By Mary Pavlu, Globe Correspondent

After St. John’s Prep head varsity basketball coach Sean Connolly stepped down in March, athletic director Jim O’Leary didn’t have to look far for a replacement. In a news conference at the school Monday at 4 p.m., it was announced that assistant varsity coach John Duella of Peabody would succeed Connolly.

“I’m thankful to everyone at St. John’s Prep for the opportunity to be head coach and their confidence in me to keep the program going in the right direction,” Duella said. “This is something I’ve always wanted and I couldn’t ask for a better team.”

Duella said he expressed interest in the position as soon as Connolly, who led the Eagles for five years, stepped down. He found out he got the job last week in a meeting with St. John’s Prep principal Keith A. Crowley, and O’Leary, but he had to keep it a secret until the official announcement.

Duella, a physical education teacher for grades 6 to 8 in the Peabody school system, has been assistant varsity coach since 2009 and helped Connolly lead the Eagles to the Division 1 state championship in 2011. He also assisted in leading them to Catholic Conference championships in 2010, 2011, and 2013.

He has high hopes, and believes he can lead St. John's Prep to another tournament win.

“We were 18-2 last season but suffered a disappointing loss in the tournament,” Duella said. “I hope we can build off of [the loss] and go even farther this season.”

Mary Pavlu can be reached at mary.pavlu@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryPavlu.

By Paul Lazdowski, Globe Correspondent

Wayne Selden puts up some practice shots
before the McDonald's All-American game.
(Photo courtesy of McDonald's)

Despite being on the losing end of Wednesday night’s 36th annual McDonald’s All-American game at the United Center – a contest the West won, 110-99, over the East – Selden and Vonleh appeared comfortable and at ease in their first-ever visits to the Windy City.

In 11 minutes of action, the 6-foot-9, 220-pound Vonleh scored 3 points and collected 6 rebounds. His point total could have been greater if he had converted more than 1 of 6 free throw attempts.

What Vonleh did exhibit, however, was a relentless motor on the glass, especially on the offensive end, where he snagged four boards. The New Hampton product also displayed an equally impressive handle – one you’d be more likely to find in a 6-foot point guard rather than someone of Vonleh’s physical stature.

Undoubtedly, these attributes – which had the Indiana faithful, scattered among the crowd of 15,818 – excitedly gasping each time their prized recruit gobbled up a rebound and proceeded to push the ball up court.

As for Selden (below), the 6-foot-5, 220-pound combo guard started alongside top recruit Andrew Wiggins, and looked very much like the player who led his Tilton squad in scoring, rebounding and assists this past season.

Alternating between the point and two-guard positions, Selden played 18 minutes and poured in 13 points, including hitting 2-of-4 three-pointers, and added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.

There were times in the game when Selden was arguably the best player on the court. In particular, there was a stretch in which the East was trailing, 79-61, with just over 12 minutes remaining. On three-straight possessions, Selden drained a three-pointer, dished out an assist for a layup, and connected on a foul line extended jumper following a beautiful crossover, to cut the deficit to 11 points.

But the contributions of Massachusetts’ first twosome since 2000, when Holy Name's Neil Fingleton and Central Catholic's Scott Hazelton appeared at the McDonald’s game, and the Commonwealth’s fourth overall – with Randell Jackson (Winchendon) and Wayne Turner (Beaver Country Day) in 1995, and Travis Best (Springfield Central High) and Rick Brunson (Salem) in 1991 being the other two – was not enough to elevate the East squad past the West.

Coach of the St. John's Prep boys' basketball team since 2008, Sean Connolly (center) officially resigned after the 2012-13 season. (Robert E. Klein / File for the Globe)

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

St. John's Prep announced that head basketball coach Sean Connolly will be stepping down from his position.

According to a release from the school, Connolly told his players of the change at his team's year-end meeting. He had been coach of the Eagles since 2008, guiding St. John's Prep to a Division 1 state championship in 2011.

"Sean has been a real asset to the basketball program at St. John's," said Dr. Keith Crowley, St. John's Prep's principal, in the release. "His background as a Division 1 college player, and his years of experience as a high school coach prior to St. John's, helped bring basketball at the Prep to a new level. Sean was highly successful in bringing out the best in his student-athletes. He expected them to work hard, put the interests of the team first, and respect their opponents, on and off the court. We are grateful for his commitment to the Prep, and we wish him well in his future endeavors."

Mansfield's boys' basketball team posed for a picture at TD Garden after winning the EMass final against Central Catholic. (Barry Chin / Globe Staff)

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

Mansfield accomplished all four of its goals this season: get to the tournament, win the Hockomock Kelley-Rex league title, finish the season with the highest seed and win its tournament games. Unfortunately for the Hornets, they lost an overtime thriller to Putnam in the Division 1 state final.

The team’s efficiency and depth this season proved Mansfield, which is only graduating five seniors, to be the top team in Eastern Massachusetts and finish No. 1 in the Globe's final boys' basketball Top 20.

Brighton, Division 2 state champions, capped off an incredible season winning its first city and state championship in school history, moving up from No. 7 to No. 2 since last month’s poll.

After beating the sixth-ranked North Andover twice in the regular season and taking down top-seeded St. John’s Prep in the state quarterfinal, Andover closed the year at No. 4.

Danvers finished ranked eighth after edging No. 19 Martha’s Vineyard at the TD Garden en route to its second consecutive Division 3 state title.

Milton, which lost to No.13 Scituate in the Division 2 South sectional final, came in at No. 18 after winning four tournament games.

The Division 4 state champs, Bishop Connolly, closed it out at No. 20.

Archbishop Williams players celebrated their 60-33 win over Lee in the Div. 3 girls' state basketball championship at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., Saturday, March 16, 2013. (Robert E. Klein for the Boston Globe)

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Archbishop Williams entered this season with only two seniors on the team's roster, but Jim Bancroft's young group got the job done after a 60-33 victory over Lee in the Division 3 state finals. The Archies’ impressive 23-5 campaign, that saw only one in-state loss, earns them the top spot in the final Globe girls' basketball Top 20.

Why does a Division 3 team finish on top of the poll?

The Archies dominated not only the season, but the tournament as well. Archbishop Williams defeated teams by 18.5 during its title run and bounced the defending Div. 3 champions, No. 6 Pentucket, in impressive fashion. With four out of five starters back next season, the Archies won’t even be considered lower tier going forward, moving up to Div. 1 next year.

No. 2 Central Catholic slipped under the radar entering the tournament, but after getting revenge against Andover in the Div. 1 North final, who has dominated the Division 1 and Merrimack Valley Conference the past three seasons, the Raiders went on to win their first title since 2009 behind a notable performance by Casey McLaughlin (27 points).

Braintree finishes No. 4 in the Globe Top 20 after falling to Central Catholic in the Division 1 EMass final. Medfield’s historic season, which saw the Warriors win their first state title in school history, has them finishing at the No. 3 spot.

No. 17 Fenway enters the poll for the first time this season after defeating Greater New Bedford, 56-47, in the Div. 4 EMass final to become back-to-back champions.

Westford shoots up to No. 7 after a deep run in the playoffs, while Abington drops seven spots down to No.12, followed by No.13 Oliver Ames.

By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent

Rockland's Tyler Gibson was named this year's Gatorade Massachusetts boys' basketball player of the year.

Gibson, the first boys' basketball player to be selected from Rockland, led his 19-4 squad to the Division 3 South Region semifinal, concluding his high school basketball career with 986 points. The six-foot-six-inch senior averaged 21.4 points, 15.3 rebounds, 4.8 blocks and 2.1 assists per game this past season, earning the South Shore League MVP. Gibson had eight games this season with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds.

Gibson has maintained a 3.32 GPA and has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball on an athletic scholarship at UMass-Lowell this fall.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Globe correspondent Andy Deossa and I review the Division 1, 2, and 3 boys' state basketball championships, including Putnam's 50-48 overtime win over Mansfield.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Globe correspondent Michelle Fenelon and I review the Division 1, 2, and 3 girls' state basketball championships, including a look at Central Catholic's Casey McLaughlin and Medfield's Lauren Petit.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER — Mansfield stood along the foul line at the DCU Center after the Division 1 state championship game as cheers filled the arena. It was the Putnam crowd celebrating as the Beavers survived a rally, knocking out Mansfield, 50-48, in an overtime shootout to win the first state title in school history.

Down by 3 with 7.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, sophomore Ryan Boulter (14 points) was fouled as he was shooting a 3-pointer from the corner, sending him to the line for three free throws.

The confident 6-foot-3-inch guard stepped up to the line and knocked down all three free throws to tie the score at 42 with five seconds left. Putnam didn’t score on its last possession, sending the game to overtime.

“My teammates always have confidence in me shooting and I’m a good free throw shooter,” Boulter said. “We just came up short, but next year we should have a good team and maybe be back in this position.”

Boulter came up huge again in overtime, draining a 3-pointer to put Mansfield ahead, 45-44. But Kayjuan Bynum (15 points) hit a pair of free throws and Ty Nichols (8 points) raced to the basket for a layup, putting Putnam up by 3 once again.

