Prep ends Lawrence's reign

St. John's Prep ensured that there will be a new boys' volleyball state champion this season by coming from behind to knock off defending champ Lawrence, 3-2, last night in a North semifinal in Danvers.

After dropping the first two games, top-seeded St. John's Prep (21-0) rallied behind a frantic defensive effort to even the match . The Eagles then scored the final 2 points of the fifth game to win, 15-13, with Stephan Bilharz's block of a Lawrence shot ending the match and setting off a weary Prep celebration .

The deciding game was a race to 15, and the teams traded the lead four times and were tied 10 times in the shortened frame.

``That's a great team," St. John's Prep coach Andrew Viselli said of Lawrence. `` It says a whole lot about our team that they just refused to lose ."

Lawrence dominated the first two games, using its height advantage in the middle to win by matching 25-19 scores.

``We didn't play our best," said Skylar Murphy , the leading scorer for St. John's (16 points). ``We came out without the intensity that we needed, and [Lawrence] took advantage of that.

``After the second game we just had to get back to basics, chasing every ball and getting to everything we could. "

St. John's Prep used 6-0 and 7-1 runs to take control of the third game, then hung on for a 25-23 win. After trailing, 19-18, in the fourth game, the Prep reeled off 6 consecutive points ( 3 from Murphy) to stay alive. The 25-21 win set the stage for a dramatic fifth game.

Division 1 South: Pat Connolly struck out nine as Framingham (15-5) edged Norwood, 2-1.

Division 2 South: After hitting a bases-clearing double in the top of the seventh, John Kerr scored the winning run on an overthrow as 18th seed Plymouth North stormed back to beat third-seeded Dighton-Rehoboth, 6-5.

Division 3 North: James Stone homered and drove in three runs as 11th-seeded Weston (13-9) defeated third seed Austin Prep, 11-6.

Division 3 South: Chris McKenzie scattered four hits and struck out seven as 18th-seeded Marian (13-9) upset second seed Cape Cod Tech, 7-0 . . . Gregg Baggett's three-run homer helped sixth-seeded East Bridgewater (16-5) beat 11th seed Bristol Plymouth, 13-7.

Division 1 North: Kelly Maley and Kelsey Bo denstab each had RBI singles, giving fifth-seeded Lincoln-Sudbury (13-6) a 2-1 win over Newton North . . . Stephanie Clapp's two-run homer in the top of the seventh led 20th seed Chelmsford (12-10) to a 4-1 upset over third-seeded Woburn.

Division 3 North: Caroline Gattuso pitched a two-hitter and struck out 14 as third-seeded North Reading shut out 19th seed Trinity Catholic, 11-0.

Division 1 East: Mike Lamagna recorded three goals and two assists and Buddy Farnham scored four goals as the third-seeded Andover (18-1) defeated 14th seed Barnstable, 13-9 . . . Max Aldermann scored two goals and notched five assists as fourth seed Lincoln-Sudbury (18-1) trampled Chelmsford, 12-2.

Division 2 East: Connor Hayes scored five goals and Matt Kiley added two as sixth seed Mansfield (17-2) topped 11th-seeded Concord-Carlisle, 8-7.

Division 1 North: Jess Griffin (four goals) led third-seeded Lincoln-Sudbury (17-2) to an 11-6 victory over sixth-seeded Peabody.

Division 1 South: Kelly Pasquantonio had six goals and three assists as King Philip beat Newton North, 17-9.

Today's All-State Outdoor Track meet has been postponed. It will take place Monday at 2 p.m. at Fitchburg State College. The weigh-in will begin at 1 p.m.

Globe correspondent Michelle Bradley contributed to this report.