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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 only fitting that the championship game of the Greater Lawrence Boys Christmas Tournament involved Merrimack Valley Conference cross city rival high schools Central Catholic and Lawrence.

In a back and forth, defensively charged game it was Central Catholic guard Tyler Nelson who settled the contest for the Raiders and took charge in the fourth quarter. The poised sophomore stepped up when it mattered most to lead Central Catholic (5-0) to the 75-65 victory over Lawrence (4-1).

Nelson took home tournament MVP honors as he scored 24 points and dished out five assists, with none prettier than two precise backdoor conversions in the fourth quarter to help seal the win for Central.

“He is the smartest player I have ever had with the ball in hands,” said Central Catholic Head Coach Rick Nault of Nelson. “He makes such good decisions.”

Central Catholic was playing without senior starting point guard Luis Puello, who suffered a sprained left ankle in Wednesday's semifinal victory over Pinkerton Academy (N.H.). Despite the loss of one of the state’s premier perimeter defenders Central matched Lawrence’s defensive intensity in the first half as both teams applied perimeter pressure that forced numerous rushed shots, turnovers and a myriad of free throw attempts.

With Central Catholic leading 30-26 at the half Lawrence came out of the break and applied intense full court pressure that resulted in a momentum shift that saw the Lancers go on a 9-0 run to earn a four point lead with 2:39 remaining in the quarter.

Each time Lawrence gained momentum, however, it was the steadying play of Nelson that squelched any run. The sophomore hit two big 3-pointers in the third quarter and also had a key steal on the defensive end to give the Raiders a 47-45 lead heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter it was the heady play and perfect free throw shooting of Nelson, the post offense from Doug Gemmell and the three critical steals by Mike Barry that keyed Central Catholic’s 10-point victory.

“This was our first goal of the season to win this tournament and that is what we did,” said Nelson. “It was a team effort and everyone stepped up without our best player.”

Second Half Surge: Nelson scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and went 14-for- 14 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter alone.

Nelson was perfect on the night from the free throw stripe shooting 16-for-16.

Gemmell also had a large presence in the second half as he established the post for the first time in the game and scored 14 of his 16 points after the break.

Lawrence senior guard Yadoris Arias scored all 15 of his points in the second half and provided lock down defensive pressure throughout the game.

X-Factors: Lawrence seniors Tre’von Farley and Franklin Martinez were all over the court for the Lancers on the night. The seniors impressed with their numerous hustle plays, aggressive defense and timely rebounding.

The 6-foot-3 Farley scored 15 points on the evening to go along with seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. The 5-foot-11 Martinez chipped in with 12 points including two third quarter 3-pointers that helped propel Lawrence’s run.

All-Tournament: Nelson was named tournament MVP with Gemmell, Farley, Martinez and North Andover’s Zach Karalis rounding out the starting five. Arias was named the tournament’s 6th man award winner and Lawrence’s Roberto Speing and Central Catholic’s Shawn McCoy were named the Coaches Award’s recipients.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was just what the team needed on offense.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nelson agreed.

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

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

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

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."

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.

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.”

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- The quarterfinal matchup between the Central Catholic and Lawrence boys basketball teams at the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament on Thursday felt a lot more like a final.

These crosstown rivals battled in an intense, up-tempo game that the Red Raiders won, 69-56, as Central rode last year’s tournament MVP, senior center Jimmy Zenevitch, and his 31 points and 20 rebounds. Either Lawrence or Central has won the tournament title 14 straight times, with the Red Raiders grabbing 11 since 1996.

“I’m sure a lot of people will say these are the best two teams of the tournament,” said Central coach Rick Nault, whose team improved to 4-0 with the win. “Andover’s extremely good. But this is a rivalry game. It’s the first round of the tournament. It’s a shame it was in the first round. But any time we play Lawrence it’s always special.”

The Red Raiders held a tenuous five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Zenevitch scored 12 of his team’s first 14 points of the final stanza. He finished with 14 points in the fourth and seemed to gobble up every rebound available, as Lawrence was held to a minimal amount of second chances.

“I have certain goals for myself for this year, and coming back as a tournament championship and tournament MVP is definitely one of them,” said Zenevitch, who looks perfectly capable of achieving those goals. “So that’s one thing I’m really looking for and working for.”

Central junior guard and Lawrence native Luis Puello had nine points, eight rebounds and three assists, but his presence was felt mostly on the defensive end, where he harassed Lancer point guard Jaylen Alicea and held the senior to 11 points. Puello’s three-point play with 1:52 to play extended the Red Raiders’ lead to 64-54 and helped seal the win.

“It’s like my state championship game,” Puello said of playing Lawrence. “I hear about it all week: ‘They’re better than me.’ I love it. I look forward to it every time and I play with my heart and soul to play them.”

Asked if his performance and Central’s win was good for bragging rights, he quickly replied with a laugh, “Oh, you have no idea.”

Two underclassmen also played key roles in the win for Central. Sophomore forward Joel Berroa had 10 points and 11 rebounds, while freshman sharpshooter Tyler Nelson came off the bench and drained a trio of 3-pointers to finish with 11 points.

Senior Yadoris Arias led Lawrence (2-1) with 13 points.

The Lancers forced Central to turn the ball over 23 times, but couldn’t take advantage of the extra possessions because of the Red Raiders’ superb halfcourt defense. Lawrence shot less than 30 percent from the field, including a 5-for-28 performance from beyond the arc.

“At the start of the fourth quarter I was very concerned because our best team defender, Jaycob Morales, was on the bench with foul trouble,” Nault said. “And then when we put him back in he picked up his fifth right away. But if you were ever to visit one of our practices, we spend 75 percent of the time on our defensive philosophy.”

It worked, as Lawrence had a four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter without a field goal that allowed the Red Raiders to extend their lead from three points to eight points with a little over three minutes to go.

In a back and forth first half, Central went into the break with a 28-26 lead. Six-foot-6 Lawrence senior Jesse Hiraldo (six points, six rebounds, five blocks, two assists) did a good job of making Zenevitch work for everything he got, but foul trouble limited his minutes in the second half and the 6-7 Zenevitch took advantage.