How would Mansfield answer? Boulter, of course. The smooth-shooting sophomore drilled another 3-pointer to tie it at 48-48 with 19.9 seconds left in overtime.

On the ensuing possession, Nichols drew a foul and made the two free throws. Rocky DeAndrade (10 points) missed Mansfield’s final shot as time expired.

“It was a great run, great team,” said Mansfield coach Mike Vaughn. “Hats off to Putnam with their defensive effort. Their coach was not kidding about their ability to defend. They did a great job.”

Although Mansfield led by 7 at the half, and held Putnam to 6 points in the second quarter, Putnam played relentless defense in the third quarter, limiting Mansfield to 7 points.

Tied, 31-31, at the end of the third, the stage was set for a dramatic finish. Putnam went on a 5-0 run to go ahead, 38-33.

Michael Boen, who finished with 6 points, answered with a layup and was fouled, completing a 3-point play to make it 40-36 with 2:09 left.

Putnam continued to play aggressive defense down the stretch and forced turnovers, except it couldn’t generate scoring opportunities to extend the lead.

Boen put Mansfield right back in it with a 3-pointer, making it 40-39 with 35.7 seconds remaining. The Hornets rallied to force the overtime, but fell short.

“Defensively, we didn’t do too many things differently,” said Putnam coach William Shepard. “I have to give credit to Mansfield. Their half-court stuff was excellent, they found each other, and they battled.”

Despite the loss, the Hornets (25-3) are only graduating five seniors and should be motivated to get back to the DCU Center next season.

“It was definitely a classic state championship game the way momentum shifted,” said DeAndrade.

“The loss definitely makes us want it more and makes us hungrier to come back next year,’’ he added.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Senior forward Casey McLaughlin’s dominate 27-point game led Central Catholic to a 53-48 victory over Holy Name in the Division 1 girls’ Basketball state championship at the DCU Center on Saturday.

Holy Name, which trailed by as many as 22-8 after Central Catholic scored five straight points to open up the second quarter, stormed back into the game to cut the deficit to just six after compiling a 10-4 run with McLaughlin sitting on the bench with two fouls. Central Catholic took a 31-22 lead into halftime after Amanda Williams converted a 3-point play.

Central Catholic set the tone early defensively as they opened the game on an 8-1 run. The Raiders held Holy Name without a field goal until at the 2:58 mark.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER – Last year's trip to the Division 2 state championship didn't end as planned for Brighton. But Saturday's trip to the DCU Center was much different as the Bengals won their first state title in school history with a 59-41 win over South Hadley.

After a thrilling semifinal win over Martha's Vineyard, coach Hugh Coleman stressed the importance of getting off to a quick start and keeping the momentum down the stretch. The Bengals did just that as they led 19-10 after the opening eight minutes, finishing the quarter on a 7-0 run.

Malik James took over in the second frame, scoring 8 of his 16 points. South Hadley's Cameron Earle (16 points) helped keep the game close as he chipped away with 11 points, including two 3-pointers, in the first half.

Brighton was ahead 32-22 at the half and kept the energy in the third, holding the Tigers scoreless for over 2 minutes, part of a 12-2 stretch for the Bengals.

The Tigers fought to keep their hopes alive, but Nick Simpson's 7 fourth-quarter points helped Brighton finally get over the hump and finish the season as Division 2 state champions.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER -- Nashoba scored the first basket of the game, and that would be the last time the Chieftains saw the lead as Medfield cruised to a 54-36 victory to become the Division 2 state Girls’ Basketball champions for the first time in school history.

Medfield's Lauren Petit (18 points) went coast to coast with 10 seconds remaining and hit a jump shot before half to take a 31-21 their largest lead of the first half into half time. Medfield put together a run after the Chieftains cut the lead to 6, and Medfield answered by scoring the last five points to end the first half. The Warriors failed to pull away in the second when they went cold from the field and missed lay ups around the rim.

Medfield came out of halftime in a man-to-man defense that was too much for Nashoba, scoring six straight points. While Medfield held Nashoba scoreless for four minutes in the third, Nashoba returned the favor by not allowing Medfield to score for the final 3:51 of the third quarter after Erin Cressman (12 points) score on a basket and free throw to put Nashoba on the board for the first time in the second half.

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER – Danvers’ long journey towards back-to-back state titles came to fruition with a 66-50 win against Smith academy to win the Division 3 State Championship at the DCU Center Saturday.

Danvers senior guard Nick McKenna led his team with 19 points – 10 of which were scored in the first quarter.

After Danvers jumped to a 17-6 first quarter lead, Smith sparked a 9-2 run in the second quarter to cut the lead to 24-19 at the half. Smith senior Matthew Sulda sparked his team to life with a 3-pointer, and then a jumper to cut Danvers' lead to 22-15. Keith Natale and Derek McMahon added two buckets to make it 22-19. Nick Bates finally scored for Danvers right before the first half ended.

Smith (22-4) continued to battle its way into the game, but Danvers’ offense was far too potent in the second half.

Danvers (23-2) sophomore Vinny Clifford, who was 0 for 5 in the first half, was 4 for 4 in the second half with 11 points – including eight in the final quarter.

Danvers’ Nick Bates finished with 12 points, and dominated the glass with 13 rebounds. Smith’s high scorer was Seaver Rickert, who finished with 15 points before fouling out with 3:54 left.

By Tim Healey, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER — If basketball is a game of inches, those inches came in the form height disparity Saturday morning at the DCU Center.

The Archbishop Williams girls used a distinct height advantage to dominate the boards — not to mention the scoreboard — in a 60-33 win over Lee in the Division 3 state championship. It’s the Archies’ first state title since 2008 and fourth overall.

With 6-foot-3 sophomore forward Jaylen Williams (14 points), 6-1 junior center Olivia Conrad (2) and 6-0 sophomore forward Alana Gilmer (14) in the Bishops’ starting lineup, the victors had no problem handling the 19-6 Wildcats.

Williams, already verbally committed to Penn State, easily won the tip-off and it was all Archbishop Williams (23-5) from there. The Archies jumped out to a 13-0 lead before Lee got on the board with 3:45 left in the first, and extended that lead to 29-15 by the half.

The second half featured more of the same, and had a bit of an anticlimactic finish with Archies nearly doubling up Lee for much of the last two quarters.

AW freshman guard Ednaija Lassiter netted nine of her 10 points on the game in the third quarter.

Lee subbed out its entire starting lineup with about a minute and a half left, and Archbishop Williams played five underclassmen for the last few minutes. 

Lee senior guard Eileen Dooley netted 16 to lead the Wildcats.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

We'll be doing live coverage of the MIAA state high school basketball championships at the DCU Center in Worcester Saturday.

That means we'll have updates, including a running scoreboard, photos, video, and commentary from all six games.

You can find our live coverage on our MIAA state tournament blog here.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Reading High senior guard/forward Olivia Healy has been selected as the state's Gatorade girls' basketball player of the year.

After a 25-0 season in 2011-2012, in which Reading captured the Division 2 state championship, the 5-foot-10 Healy averaged 27.8 points and 11 rebounds per game to power the Rockets to the state semifinals at TD Garden, where their 48-game winning streak was halted by Medfield in overtime.

The two-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic, and three-time Middlesex League MVP finishes her high school career as Reading's all-time scoring leader with 1,899 with points.

"We’re just so proud of her, she had an amazing senior year," said Reading coach Kim Penney.

"Unfortunately we didn’t end with a win but still (we were) so close, we would not have gotten that far without her leadership and tremendous play in every single game. She elevated her own game and in turn elevated everyone around her. We all played the best we could play under her competitiveness.

"It’s a wonderful ending to an excellent career. She's the best basketball player to ever come through Reading. Even within the state, there's a lot of great players but I don’t know if anyone has carried their team the way Olivia has."

Penney said that Healy "took it to heart" when fellow senior Morgan O'Brien, an Assumption recruit, tore her anterior cruciate ligament before the season.

"She did what they could for Morgan," added the coach.

Healy will continue her basketball career next year at Richmond.

"(Richmond) kept coming to games, even after they signed her, which they don't have to do," said Penney. "They texted Olivia and I right when they found out she was Gatorade player of the year. It's just such a great fit for her."

Globe correspondent Pat Bradley also contributed to this story.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

It’s no surprise that a battle between two of the best teams in the state went down to the buzzer.

Down by 3 points with less than a a minute left in the fourth quarter at TD Garden, Central Catholic’s Tyler Nelson (15 points) drained a 3-pointer to tie the score, 50-50. But every time the Raiders thought they had the momentum, Mansfield one-upped them.

On the next possession, Kevin Conner (14 points) put his team back ahead by 2 and Central Catholic couldn’t recover as Mansfield won the Division 1 EMass championship, 55-50.

Mansfield will play Springfield Putnam in the state title game on Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

“Talk about a resilient group that finds a way to get stop after stop and keep this game in the 50s,’’ said Mansfield coach Mike Vaughn. “We knew we could score in the 50s as well, so it was just a matter of making some plays at the end, and we did.”

