantly, in the second half they didn’t get much easy. They played hard. With the stuff they were giving away early in the game, they just decided to step up and started to play and with how young this team is, to have them step up and play like that, it’s a good win.”

Easing off: Early in the game, specifically in the first quarter, Lawrence was full-court pressing North Andover (3-1) and the Scarlet Knights were breaking it with ease. They were consistently getting players behind the defense and when that wasn’t working, they were passing the ball well enough to get points underneath the basket.

That forced Neal to push back the press in order to save the game from getting too out of hand. Karalis was the biggest benefactor, finishing with 13 points, while teammate Mike Moroney tallied 16 rebounds.

“I think inexperience was the biggest thing with the press,” said Neal. “We’ve had to slow down a little bit because most of the guys haven’t learned the press before and the press takes a lot of time, so we’ve scaled back on it. Last year, with the team we had, we would have been fully into the press because the guys knew it.

"We have no one on this team that knows it so we have to slowly build it. It took a little bit in the first half and kids got down about it so we had to get out of it. If you give up a layup, it kinds of break their spirit. It’s kind of like if something good happens you can stay in it, but if it doesn’t, you have to back off based on the inexperience of the team we’ve got.”

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. -- Hector Paniagua strode into the Lawrence High gymnasium Thursday afternoon, slowly pumping the wheels on his wheelchair as he quietly strolled up and took a place behind a row of chairs laid out along the scorer's table.

The 23-year-old commuter student at Merrimack College is shy on his best day, but can only conceal his tight face underneath a black hoody and gray fitted Red Sox cap for so long before the usual array of daps and claps, what's-up's and how-you-been's make their way over.

Before long, the Lancers' affable assistant Jose Rodriguez -- nicknamed "Lego" around these parts -- has made his way over with suggestions on what to wear for tomorrow night's Division 1 North final at the TD Garden, against heavily-favored St. John's Prep.

"How you gonna come tomorrow?" Rodriguez playfully prodded Paniagua. "Wear a suit. Come in a Gucci suit, man."

The two exchanged laughter as Rodriguez continues, his voice trailing off, "Gucci suit, man. Just be like, 'Hey Coach'..."

Paniagua, for the unfamiliar, received a call from head coach Paul Neal following Wednesday night's win over Lynn English, with a special invitation: come be a special assistant on the bench at the Garden, site of his last game as a Lancer (in a Division 1 Eastern Mass Final loss to Newton North) before he was tragically shot and paralyzed early Easter morning 2005. Neal told ESPNBoston.com following the game that "it's been a personal goal to try and get back [to the Garden], and then invite him to be the assistant coach at the last place he ever played basketball, and probably ever will."

The former Lancers great, a 2005 Boston Globe All-Scholastic who was committed to Merrimack for basketball at the time of his accident, accepted Neal's invitation. At yesterday's practice, he remained upbeat in spite of life being turned upside down that fateful night.

Asked about his emotions being in the gym and watching the old coach lead a new group of young men, as they prepared for their first appearance in the Garden since that 2005 season, Paniagua was his usually reserved, shy self.

"I'm used to being in the old gym, so it hasn't really hit me yet," he smiled.

When would it hit?

"Probably tomorrow when I get to the Garden," he laughed sheepishly.

Later, he pulled aside senior Yadoris Arias -- the younger brother of one of Paniagua's closest friends, William Rodriguez, and an eighth-grader at the time of the tragedy ("Emotional, we went to see him at the hospital...it was very sad") -- and offered some words of encouragement.

And as usual, he kept it simple with Arias -- "Just pretend like it's at the YMCA, five on five with the rest of the team, and go out and play. Don't play for the crowd, play for yourself," he told him -- and in a way, simplicity what always makes his words that much stronger when he pays a visit during the year.

Nearly a half-hour after his arrival, Paniagua pointed to the court and quickly strolled to the exit signs, slipping away almost as anonymously as he had arrived. And then as fate would have it, Paniagua had last-second thoughts about the invitation and opted instead to sit in the stands as the Lancers took an 87-73 loss to the Eagles before an ecstatic crowd that filled the entire lower bowl of the Garden.

"I looked up and saw him, but he's always been like that. Shy kid," Neal said. "I've driven with him two hours, just me and him alone, and probably exchanged two words. He won't talk unless he has to. That's Hector.