After a tight first quarter which ended in Mansfield’s favor, 12-11, the Hornets held Central Catholic to 6 points in the second quarter to take a 24-17 lead into the half. Mansfield ended the half on a 7-0 run.

Central Catholic picked it up in the second half as Joel Berroa scored 12 of his 16 points.

Mansfield was clinging to a slim lead to start the fourth, but Nelson exploded for 7 consecutive points to tie the score at 41. Sophomore Michael Boen (7 points) secured Mansfield’s win with a pair of free throws.

“It was so well-coached and so disciplined offensively,” said Central Catholic coach Rich Nault. “Can’t put yourself in a hole, and it seemed like every time we made a run, especially late to tie it up, they responded with a huge play. We couldn’t get that one stop to get us over the hump.”

Mansfield typically strives off 3-pointers, but Central Catholic held the Hornets to three, all in the first half. Mansfield used Conner and Rocky DeAndrade (8 points) to get tough baskets in the paint.

Mansfield’s Brendan Hill, the Hockomock League MVP, had 5 points, but he made crucial plays, such as blocking Nelson in the fourth and assisting Boen with a rebound with just seconds left in the game.

“That was our goal — to get here and play for a state championship,” Vaughn said. “Very few players and coaches get an opportunity at this, so we’ll enjoy it tonight and try to finish this thing off against an extremely talented, aggressive Putnam team come Saturday.”

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

After struggling in the first half, Malik James led Brighton in a fourth quarter comeback against Scituate for a 55-52 win in the Division 2 EMass championship and state semifinal.

Brighton will move on to play in the state championship Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Scituate went on a 10-5 run in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter to take a 49-38 lead over Brighton. Brighton then scored 7 straight points – four of them by James.

After Scituate senior Taran O’Toole connected on one of two free throws, Brighton junior Mark Mojica intercepted a pass, leading to a James transition layup. Mojica followed the play up with another steal, leading to a layup by teammate Nick Simpson off of a James assist.

After James tied the game 50-50 with a made free throw 1:15 left in the game, David Cox looked like he saved Scituate from the collapse by connecting on both of his free throws with 53 seconds to go.

However, with 8.4 seconds left, James once again rose to the occasion by tying the game with two clutch free throws at the line. He followed up with a 3-point play in transition after senior Nate Hogan forced a turnover to seal the win and keep Brighton’s season alive.

Brighton will play South Hadley in the Division 2 state final.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

With 2:28 left in the fourth quarter, Martha's Vineyard clung to a 2-point lead against the defending Division 3 champions. Yet, despite trailing, a poised Danvers squad fought back and defeated the Vineyarders, 50-47, to move onto the state title game against Smith Academy on Saturday.

Nicholas Bates (12 points) made a pair of free throws to tie the game at 43, and Daniel Connors (10 points) followed with two of his own to put the Falcons ahead in the fourth. Danvers took advantage of having the clock on its side, as Eric Martin hit a jumper to extend his team's lead to four points. Nick McKenna then hit 1 of 2 free throws to make it 48-43.

However, Martha's Vineyard guards Jack Roberts and Brandon Watkins scored a quick four points to keep their hopes alive. McKenna was quickly fouled and sent back to the line where he hit two, putting his team up with just 4.7 seconds left.

Izak Browne (17 points) got an open 3-point attempt as time expired but he wasn't able to hit it with the shot banking off the backboard and landing on the parquet, sending the Falcons into celebration mode.

By Patrick Bradley, Globe Correspondent

After three quarters, Lynnfield High School held a slight 37-36 lead, but a balanced scoring attack led by senior guard Thomas Keyes’ 14 fourth quarter points allowed Bishop Connolly to break away and win the Division 4 state championship, 65-62.

Lynnfield would cut the lead to 4 points twice, once at 55-51 with 52.8 seconds to play and again at 63-59 with 6.3 to play, but Bishop Connolly’s rebounding and free throw shooting would ice the game for the Cougars.

Bishop Connolly controlled most of the first half, leading 13-10 after the first quarter and had taking a commanding 29-18 lead late into the second quarter. A Lynnfield run at the end of the half though cut the deficit to five at 29-24.

After the break, Lynnfield came out firing, going on a 5-0 run to tie the game at 29 and force Bishop Connolly to take their first timeout of the half just 1:04 into the quarter. The third period would remain back and forth and end with Lynnfield holding the 1-point advantage.

Bishop Connolly took control right away in the final quarter though and forced several bad Lynnfield shots and turnovers. With just a little over 4 minutes remaining, Bishop Connolly trailed 49-41. The defensive intensity was highlighted by a Lynnfield inbound attempt, in which Bishop Connolly knocked the ball away twice, the second time managing to tip it off Lynnfield for a turnover with 3:37 remaining.

Keyes would finish with a game-high 26 points for Bishop Connolly, while Lynnfield was paced by 17 from freshman forward Adam Buchanan.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

We'll be doing live coverage of all four EMass boys basketball championships at TD Garden Tuesday.

Starting with the Division 4 final between Lynnfield and Bishop Connolly at 2:30 p.m., we'll continue through the night with scores, commentary, photos, and video.

Here's the schedule of Tuesday's games:

2:30 p.m. -- Div. 4 final: Lynnfield vs. Bishop Connolly
4:15 p.m. -- Div. 3: Martha's Vineyard vs. Danvers
6 p.m. -- Div. 2: Scituate vs. Brighton
7:45 p.m. -- Div. 1: Mansfield vs. Central Catholic

Follow along in our MIAA state high school basketball tournament live blog.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Courtney Walsh drained two free throws with 7.8 seconds left to help Central Catholic clinch the Division 1 EMass championship as the No. 12 Raiders defeated third-ranked Braintree in a dramatic 55-51 win.

Central Catholic will move on to the Division 1 state final Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Trailing by 12 in the fourth quarter, Braintree attempted to fight its way back in the final quarter when the Wamps forced a 24-second shot clock violation after cutting the deficit to two points, 53-51, with 51 seconds left in the fourth quarter. But Casey McLaughlin, who scored 18 points on the night for Central Catholic, came up with a huge steal.

“I just did not want anyone getting that ball, I just wanted to end the game,” McLaughlin said.

Braintree upped its defense in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and put together a 12-2 run to close the gap.

“They definitely stepped up the defense in the fourth quarter, so it was a tight game. They’re a great defensive team, so we just need to relax and get back on our defensive end and not let them get second opportunities,” McLaughlin said.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

As the unbeaten top-seed, Reading was in the perfect spot but wasn't able to defend its state title, losing 59-51 to Medfield in an overtime thriller in Monday's Division 2 EMass Championship game at TD Garden.

After scoring the first basket of the game, the Rockets never led again until late in the fourth quarter. With about 20 seconds left on the clock, junior Bridget Clements drilled a 3-pointer to put her team ahead by 1.

On the ensuing possession, Medfield's Lauren Petit threw up a desperation 3-pointer and was fouled, sending her to the line for three crucial free throws. Petit missed the first shot and made the second to tie the game at 49. Perhaps the pressure was just too much for Petit, though, as she missed the third and sent the game into overtime.

However, she got her redemption in the extra period, going 5-of-6 from the line. The Warriors defense kept Reading off the board for more than three minutes in overtime before Olivia Healy (27 points) scored on a layup. But at that point it was too late. Once the clock hit zero, the Medfield bench went into a frenzy, and rightfully so, as the Warriors ended Reading's illustrious 48-game winning streak to move onto the state championship game on Saturday.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Three years ago, Pentucket and Archbishop Williams met at this very location and Pentucket defeated the Archies.

This year, it was a different result.

Second-ranked Archbishop Williams exacted some revenge on the defending Division 3 EMass champions after defeating Pentucket, 52-38, on Monday at TD Garden to take the EMass title.

Archbishop Williams will now move on to the Division 3 state championship Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Archbishop Williams (22-5) opened the game up with an 8-2 run, but Pentucket (24-2) battled back to take over the lead after Tess Nogueira hit a pair of free throws to put the Sachems up 9-8. The Archies quickly responded with a 10-0 run, capped by a Jaylen Williams lay up at the buzzer to close the first quarter.

Pentucket stormed back in the second quarter and opened up the quarter on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to four, at 20-16. But the Archies turned up their defensive intensity in the second half to hold Pentucket to just four points in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Archbishop Williams began to pull away, going ahead 47-36 after Leah Spencer banked a driving floater before the Archies cruised to victory.

Archbishop Williams senior Sara Ryan struggled from the field, and sophomore forward Alana Gilmer took over the scoring load, finishing with a game-high 12 points.

While Ryan is excited for a chance to be able to win at the Garden, she did not forget that her teammates are big part of the reason why she was playing on the parquet floor.

“I’m so proud of them. They work so hard in practice and they really deserve it," Ryan said. "They deserve this so much more than I do.”

Pentucket senior Nicole Viselli went down with an ankle injury with 5:55 remaining in the first quarter but returned late in the second. However, the Cape Ann league MVP was never able to get into a rhythm and was only able to chip in three points.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

With 27 seconds remaining and Fenway’s second consecutive Division 4 girls’ state championship all but wrapped up, coach John Rice sent in a sub for senior guard Tajanay Veiga-Lee.

As Veiga-Lee, who was named MVP (13 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists), left the court, the Fenway fans’ section at the TD Garden rose as one and saluted the Panthers’ captain.

“[Veiga-Lee’s] represented Fenway High School for four years,” said Panthers coach John Rice, whose squad defeated Greater New Bedford 56-47 in a rematch of last year’s Division 4 final. “I was just really happy for her. She appreciated [getting the ovation], it’s a small community over there and that was special. It gave me goose bumps.”

Fenway (15-7) rallied from a disappointing season in which it was forced to forfeit four games and failed to qualify for the Boston City League tournament to ultimately finish on top.

“It just feels good, because a lot of people said we weren’t going to make it this far and win this year,” said Veiga-Lee, who also had five steals, “But look at the outcome, we came here and we won it again. It just feels great.”

Fenway’s forfeits, which were all originally runaway wins, came because it played junior varsity players that were not eligible to be on the court, once it had the games in hand.

Fenway scored the first four points of the game and never trailed, riding a 30-point third quarter to a 9-point win, despite not scoring a single point in the fourth quarter.

Cadejia Mathews led all Panthers in scoring with 15 points in the game (three 3-pointers), but was joined by Veiga-Lee (13) and sophomore center Jalissa Ross (12 points, 12 rebounds) in double figures.

Ten of Ross’s points came in the second half and her overall performance left coach Rice feeling optimistic about her future at Fenway.

“That’s just what she’s capable of,” he said of his center for the next two seasons. “We’ve just been telling her that she cant be all this potential anymore, she can’t be this division one potential anymore, she’s got to go out and dominate and she did in that second half.”

Sophomore center Nakira Examond had a huge game in the loss for Greater New Bedford, finishing with 12 points and 18 rebounds.

For coach Rice, the second time around was actually a bit sweeter.

“It almost sounds selfish to say this, but it feels better than the first one,” he said. “It’s always harder; it’s a different challenge, different mindset, different mentality. You’ve got to push the kids to find that hunger again.

"Last year we were searching for it and we had such a drive to go after it and this year was just different with the adversity we dealt with this season. It’s just an amazing feeling.”

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

We'll be doing live coverage of all four EMass girls basketball championships at TD Garden Monday.

Starting with the Division 4 final between Fenway and Greater New Bedford at 2:30 p.m., we'll continue through the night with scores, commentary, photos, and video.

Here's the schedule of Monday's games:

2:30 p.m. -- Div. 4 final: Fenway vs. Greater New Bedford
4:15 p.m. -- Div. 3: Archbishop Williams vs. Pentucket
6 p.m. -- Div. 2: Reading vs. Medfield
7:45 p.m. -- Div. 1: Central Catholic vs. Braintree

Follow along in our MIAA state high school basketball tournament live blog.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Here is the schedule for the EMass basketball championships at TD Garden Monday and Tuesday. Division 1, 2 and 3 winners advance to the state championships, which will be held Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Monday (girls)
2:30 p.m. -- Div. 4 final: Fenway vs. Greater New Bedford
4:15 p.m. -- Div. 3: Archbishop Williams vs. Pentucket
6 p.m. -- Div. 2: Reading vs. Medfield
7:45 p.m. -- Div. 1: Central Catholic vs. Braintree

Tuesday (boys)
2:30 p.m. -- Div. 4 final: Lynnfield vs. Bishop Connolly
4:15 p.m. -- Div. 3: Martha's Vineyard vs. Danvers
6 p.m. -- Div. 2: Scituate vs. Brighton
7:45 p.m. -- Div. 1: Mansfield vs. Central Catholic

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

We'll be doing live coverage of the MIAA North and South section basketball finals for boys and girls today.

That means we'll have updates from each game, including commentary and analysis.

You can find our live blog for the MIAA state basketball tournament here.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

The Division 4 boys and girls section finals for the North and the South have both been pushed to Saturday.

The South section games will be held at 2 p.m. for the girls and 4 p.m. for the boys at Taunton High School while the North section games will be held at 4 p.m. for the girls and 6 p.m. for the boys at Malden High School. The North section games were originally slated to be played at Emmanuel College.

Fenway will play Whittier in the Div. 4 North girls final and Snowden will play Lynnfield in the boys' Div. 4 final.

Millis is taking on Greater New Bedford in the girls' Div. 4 South final while Bishop Connolly will take on Cohasset in the boys' Div. 4 South final.

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

LAWRENCE – North Andover senior captain Derek Collins assembled a highlight-reel performance that seemed set on an endless loop – one that sent the Wakefield Warriors into a scramble to halt the guard's white-hot streak.

Possession after possession, Collins rolled off a pair of high-low screens from seniors Chris Bardwell and Isaiah Nelson and drained seven 3-pointers, as he scored 26 points to lead North Andover to a 68-44 win over Wakefield in the Division 2 North semifinals Wednesday night at Lawrence High.

"We knew he could shoot like that, and he showed it tonight," said Bardwell, who added 14 points and eight rebounds. "It was huge, we pretty much based our offense to give him the ball."

North Andover (19-4) used an 8-0 run in the first quarter and a 7-2 run in the second to take a 31-23 halftime lead over Wakefield (17-6).

But in the third quarter, Collins sparked the Knights offense with four 3-pointers and singlehandedly created an irreparable deficit. At the end of the quarter, North Andover led, 54-30, and effectively dashed Wakefield's hope of advancing to the D2 North final.

Nelson also showed his hot hand and hit for 21 points, including three 3-pointers. North Andover shot 12 for 25 from beyond the arc.

"We respect Wakefield an awful lot, and there's nobody on our team that thought that was going to be the final score," North Andover coach Mike McVeigh said. "We came into the game thinking we had to play very, very well to beat them, and by halftime it showed that. But the second half we handled their press well."

Kendall Hamilton scored 19 points for Wakefield, but the Knights kept dynamic sophomore Bruce Brown in check with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting.

"Every time my guys looked credulous we got called for a foul, we talked about it and he drives and draws contact with the best of them," McVeigh said of the 6-foot-4-inch Brown. "But we used that spacing theory and spaced and jammed and it was okay."

North Andover will face Brighton (18-6) at Tsongas Center at UMass-Lowell on Sunday for the D2 North title.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

After North Quincy's semifinal win over Newton North, forward Daniel Gould was asked about everyone who doubted his team, and he simply replied, “We knew we were going to be here.”

Something tells me that Mansfield had the same feeling as they ran right past Brookline in a 68-50 victory, moving on to the Division 1 South Championship game against North Quincy on Saturday.

The confidence factor was through the roof for Mansfield in Tuesday night's semifinal, and so was the shooting, especially for sophomore Ryan Boulter.

In the past couple of games the 6-foot-3 forward hadn't shot the ball too well, but that suddenly changed as soon as he stepped foot on the court at the Clark Athletic Center in UMass Boston. Early in the first quarter, Boulter nailed a 3-pointer to score Mansfield's first field goal and then he drained three more 3-pointers and scored on a layup as part of a 14-point opening frame. He didn't score any more points in the following three quarters, but he didn't really need to.

The Hornets were up 21-9 after eight minutes, basically putting the game out of reach just moments after the National Anthem.

“I knew we were going to come out and if we got the opportunities we were going to make some, and the guys stuck with it,” said coach Mike Vaughn. “Greg [Romanko] got a couple, Boulter got a couple and it opened some things up. We were able to get a couple of easy baskets inside and therefore, a little bit in the first quarter, we were kind of putting on a little bit of a clinic.”

Mansfield's shooting display continued in the second quarter as they added five more 3-pointers, making them 9-of-11 from beyond the arc and sending them into the half up, 44-26.

How quickly things changed for Mansfield, which just a few days ago went 2-of-22 from 3-point range in an overtime battle against Franklin. But despite the hard-fought quarterfinal matchup against their Hockomock foe, none of the Mansfield players showed any signs of fatigue on Tuesday. In fact, coming off a close game like that actually benefited them.

“It definitely opened up our eyes, showed us that we don't necessarily need to hit the threes to be able to win games,” said Rocky DeAndrade (12 points) about the Franklin results.

As for the win over Brookline?

“If we could keep shooting like this, it's good news for us,” he added.

Not only does Mansfield's success just rely on their astounding shooting ability, it also has a lot to do with team chemistry. Because Mansfield has a group of kids that know and trust each other so well, it makes it much easier for them to get many different players involved in the gameplan. Tuesday night was another example of that as the Hornets had four different kids score double digits.

Mansfield's goal against Brookline was to be more poised and control the boards, both of which they accomplished. Yet regardless of being arguably the best team in the state, it's all about staying level-headed and focusing on the next task, which is North Quincy.

“North Quincy is a phenomenal team and we've got our work cut out for us, but this is what you play for,” Vaughn said. “You do all the hard work in the offseason and this is what you do it for, so you could show up and play for championships.”