"I was thinking it would be an opportunity to come down, but he's a low-key kid. I hope in the back of his mind it meant something to him, and I think it did."

At various times over the last few days, Neal has drawn comparisons between Paniagua and the Lancers' waterbug senior point guard, Jaylen Alicea, the breakout star of this tournament. Alicea once again lit up the stat sheet last night, going off for 30 to give him his fourth 30-point performance in five playoff games this postseason.

For him, it seems, the name is enough.

"He made us believe," Alicea said following the loss. "There's not a lot of kids that are ever gonna play on this court. I'm down that we lost, my dreams shattered before my eyes, but I'm happy of the accomplishments we got, and where I got my team.

"We always want to do it for him, because we know it means a lot to him. This was the last court he played on, and he talks a lot about this, he tells us about this. We want to win for him."

BOSTON -- It's hard to believe that the Division 1 North sectional final between St. John’s Prep and Lawrence was a one-point game at halftime.

Led by a 16-point second half from Mike Carbone and a 15-point second half from Pat Connaughton, St. John’s Prep came away with an 87-73 victory to become the Division 1 North Champion.

Prep was ahead only 47-46 at the half after having struggled with Lawrence’s lightning quick transition attack.

“At halftime it was a track meet and we knew if we got into a track meet with them it was going to be tough,” said Prep’s Pat Connaughton. “Our gameplan was to slow them down and not get into a track meet because it wasn’t that we didn’t think we couldn’t score with them, it was that we thought they could score, and score quick.”

Connaughton, the Notre Dame-bound senior, finished with 28 points and 16 rebounds, but it was Carbone who shined most for the Eagles with 31 points, including seven 3-pointers.

“That’s the only way you’re going to win in the tournament, is by having different guys step up every night, you can’t just rely on one guy,” Prep head coach Sean Connolly said. “Some teams are going to shut down one or two guys so you need other guys to step up and do things if you’re going to make a run.”

Prep (23-1) will face Mansfield, the Division 1 South Champion, next week at the TD Garden.

Lawrence (16-9) started the game working the ball inside to 6-foot-6 big man Jesse Hiraldo, who put six points on the board early to give the Lancers a quick lead. Hiraldo, easily the biggest player on the floor, created a mismatch against the small Prep lineup.

He picked up three early fouls, however, giving him a spot on the bench and forcing his team to play a smaller lineup as well.

“This is definitely a game where I thought we needed Jesse,” Lawrence head coach Paul Neal said. “You can’t live by the threes only, we needed an inside presence and I thought he gave us that early. That was our advantage. The guards were going to be able to play us even, but we needed a presence inside. Then he got into foul trouble and it just took us out of the game. Without him in the game it really made a difference.”

Hiralod finished with 11 points and six rebounds for the Lancers.

In the third quarter, the shots that were falling for Lawrence in the first half were not falling for them. That was when Carbone hit five of his seven treys, stretching Prep’s lead to 68-56 by the end of the third. The Prep lead got to as big as 19 in the fourth.

Steve Haladyna also added 17 points and six rebounds for Prep.

Jaylen Alicea finished with 30 points for Lawrence. In the third quarter, he surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his high school career, cementing his legacy as one of the best guards to ever play for Lawrence.

Lawrence came into the postseason as a No. 15 seed, after victories over No. 2 seed Cambridge, No. 7 Westford, and No. 3 Lynn English. While that is an achievement in and of itself, the Lancers still could not accomplish their ultimate goal.

“You have to be disappointed because you had goals, and when you don’t accomplish them, you get disappointed, especially when I see the emotion in my kids and I know what they gave us,” said Neal. “But I can also look back and I feel grateful because I’ve been coaching for 12 years and I’m lucky enough to have players that put me in this position to coach in this type of atmosphere. There’s a lot of coaches that will never have that opportunity, and they gave me that.”

READING, Mass. -- Wednesday night at Reading Memorial High School's Hawkes Field House was the site of a few firsts for Lawrence High's boys basketball team.

In the immediate moments following the Lancers' 75-67 win over Lynn English (21-3) in a Division 1 North semifinal, star senior point guard Jaylen Alicea was carried off the floor for the first time by his rowdy, navy-clad classmates.

"Greatest feeling in the world," Alicea smiled. "I do it for them, and I do it for my teammates. I've never been to the Garden, never made it out of the first round. This is my first year doing this, and it feels great."