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Pat Bradley, Globe Correspondent

In the fourth match-up between Merrimack Valley Conference rivals Central Catholic and Andover High School, the Raiders were, for once, the underdogs. Central Catholic had defeated Andover in the previous three games this season, but this time around the Raiders were without their starting big men -- 6-foot-5 Nick Cambio and 6-foot-4 Doug Gemmell -- and Andover was coming off an upset victory against top-seed St. John's Prep. Central Catholic would win the game 61-48, although the final score doesn’t tell the story of the defensive effort the team put forward. In the second quarter, they held Andover to 3 points. The Golden Warriors only scored 10 in the first half as Central Catholic broke open a 16-point lead after 16 minutes.

As weird as it sounds, Central losing their top two big men may have been one of the best things that has happened to them this season, as 6-foot-6 junior Aaron Hall stepped into the big shoes voided by his injured teammates.

Just a few weeks ago, Hall was a reserve at the end of the bench. Central Catholic coach Rick Nault typically played a short, seven-man rotation that left little room for anyone else to crack the court. Then Gemmell sustained a concussion that has kept him out for the past six weeks, so Hall started getting time on the court. Cambio went down in the regular season against Lowell two weeks ago. Now Hall is a starter on the frontline, a true center with a bit more height and reach than either of the two players he replaced.

With Gemmell and Cambio on the court, the Raiders were a bit quicker and played more transition. With Hall, they’re an entirely differently team, albeit just as good so far in the Division 1 North tournament. Hall gives the Raiders a true center, and allows 6-foot-4 senior forward Joel Berroa to move into a more natural, athletic power forward position, where his quickness exploits his opposition from both ends of the court. While the absence of Cambio and Gemmell hurt the Raiders down the stretch, going 5-4 to close the season, now it’s the solution to their woes.

“We’re just fighting and clawing every possession,” said Nault.

In the stead of his fallen comrades, Hall played the best game of his career thus far. He tallied a working-man’s score sheet with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocks, but what the numbers can’t tell are just how affective his interior defense was against Andover.

“He didn’t score much, but he clogged things up,” noted Nault. “We said ‘clog the paint up. Every time down in clutch, you better be there to slow things down.' We told Aaron you’ve just got to clog up the middle. He did that.”

Central’s biggest task of the night was to try and contain Andover senior captain, 6-foot-4 Sam Dowden. Berroa took on the tremendous task and “was a bear on him,” said Andover coach Dave Fazio. Dowden didn’t score at all in the first half. In fact, he only hit two field goals all night with the first not coming until there were less than two minutes to play in the third quarter. Dowden would finish with 12 points, mostly from late free throws, and 6-foot-4 sophomore center Connor Merinder only hit only one from the charity stripe.

According to Berroa, though, he couldn’t have done the job without Hall.

“He’s a person that, actually, you don’t see it, but he’s probably the most underrated player on our team because he’s helping me out with Sam Dowden. He’s there when I get screened – he was always there,” he said. Berroa added that Hall has “been pushing real good. He’s been a big step for us.”

His teammates can’t say enough good things about him. Take classmate Tyler Nelson, the sharpshooting guard who was the star of the game offensively, going off for 31 points. Nelson had no interest in talking about himself, instead praising Hall for his play.

“People don’t give him enough credit. He plays his heart out, he really does,” Nelson said. “He boxes out, he rebounds, he does all the little things for us. He was a key player for us tonight. We wouldn’t have played as well the last three games – we probably wouldn’t even be here – if it wasn’t for him playing and rebounding and playing as well as he is.”

That’s high praise coming from one of the best players in the league and on the team.

So what has inspired Hall’s terrific play?

“I think he loves the opportunity to be playing,” explains Nault. “Now we’re playing at a high level with an awful lot at stake on Saturday and I think he relishes in that.”

Hall attributes the success he’s had to his teammates.

“It starts in practice,” he said. “They all push me, all the big guys – (6-foot-8) Andrew Hamel, (6-foot-4) Ryan Barry they push me as hard as they can every practice just to get me ready for the games.”

Hall also noted that Gemmell and Cambio have been a “big” reason for his success.

“They’ve always been great players,” he said in reference to Gemmell and Cambio. “Doug [Gemmell] was on varsity when I came in as a freshman, so with seeing him play I wanted to be like him.”

Despite not being the high-scoring superstar, Hall is happy with his play, and stressed he takes pride in his role.

“I know it’s a really important role,” he said. “I just know I have to push. Even if I’m tired, I have to give it 110 percent the whole time. If you don’t, it could be your last game. You have to just try hard.”

With Wednesday night’s win against Andover, Aaron Hall and the Raiders advance to the Division 1 North Finals against Lynn English Saturday.

Pat Bradley can be reached at patrick.bradley@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatBradleyUSCHO.

By Ayoub Kourikchi, Globe Correspondent

The 12th-seeded Watertown girls’ basketball team staged a 21-point explosion while holding secondd seed St. Mary’s of Lynn to 11 points en route to a 61-60 victory Tuesday in the MIAA Division 3 tournament semifinals at Mystic Valley High School.

After Watertown clawed back from a 49-38 fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game, 60-60, Watertown coach Patrick Ferdinand called a timeout with 16 seconds left to draw up an isolation play for junior point guard Gabby Coppola, who led the Raiders (13-10) with 10 fourth quarter points.

On cue, Coppola drove to the basket and headed to the line after picking up a blocking foul where she made 1 of 2 free throws. Hanging on to a 1-point lead, the Raiders applied full court pressure on the Spartans (21-3) and forced them into a contested 3-pointer as time expired.

“We have been in this spot before where we have been down and I just thought that we stayed aggressive and consistent,” said Ferdinand. “When that shot went up and it rang off the rim we stormed the floor and we couldn’t hold our emotions and it was an incredible win. I couldn’t put it into words. Everyone sacrificed and it was a great win with everyone in our community supporting us in that moment. It was surreal.”

The Raiders jumped to an early 16-15 lead in the first quarter after sophomore guard Rachel Campbell (18 points) drilled a 3-pointer to finish with 7 points in the quarter.

"The first quarter we did a decent job. Our game plan was to make them work for several possessions and limit their transition shots,” said Ferdinand. “We were neck and neck but we had some defensive lapses in our rotations.”

Freshman Katelyn Rourke sparked the Raiders' run in the fourth quarter with two straight 3-pointers. The forward finished finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot.

Coppola scored a team high 21 points along with 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

By Sarah Moomaw, Globe Correspondent

North Andover girls’ basketball coach remembers the last time the team won the Division 2 North finals. It was 1984, but Susan Breen was a student.

On Tuesday, the current squad put up 37 second-half points to run away with a 61-34 victory over Belmont to advance in the tournament.

“Such an intense game and we came out in the second half,” Breen said.”[We] found a way to score a bunch of points, scoring 37 points is pretty good.”

At halftime, sixth-seed North Andover (15-8) only had a 2-point lead, 24-22. The Knights opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run, before closing it with another 8-2 sprint. North Andover put up 18 points – 10 from senior Michaela Mello (14 points, eight rebounds) – while holding the Marauders to 7, 42-19.

“Our defense really stepped up quite a bit,” Breen said. “I think we settled down and just got better looks.”

The fourth quarter was virtually identical, as the Knights outscored seventh-seed Belmont,19-5, for the final.

Senior guard Morgan Lumb had 21 points (five 3-pointers), while junior forward Mackenzie Mello added 12 points and nine rebounds.

“The last few games we’ve found a way to put the ball in the basket, which is what you need to do at this point,” Breen said.

North Andover will face the winner of Wednesday's Reading/Wilmington game on Saturday at the Tsonga Center in Lowell.

By Sarah Moomaw, Globe Correspondent

The Vikings and the Vineyarders are headed for a Division 3 South championship rematch Saturday.

After a fourth-quarter battle, top-seeded Wareham came out on top, 61-56, over fourth-seed Rockland to earn another date with Martha’s Vineyard in the finals.

“It was really back and forth, no team could really get a good lead,” Vikings coach Kevin Brogioli said.

Entering the final eight minutes, the Vikings (22-1) had a 41-38 lead that was reversed to a Rockland 3-point lead halfway through.

But it wouldn’t last as Wareham hit back-to-back threes. Junior guard Mason Vasconcellos hit a three to tie the game before Sam Brogioli (14 points) drained one of his own from 6-feet beyond the arc to take the lead.

“[It stole] the momentum from the rest of the game,” coach Brogioli, Sam’s father, said.

The Vikings pushed the game out of reach from the foul line, mostly in part to Darien Fernandez. He sunk his final seven of eight free throws en route to finishing the game with 26 points and eight assists.

Wareham and seventh-seed Martha’s Vineyard will tip-off in a rematch of last year’s championship game, and their fourth meeting in five years.

“They’ve always been very competitive games,” Brogioli said.

In 2012, the Vikings won 70-65 to advance to the state bracket where they lost 68-45 to Danvers, the eventual-D3 champions.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

A look at key divisions this week in boys' basketball and the upcoming semifinals:

1. Division 1 North -- While Everett, Central Catholic and Lynn English won easily in Friday's quarterfinal games, top-seeded St. John's Prep was eliminated, losing an overtime thriller, 62-59, to Andover. The Golden Warriors were led by Sam Dowden, who finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. But now the focus is on Tuesday night's semifinals. Lynn English, which didn't even make it past the preliminary round in last year's tournament, eliminated Haverhill behind Erick Rosario's triple-double (21 points, 10 steals and 11 assists) and will face Everett at Beverly High School. Andover and Central Catholic play at Lawrence. Both games are 7 p.m. Tuesday.

2. Division 1 South -- The south sectional has the chance for a perfect story-book ending: No. 1 seed Mansfield vs. No. 2 seed Newton North. In last year's tournament, Franklin beat Mansfield by five points in the quarterfinals, ending the Hornets' hopes for a state title. Mansfield used the loss as motivation and it surely helped after finishing the regular season 20-2. The latter one of those losses, which ended a 12-game winning streak, was to Franklin in February. Mansfield was able to get its revenge on Saturday as it beat Franklin, 57-48, to move on to a semifinal game against Brookline. On the other side of the bracket, Newton North is coming off a 69-57 win over Taunton and will face sixth-seeded North Quincy, which has already beaten Natick and Braintree in the tournament. Both the semifinal games will be played at UMass Boston.

3. Division 2 North -- It's déjà vu in the Division 2 North sectional as both semifinal games are rematches from last year. Brighton, which won the section title last year before losing in the state final, will be up against an unbeaten Melrose team that hasn't lost since last year's semifinal against the Bengals. That game will be played Tuesday at Woburn. The other matchup is between Wakefield and North Andover, with North Andover taking a 47-45 loss in last year's semis. Wakefield guard Chris Calnan scored the game-winning basket with 1.6 seconds left on the clock to lift the Warriors to a 64-63 win over Lynn Classical in the quarterfinals. Derek Collins led North Andover to a 66-49 victory over Concord-Carlisle. North Andover and Wakefield will play on Wednesday at Lawrence.

4. Division 3 North -- Danvers is looking to repeat as Division 3 state champions but first they must get past a very tough Whittier team in Tuesday's semifinal game at Triton high school. Undefeated North Reading is continuing along the path of success this season and awaits the winner of today's Wayland/Arlington Catholic game. That semifinal game will be played Wednesday at Burlington.

5. Sectional finals -- Tsongas Center in Lowell will host the Division 1, 2, and 3 North sectional final games on Saturday. The Division 4 North title game will be played on Friday at Emmanuel College. Divisions 1, 2, and 3 South sectional championship games will be played at UMass Boston on Saturday, while Division 4 South is at Taunton on Friday night.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Here are some things you should know for girls' basketball in Eastern Massachusetts this week:

1. North Andover turning it up -- North Andover experienced an up and down season that hit a low during a four-game losing streak in late January that caused the Scarlet Knights to slip from the Boston Globe Top 20 midseason. But North Andover has been playing on another level during the tournament, defeating last year's Division 2 South finalist and our No. 20 team Arlington Catholic, 57-43, behind Morgan Lumb's 22 points on Sunday.

2. Don't count out the defending champs -- Eighteenth-ranked Andover is still in the hunt to defend their Division 1 state title after they defeated ninth-ranked Lynn English on Sunday. The Golden Warriors will face 12th-ranked Central Catholic in the semifinals again, 7 p.m. Wednesday at Tewksbury. Central Catholic will try to avenge last year's semifinals defeat to Andover. Andover has won two close games in the playoffs so far. Meanwhile, Central Catholic has yet to be really tested by its competition in the tournament, coasting through its playoff game by beating its opponents by an average of 34 points. Could this be the year we crown a new D-1 North and D-1 girls' basketball state champion?

3. The parent-daughter dance -- On Wednesday, No. 10 Pentucket will play No.16 Ipswich in Beverly. It will be an interesting matchup because both teams have a couple of parent-daughter combos, head coaches and starting guards on each team. Ipswhich head coach Mandy Zegarowski, who is also the mother of Syracuse standout Michael Carter-Williams, relies on her sophomore daughter Masey Zegarowski to direct her team, while Pentucket head coach John McNamara calls out plays to his sophomore daughter Kelsi McNamara from the sidelines. These teams have history. Last year, Pentucket defeated Ipswich in the Division 4 South final game so you have to assume that Ipswich wants revenge. This will be the second time these two face each other this season. Ipswich played well against the Sachems in their first meeting, but lost 45-40. Cape Ann large MVP Coley Visselli's fourth quarter dominance was too much to handle. The game is slated for 7 p.m.

4. Monday's key games -- A few Division 4 matchups to look out for on Monday: Blue Hills, the only team in Eastern Massachusetts with a perfect throughout the regular season, will seek revenge against Greater New Bedford for a heart-breaking 70-66 loss in the South sectionals last season. In the North, Shawsheen will seek revenge, too, going head-to-head against Fenway, the team that defeated them in the finals last year.

5. Sara Ryan shining for the Archies -- No. 2 Archbishop Williams is making an impressive push to make another trip to the Division 3 South finals for the second consecutive year behind guard Sara Ryan. Ryan reached her 1,000th career-point milestone after scoring 19 points against Bourne on Saturday. The Archies are beating their opponents by an average margin of 25 points and they look to continue their run on Monday against Brenna Diggins and Norwell in the semifinals. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Massoit College.

Michelle Fenelon covers girls' basketball. She can be reached at michelle.fenelon@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @MichFenelon.

By Paul Lazdowski, Globe Correspondent

Trailing by 2 points with 3.3 seconds remaining, Roxbury-native Jalen Adams (team-high 14 points) hit a dramatic half-court, bank-shot as time expired Sunday to give Cushing a thrilling 61-60 win over St. Andrew's and the NEPSAC Class AA boys basketball championship.

‘‘I didn’t think it was going to go in,’’ said Adams. ‘‘But it did and we won. I'm very happy.’’

The third-seeded Penguins (24-5) trailed, 57-47, with just over three minutes to play, but outscored eighth-seeded St. Andrews, 14-3, down the stretch. Tournament MVP Adams contributed a team-high 14 points, while 6-foot-7-inch senior forward and Butler-commit Andrew Chrabascz (Portsmouth, R.I.) had 13 points. Meanwhile, New Bedford-native Bonzie Colson had 14 points for St. Andrews (18-6).

In the NEPSAC Class A final, top-seeded Phillips Exeter (25-1) made school history by winning its first title, beating second-seeded Choate (21-4), 58-47.

Led by Williams College bound Duncan Robinson (24 points) and Chris Braley (15 points), Exeter held a 9-point half-time lead that it stretched to as many as 19. But Choate hung tough and forced Exeter to fight for its 18th-consecutive win.

‘‘This team is obviously very, very special,’’ said coach Jay Tilton. ‘‘It will hold a place in Exeter history with putting a banner up.’’ In the loss, the Wild Boars were led by Jeff Coby and Pete Weston, who each scored 15 points.

A year after falling in the NEPSAC Class AAA final to Northfield-Mount Hermon, Brewster (30-4) redeemed itself by beating top-seeded St. Thomas More (28-4) for the 2013 title, 77-75.

Despite falling behind early in overtime, the Bobcats hit their first six free throws to stay within striking distance until with 17 seconds left Syracuse-bound Ron Patterson (11 points) connected on a 15-foot jumper. West Virginia-signee Elijah Macon captured MVP honors with 17 points, while sophomore guard and Weymouth-native Jared Terrell had 16 points.

‘‘We could have easily caved in when we were down,’’ said Brewster coach Jason Smith. ‘‘But they persevered and got stops when they needed to and they found a way.’’ Marquise Moore and Duane Notice each had 21 points for the Chancellors in the loss.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Last year, during the quarterfinals of the state tournament, the Billerica girls’ basketball team was sitting at home, while Masconomet was pushing for a spot in the semifinals.

This year proved to be different as the No. 2 seeded Indians downed seventh-seeded Masconomet, 64-42, in the Division 1 North quarterfinals in front of a packed gym Saturday at Billerica.

Billerica (20-2) opened the final quarter on a 10-0 run to take a commanding 56-33 lead. The Indians held Masconomet scoreless for half of the fourth quarter until the Chieftains (16-6) went on a 7-0 run with a little more than four minutes remaining. The run was started by Nicole Femino, who led her squad with 19 points, but the deficit was just too big and their late push wasn’t enough.

The visiting Chieftains made an early statement as they jumped to a 6-0 lead, but Billerica did not panic.

“We gave them three or four, five easy baskets in transition, so we just basically tried to shut that down,” coach Chris Doneski said.

The Indians quickly put together a 6-2 run of their own. The Indians entered the second quarter a lot more aggressive and a lot more controlled as they quickly scored on back-to-back possessions to gain a 16-14 lead. Senior center Joslyn King and senior forward Danielle Nickerson combined for 23 points.

“We just basically tried to make them score in the half court and at the same time we were trying to get the ball down low as much as we can. I thought we did a little better job at that as the game went on,” Doneski said.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

It was just a year ago that Central Catholic was on the same stage.