Minutes later, when everyone had a few moments to gather their thoughts and wrap their head around just how a No. 15 seed just punched its way to the D1 North finals at the TD Garden, where they'll face heavily-favored St. John's Prep, the Lancers (16-8) took a moment to reflect on the past. Friday will mark the Lancers' first appearance in the Garden since the 2005 D1 Eastern Mass final, when the Lancers lost to Newton North and its major college-ready backcourt of Anthony Gurley and Corey Lowe.

It was also the last game played by one of the Lancers' best guards in recent years, Hector Paniagua, who was shot and paralyzed weeks later. And for that, head coach Paul Neal told reporters he was about to reach out to Paniagua -- whom he called "one of the best players that I have ever coached at Lawrence High School" -- and invite him to be on the bench for Friday's final against St. John's Prep (he accepted).

Neal then made a comparison to reporters between the 5-foot-8 Paniagua and the Lancers' electric senior point guard, the 5-foot-8 Alicea -- "he was very similar to Jaylen" -- but reiterated that these wins have been "a players' decision. They decided they wanted to do the things they're good at, and keep it simple."

Most importantly of that note, this has been a wild coming-out party for the waterbug Alicea. He scored 16 points in the final frame (including a perfect 14 for 14 from the free throw line) to give him 30 points on the night, his third straight 30-point game of a playoff run that is about to go five games deep. In the last game, an 81-80 quarterfinal win over Westford, he had 38 points; the game before that and arguably the upset of the playoffs, an 82-78 first-round upset of Cambridge, he went off for 35.

This wasn't the Alicea fans came to know during the regular season, when the Lancers sputtered to a 12-8 campaign after being hyped as one of the Merrimack Valley Conference's preseason favorites. So what changed?

"He's leading, and I think in the regular season Jaylen was more interested in getting the crowd into it, getting ooh's and aah's," Neal said. "He was more interested in crossing over and hearing the crowd go 'Ooh', but he wouldn't go anywhere. He would take a pretty jump shot and pull his hand back, or you know, he would do something fancy.

"And we've been trying to get him to...just, 'Jaylen, there's nobody that can cover you on the court if you go hard. Forget the crossover, just blow by him.' You know, go to the rim and get to the basket. And he's done that. You look at the free throws, and he hardly took any during the first, maybe, 17 games."

Last night, meanwhile, he was a perfect 16 of 16 from the line, taking nasty spills after physical collisions around the rim with the Bulldogs' big men, senior Corey McMillen and junior Keandre Stanton (16 points, 11 rebounds, 10 blocks). And when he wasn't doing that, he was setting up big man Jesse Hiraldo (17 points, 12 rebounds) down low or running mates Darwin Pereyra (12 points) and Yadoris Arias (10) with swift kick-outs to the perimeter. Alicea finished with five assists on the night.

In one particular momentum swing late in the third quarter, Alicea fed Arias with back-to-back three-pointers on the wing off kick-outs from the paint for 46-44 lead. Alicea then stole the ensuing inbounds pass and went hard to the hole, twisting his midsection in mid-air as he flicked the ball in for a successful lay-in and three-point play. He sunk the free throw for a 49-44 advantage, and English never led the rest of the way.

"I've played with Yadoris since I was in eighth grade, and he's always made big shots," Alicea said. "In eighth grade, we used to call him 'Mr. Clutch'. He's always made big shots for our teams, and he did it today. I love him for that."

It was that kind of night for the Lancers. So while Stanton's explosive vertical leap altered the game plans of the floater-tending guards, by the end of the night the Bulldogs were gassed. Rather than force a half-court tempo against the Bulldogs' exceptionally athletic lineup, the Lancers went right at them from the get-go with their own preference.

"He [Stanton] is a great athlete, but you can't take it away from my players," Neal said. "I mean, [they're] smaller, but they found ways to score, found ways to rebound when we needed them, and they found a way to win."

Senior Travonne Berry-Rogers led the way for English, with 25 points in the loss.

Brendan Hall is a high school sports editor at ESPNBoston.com.

Follow him on Twitter: @BHallESPN.

READING, Mass. -- Former Lawrence High great Hector Paniagua, who was tragically shot and paralyzed two weeks after the Lancers' loss in the 2005 Division 1 Eastern Mass final, will be a special assistant coach in the Lancers' Division 1 North final against St. John's Prep Friday at the TD Garden, ESPNBoston.com has learned tonight.