Last year Charlestown stopped the Raiders from getting past the semifinals, but on Friday Central Catholic punched its ticket to the next round, again, beating Cambridge, 73-53. Junior point guard Tyler Nelson and senior forward Joel Berroa led the way with 23 points each.

This time around in the semifinals could be a different story for the Raiders as they will be matching up against Andover, a team it knows very well.

In three meetings this season Central Catholic went 3-0 against Andover.

However, the Golden Warriors are coming off a hard fought quarterfinal win against top-seeded St. John's Prep. The Eagles were leading by a point with a little under a minute left, but in a nail-biting victory Andover was able to overcome and beat Prep on its home court, 62-59.

In other Division 1 North action, Lynn English rolled over Haverhill, 76-47, to win its sixth consecutive game and advance to a semifinal date against Everett. The Crimson Tide won their quarterfinal game against Lowell, 56-48.

And if you're looking for a team to give a slight advantage to in this one, good luck because both teams are heading into the next round with serious momentum. Lynn English beat Prep earlier in the month, which has the team extremely confident in the state tournament, while Everett has quietly edged its way a step closer to the finals.

As for the Division 2 North sectionals, the Boston City League Champion Brighton Bengals continue to shine. In their quarterfinal game against Salem, Malik James, who hit a game-winning buzzer beater against Burlington to send Brighton to the quarterfinals, finished with 27 points en route to a 82-61 victory.

After Brighton beat New Mission in the city finals, Bengals coach Hugh Coleman said if the basketball gods wanted it to be, the two teams would meet up for a fourth time this season. Maybe then that seemed like a far-fetched idea, but now it might just happen.

New Mission will travel to Melrose on Saturday to take on the undefeated Red Raiders in the quarterfinals. If the Titans are able to hand Melrose its first loss of the season, they will indeed get yet another shot at beating Brighton.

State tournament action is just heating up so make sure to check back in for more updates throughout the next couple of weeks.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Two things that you can expect during tournament season is drama and upsets. And that is what we got on Wednesday night.

Unranked Notre Dame (Hingham) stunned No. 6 Oliver Ames, 48-38, in Easton.

“I told the kids if they beat Plymouth North in the first round, then we will beat Oliver Ames,” head coach Michael Barrett said.

In the first quarter, Notre Dame’s tallest player, center Colleen McClelland, picked up two early fouls that forced Barrett to bench her for the rest of the first half. While the Cougars were undersized, Barrett felt that his squad did a good job “sealing off the inside.”

The Cougars entered halftime trailing 28-22, and Barrett felt that his team was in great position to win the game.

“I told the kids that it was a combination of fundamentals and the kids knew what they had to do defensively in order to be successful,” Barrett said.

In the second half, the Cougars picked up their intensity and pushed the ball a lot more on Oliver Ames. Their tenacious defense caused turnovers that led to quick fast breaks and easy opportunities. Barrett felt that his team’s quickness was the difference.

“I feel we wore them down and frustrated Oliver Ames,” Barrett said, “I don’t think they expected our quickness.”

Notre Dame, which never led the game until taking the lead with less than two minutes remaining in the final quarter, outscored Oliver Ames 26-10 in the second half.

Oliver Ames was not the only ranked team to get bounced on Wednesday night. Ninth-ranked Newton North fell to Newton South in a dramatic 49-45 upset in overtime.

Newton North emerged as one of the teams to beat in the tournament after a 19-game winning streak and an impressive win over previously top-ranked Braintree.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

A look around at the different section battles in boys' basketball this week as the tournament heats up:

1. Division 1 North sectional quarter finals -- Third-seeded Westford Academy and fifth-seeded Waltham both got the boot after losing first round games, respectively, on Tuesday night. On the other hand, led by Max Butterbrodt's 19 points, St. John's Prep advanced to the quarterfinals after a 30-point rout over Billerica. The Eagles will have their work cut out for them as they play Andover, which is coming off a 68-60 win over Medford, on Friday night. In other Division 1 North action, senior guard Tyree Gregory (22 points) led Everett to a 77-55 and a date with Lowell in the quarterfinals. Cambridge will play the winner of Central Catholic/Malden while Haverhill awaits the results from Lynn English/Somerville.

2. Division 2 North sectional breakdown -- Undefeated Melrose will see its first tournament action on Thursday when it hosts Arlington, with the winner of that game going on to face New Mission. The Titans, who fell just short of the Boston City League Championship, have shifted their focus and that was evident in Tuesday's 60-57 win over Reading. Speaking of the Boston City League, Brighton's Malik James nailed a game-winning buzzer beater which lifted the Bengals to a two-point win over Burlington. Brighton plays Salem, which is coming off a 67-65 OT win over Winchester. However, is it too early to start thinking about the fourth round between Brighton and New Mission? Across the board, Wakefield senior Kendall Hamilton scored 16 points and grabbed six boards to eliminate Malden Catholic and set up a quarterfinals date with Lynn Classical. Second-seeded North Andover hosts Latin Academy on Thursday while Concord-Carlisle and Woburn battle it out on Wednesday.

3. Division 3 South sectional first round -- Norwell edged out Foxboro with a 41-38 win on Monday and will now hit the road to take on top-ranked Wareham. In similar fashion, Rockland will host Westwood, which beat Hanover, 66-64, in the preliminary round. With other matchups such as Bishop Feehan vs. Dover-Sherborn and Case vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, the one that stands out the most is Ashland at Cardinal Spellman. The third-seeded Cardinals, Catholic Central champs, haven't lost a game since January 17 and are in great position to continue that winning-streak.

4. Division 3 North sectional matchups -- Dual County League (Small) MVP Jaleel Bell scored 19 points, leading Wayland to a 69-64 win over Saugus in the first round. The Warriors will play the winner of Arlington Catholic vs. Stoneham. Because of its dominant season and unbeaten record, North Reading received the first round bye and will take on either Northeast Regional or Watertown. Second-seeded Danvers, which lost its last two games despite starting the season 18, hosts Greater Lawrence on Thursday for the chance to advance to a quarter finals showdown against the Minuteman.

5. Division 4 South sectional kicks off -- All eight of the first round games in this sectional will be played on Thursday. In some of the more notable games, top-seeded Westport hosts Millis, Cape Cod Academy takes on Bristol Plymouth and West Bridgewater takes on Avon. All four quarter final games will be played at 7 p.m. Friday.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Here are some tidbits to consider in girls' basketball this week as the tournament continues:

1. It's a new season -- No.12 Central Catholic entered this season at No.3 on the Top 20 poll, however, the Raiders continued to slide throughout the season. Many refer to the postseason as a new season, a fresh start. The Raiders got off to a good start to their 'new season' with a 71-44 victory over Woburn behind senior guard Casey McGlaughlin's 34 points, 16 rebounds, and six steals on Tuesday.

2. Fenway has something to prove -- After Fenway was denied a chance to defend their Boston City championship title due to MIAA violations, I'm sure John Rice's squad is entering the tournament with a lot of motivation to defend their Division 4 state title. The Panthers, who are this year's favorites to win the D-4 title are led by senior standout Tajanay Veiga-Lee. Veiga-Lee surpassed the 2,000-point scoring mark after a 14-point, 10-rebound performance on Tuesday against Notre Dame (Lawrence).

3. Who will win the Division 1 South? -- Is No.3 Braintree the favorites to hoist the Division 1 South title? Before the season they were. The Wamps recovered from two losses this season, one by the No. 9 Newton North Tigers, who are on a 19-game winning streak. Barnstable and junior Molly Bent may have the best chance of bouncing the Wamps from the tournament. Newton North and and Braintree split their two regular season games and both teams have been on hot streaks. So don't be surprised if Braintree and Newton North play rubber match game in the finals.

4. Mixed back in Division 2 South -- The Division 2 South bracket might hold the most unpredictable and intriguing matchups in the tournament. The road to the finals will be very difficult for No.4 Medfield and No.6 Oliver Ames, the latter of which will try to make a push behind by Caitlyn Abela. Bishop Feehan, a team that has proven its not afraid to go head-to-head against ranked opponents, will be a tough matchup for anyone in the tournament. A few of the top high school girls' basketball players, including Duxbury's center Michaela North, Scituate's Kelly Martin and Fontbonne's Jen Gemma will all battle to give their team a chance to win.

5. Watch out for the Archies -- A team who has been there and lost is a team that should be feared. No. 2 Archbishop Williams entered this season with a bad taste in their mouth from last year's three-point loss to Fairhaven in the Division 3 South title game at UMass Boston. This season the Archies have established themselves as one of the top teams in the state. Behind senior guard Sara Ryan, the Archies are the favorites to win the D-3 South and I'm sure last year's defeat gives the Archies much motivation to win.

Michelle Fenelon covers girls' basketball. She can be reached at michelle.fenelon@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @MichFenelon.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Last week, I thought I that there would be some shifting in the Top 20 after the Comcast tournament. To my surprise, I was right.

Billerica falls to No.8 in the standings after losing to Archbishop Williams on Sunday. With the Indians’ drop, Lynn English, who hasn't lost a contest since December moves up the rankings this week to No. 7. Abington has been on a hot streak as of late and they also make their way up the standings this week and debut at No.5.