The No. 15 seed Lancers knocked off Lynn English tonight, 75-67, at Reading High School's Hawkes Field House to become the lowest seed to reach the D1 North final since 2007, when Cambridge won the sectional as a No. 14 seed. This will be the Lancers' first playoff game in the Garden since 2005, when they lost to eventual state champion Newton North.

Following the game, Lawrence head coach Paul Neal told reporters he was about to place a call to Paniagua and invite him to be on the bench Friday, saying "It's been a personal goal to try and get back [to the Garden], and then invite him to be the assistant coach at the last place he ever played basketball, and probably ever will."

Assistant coach Dan Rasanen confirmed to ESPNBoston.com that Paniagua has accepted Neal's invitation.

The then-18-year-old Paniagua was shot in the neck and subsequently paralyzed early Easter morning in 2005, while standing across the street from a night club. Neal called Paniagua, a 2005 Boston Globe All-Scholastic, "one of the best players that I have ever coached at Lawrence High School".

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- The post-game assortment of handshakes and daps complete, and the half-filled Lawrence High gymnasium filing out, Jaylen Alicea couldn't help but glance back on the court one last time and watch as some of his fellow Lawrence classmates spilled onto the court and began lining up at the spot atop the key where, seconds earlier, he sent the place into frenzy.

"Seems like people look up to me," the Lancers' senior floor general smiled sheepishly. "I guess they admired the shot. Probably not as much as I did, though. That shot means the world to me."

After all, this was a career-defining moment for the 5-foot-10 senior, who struggled mightily from the field but stepped up without hesitation in the biggest moment of the No. 20 Lancers' game with Merrimack Valley rival No. 5 Andover last night. With 3.7 seconds left and the shot clock on its last tick, Alicea rolled off a screen, pump-faked one of the state's premier defenders as he gathered the ball at the top of the key, and nailed the three-pointer to deliver a 59-56 win for Lawrence (9-4).

This wasn't exactly a perfect night for Alicea, who finished with nine points on 4 of 14 from the field -- including 1 for 7 on three's. And 30 seconds earlier his defender, highly-touted senior guard Joe Bramanti, almost delivered the win for the Golden Warriors (8-3) after stripping the ball from Alicea as he caught a pass up top. With the open court, the 6-foot-3 Bramanti drove down the lane, and was fouled as he sank the layup for a 56-56 tie, but missed the ensuing free throw.

But with time winding down, and facing overtime, the Lancers drew up a play that was initially supposed to go inside to 6-foot-6 center Jesse Hiraldo (10 points, 11 rebounds). When the play broke down, senior guard Darwin Pereyra paused for a few seconds at the right wing before instinctively throwing it back out top to Alicea for the winner.

Bramanti (19 points) then rushed up a half-court shot that clanked off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

"I mean, you know, he didn’t play well offensively all game, and we kept telling him to stay with it, stay with it, stay with it," Lawrence head coach Paul Neal said. "And at the end, they executed. They got him a screen, and he got a wide open shot and he knocked it down. You know, big win for us, big win for the program. Confidence-wise, it was good for Jaylen, as our leader, to get a win for us."

Said Alicea, "They couldn’t get him (Hiraldo) the ball, so I had to do what I had to do, and I got open for them. And as soon as I got the ball, I knew it was my time, that I had to shoot the ball, and I didn’t play well this game. That was the biggest shot I hit all day, and it means the world to me."

From tipoff, this was a back and forth game with slim leads. With under three minutes to go, Alicea crossed up his defender on the left wing and sunk a 16-footer for a 56-51 lead, the largest of the game. Down at the other end, Craig Luschenat (14 points) closed the lead to 56-54 with three free throws, followed by Bramanti's steal and layup.

All game long, the Warriors found ways to combat Lawrence's size advantage, to great results. Six-foot-two sophomore Sam Dowden (11 points) did the dirty work down low, facing the big-bodied Hiraldo man-up, and the Warriors held a 10-2 advantage on offensive rebounds in the first half. To manufacture points, the Warriors repeatedly used handoffs to create quick screens for their swift-triggered shooters; they also had success in drawing Hiraldo out of the blocks and slipping behind him, but players like Yadoris Arias showed poise in deflecting passing lanes.

Lawrence led 27-26 at the break, and 44-42 headed into the final stanza. Andover took two brief leads in this one, including one with four minutes left when Dowden converted a three-point play off an inbounds pass, for a 49-48 lead.

From an emotional standpoint, this was quite the yo-yo.

"Brutal, but it’s great. It’s a fight," Andover head coach Dave Fazio said. "I mean, that’s what it’s about, it’s a good fight. You know, they hit us with the last shot, and I got the best defender in the state on the kid. So, at the end of the day, it’s OK. It’s a great game, it’s a great experience for our kids, and we’re just going to get better, you know."

And for Alicea, it was the good kind of emotional.

"Andover’s a great team," he said. "We just know they come out to play hard every day, every game we play them. We haven’t beaten them since I was a sophomore, so this means a lot to me, to my coach, to the people of Lawrence. Everything."

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- Jimmy Zenevitch knew Central Catholic was going to get Lawrence’s best game Friday.

“Lawrence, their main goal of the year is to beat us,” he said. “This was their state championship pretty much. We have another one when they come to Central (on Feb. 4).”

Neither a zone defense nor consistent double-teams could stop the Assumption-bound senior, who ended the game with 20 points -- including five-of-six from the free throw line -- and 15 rebounds in the 75-62 victory.

“I think it’s no secret that he’s our best player,” said Central coach Rick Nault. “Team’s focus on him so much that he gets teams’ best every night. He’s a warrior every night, and we’re going to go as he goes. If he’s on, he’s playing well, he’s getting rebounds, he’s doing a lot of the little things, we’re going to be alright. If he’s not, then we’re going to struggle because he’s our leader.”

The Raiders (9-1) went on a 7-0 run to open the game and had a comfortable lead going into the second ahead 24-14. In the second, Lawrence (6-4) was able to push the ball up the floor more effectively with the likes of Jaylen Alicea and Yadoris Arias and forced Central’s big men to run. Lawrence outscored Central 26-18, making it a two-point deficit at the half.

Coming out of the half, Lawrence’s newfound zone defense seemed to flummox Central and keep the game within reach. With the intention being to stop Zenevitch and others from easy access to the basket, Central was settled on shooting from the perimeter for a majority of the third quarter, albeit mostly unsuccessfully.

“They surprised us a little with the zone, I don’t think we’ve seen Lawrence High play zone in 15 years,” said Nault.

The two teams traded metaphorical punches all the way through the third and into the fourth, where it was 55-52 in Central’s favor with seven minutes to go. With the raucous crowd behind the home team, the Lawrence players seemed to channel an energy they were lacking for part of the first half, while Central seemed to be going in the opposite direction, with turnovers and mental errors for much of the third quarter.

Suddenly, Central seemed to solve the zone, went on an 8-2 run in the next minute and a half, and put the game away for good.

“When they went to the zone defense, we were just doing two shots, three-ball, two shots, jump shot, we weren’t really moving the ball,” said Zenevitch. “When we had seven or eight passes, we ended up getting lay-ups.”

Also noticeable in the waning minutes of the game was the disparity in successful free throws. When minutes to go in the fourth and the score still manageable, Lawrence could not seem to convert free throws, while Central was making theirs with ease. By converting them, Central opened up a double-digit lead with a minute and a half remaining, putting Lawrence in foul-mode instead of working on getting quick baskets.

“Not making free throws came back to haunt is in the Andover game in the Christmas tournament (a 55-52 loss, their only of the season),” said Central guard Luis Puello, who had 22 points of his own, while going five-of-seven from the line. “Coach told us in practice to focus on free throws because you don’t want it to happen again, so we went back to focusing on free throws. Practice makes perfect.”

As a team, Central was 16-of-22 from the line, while Lawrence was 9-of-19.

On the other bench, the loss was Lawrence’s third in its last four games, leaving some wondering how to solve a riddle of a team that is notoriously a powerhouse atop the Merrimack Valley Conference. Paul Neal, the Lancers coach, sees the talent in his team and knows its ability to score points is not the problem.

“We’re just not getting stops, especially in crucial moments,” he said. “We’re giving up runs and not stopping people. When you have a team like that that is very good defensively, you’re not going to beat them giving up almost 80 points. It’s just not going to happen.”

“I thought we played okay, but we have to get better defensively,” he added. “We’re trading baskets in critical moments and until we can (play better defensively) I don’t think we’re going to beat good teams. If there’s any sort of silver lining in this game it’s that I really believe we can get better.”