Despite Archbishop Williams’ first state loss to Reading on Monday in the title game of the Comcast Tournament, we thought that Archbishop Williams should remain the No.2 team in the state because they simply are the second best team in the state. The Archies proved that they could compete with top-ranked Reading after they held an early 11-0 lead on the Rockets before Olivia Healy dominated the second half.

The Comcast Tournament was not the only tournament to cause some changes in the final regular season poll.

No.6 Oliver Ames took its first loss to Medfield in the Rebel Hoop Classic on Wednesday. The loss drops the Tigers one spot to No.6.

With tournament games coming up next week, watch out for unranked Blue Hills (20-0), the only undefeated team outside of Reading in Eastern Massachusetts. The Warriors have quietly put together a successful season but look for them to make some noise in the tournament.

Michelle Fenelon covers girls' basketball. She can be reached at michelle.fenelon@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @MichFenelon.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

Sorry about last week, guys.

I took my talents to Florida for the weekend and had high school sports editor Bob Holmes take over the Top 20. Surprisingly, Reading wasn't in the top spot. But St. John's Prep was, and the Eagles suffered a stunning loss to Lynn English, putting Mansfield, who hasn't lost a regulation game since Dec. 28, in the No. 1 spot.

After dethroning the top team, Lynn English makes its debut at No. 14.

Despite the loss, second-ranked St. John's Prep is still flying high and will play Billerica on Tuesday in the first round of the Division 1 North sectional tournament. Speaking of Eagles, BC High moves into the No. 3 spot after winning the Comcast Classic.

Lowell beat Central Catholic, 63-41, and made a jump this week to No. 4. Sixth-ranked Melrose also moved up a few spots since it finished the season a perfect 20-0.

On the bottom end of the rankings, Scituate (17-3) and Dennis-Yarmouth (16-4) make appearances this week after completing impressive seasons and both clinching first round byes in the state tournament.

Let the games begin!

See the last regular season Globe Top 20 for boys' basketball.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

Here are five things you need to know in boys' basketball this week:

1. North Reading finishes 20-0 – To say that North Reading, which finished last year 7-13, have bounced back this season is an understatement. A couple of weeks ago, the unbeaten team won its 16th game, clinching the Cape Ann Large title. “Finishing undefeated wasn’t our goal at the beginning of the season, but right now we are chasing history and it would be nice to that get that last win,” said coach Joseph Casey after his team's 46-44 win over Triton. And on Tuesday night, behind John Mastascusa's 17 points and Tommy Hogan's 15, the No. 11 Hornets beat Shawsheen Tech to finish the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1977, only the second time in school history.

2. Boston City League championship – No. 9 Brighton is coming off a huge win over previously unbeaten and top-ranked Danvers in the Comcast Classic on Sunday night. The Bengals will look to build off that momentum as they kick off the Boston City League tournament 4 p.m. Wednesday against South Boston, followed by Dorchester vs. New Mission. The winners of the two games will meet in the final 6:30 p.m. Thursday. All games will be played at Madison Park.

3. Bracketology – On Friday, Feb. 22, the MIAA will draw and announce its pairings for the state tournament. The sectional finals will take place between March 8-10, the semifinals will be played at the TD Garden on March 12 and the state championship is at the DCU Center (Worcester) on March 16.

4. Division 1 North outlook – Top-ranked St. John's Prep locked up the No. 1 seed in the North, finishing the season with an 18-2 overall record (8-0 against the league). The two teams the Eagles lost to this season, Waltham and Lynn English, both also qualified for the North sectional. No. 2 Central Catholic, which lost to Prep twice this season, will be another powerhouse in the tournament. Lowell and Andover will also be representing the Merrimack Valley in what should be some great, hard-fought postseason basketball.

5. Division 1 South outlook – One thing that is for certain in the South sectional is that it won't be lacking any action or talent. Five of the qualifying teams for this section – Mansfield, BC High, Newton North, New Bedford and Barnstable – are ranked in the Globe's Top 20. Besides those mentioned, there are a handful of other squads that have proven to be tough competitors this season, such as Taunton, Natick, Franklin, Brookline and Brockton, which won the South sectional last year and lost to Springfield Central in the Division 1 state championship.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Here's what you need to know in girls' basketball this week:

1. Join the club -- As the regular season comes to a close, more players are joining the 1,000-point club. On Monday, North Andover senior Morgan Lumb reached the milestone and was also named the Merrimack Valley Conference co-MVP for this season. Also on Monday, twelfth-ranked Pentucket's senior Nicole Viselli surpassed her 1,000th-career point during a 59-49 win over No.11 Central Catholic.

2. Giving Andover a run for the money -- The defending Division 1 champions Andover Golden Warriors have dominated the Merrimack Valley Conference Large for the past few years, but this season Billerica felt that it was time for a change. The Indians captured the league title against Andover, the team who has hoisted the league championship for the past seven years, last Tuesday in a dominating 76-47 victory. On her senior night, Danielle Nickerson recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds as she clinched her first league title with the Indians.

3. Braintree bounces back -- After a tough loss to Newton North on Jan. 22, No. 3 Braintree went right back to where they started. The third-ranked Wamps handed No.17 Duxbury their first loss, 49-29, since December behind Bridget Herlihy's 13 points and 8 rebounds. The tough Wamps defense held Duxbury to a season low in points scored.

4. Barnstable's Bent deserves love, too -- While most of the chatter may surround Massachusetts top high school girls' basketball player Olivia Healy, Barnstable's sophomore guard Molly Bent is quietly the leading scorer in EMass. But her stats are not quiet. The sophomore guard as been starting for the Red Raiders since her 8th grade year, and has emerged to one of the top players in the state. In Bent's three years, she has scored 977 points, and with tournament season approaching, she may just surpass her 1000th- career point soon.

5. Section tournament pairings coming Friday -- With the regular season coming to an end and teams trying to make up games that were originally postponed due to the storm a week ago, I know many are anxious to know what the tournament matchups will be. Don't worry, the MIAA will announce their pairings on Friday, so be sure to visit Boston.com for updates and information on tournament games.

Michelle Fenelon covers girls' basketball. She can be reached at michelle.fenelon@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @MichFenelon.

By Zac Vierra, Globe Correspondent

The Lynn English boys’ basketball team is at its best when aggressively pushing the ball up the floor. So it was no surprise when coach Mike Carr didn’t call a timeout after St. John’s Prep tied Monday’s game at 73 with 10 seconds left to play. Instead of regrouping, Carr elected to let his team do what it does best, and the gamble paid off.

With 1.5 seconds remaining, Frank Hogan attacked the basket and hit a 10-foot, off-balance leaner to win the IAABO Board 130 classic for the Bulldogs (15-5), a 75-73 victory over the top-ranked Eagles (18-2).

“Hogan is a great competitor and he wants nothing more than to win,” said Carr. “It was a great win. Before the game I told the team to just play our style and we thrive off of the pressure.”

Steve Collins had 29 points in the win and was named tournament MVP.

“Today was a gutsy win, it wasn’t pretty but we beat a great team and we just gutted it out,” said Carr.

After starting the season 4-4 the Bulldogs won 11 of their last 12 regular-season games.

“It gives us good confidence going into the state tournament,” said Carr. “We are playing better as a group and are happy where we are at.”

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

During the preseason, Sandwich coach Chris Gendreau firmly believed his girls basketball team was going to contend for the Atlantic Coast League title.

But when the team sputtered and faltered to an 0-7 start, he said he felt as if "a dark cloud was hanging over him."

"I didn’t think it was anything I could fix basketball-wise, and that frustrated me," he said.

On Monday, everything was going right for the Blue Knights.

They defeated Dennis-Yarmouth 84-28 to clinch a share of the ACL title – completing a furious run in which they've won 10 of their last 11 games.

Chris' daughter, co-captain Erin Gendreau, scored a career-high 41 points to lead the Blue Knights against Dennis-Yarmouth.

She was substituted for in the last three minutes of the first three quarters, and didn't play the last six minutes of the final frame.

Sandwich turned to a half-court press in the first half, and the team's 16 steals led to a bevy of easy baskets.

"The win is the icing on the cake for a team that started 0-7," Chris Gendreau said. "It took a while to gel, but we're functioning at a high level and team chemistry is at an all- time high."

Sid Miller, a senior co-captain, paced the tenacious defensive effort with six steals, while scoring six points.

"She's an undersized forward who brings a certain amount of toughness to our team," Gendreau said of the 5-foot-7 Miller. "She's good at distributing the basketball, and the chemistry between her and Erin makes it easy to score points. And she's great at stealing the ball."

Sandwich, which is 10-8 and 9-3 in league play, hasn't won the league title in five seasons and Monday's win guarantees a share of the crown.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

No.1 Reading vs No.2 Archbishop Williams on a holiday Monday.

What better time to have the top two teams in Eastern Massachusetts battle it out than in the championship game of the Comcast Classic (2:30 at Babson College)? This will be defending state champion Reading’s biggest challenge all season. Archbishop Williams is a team that rallies behind its defense, while Reading is led by senior Olivia Healy. The Archies will have to contain Healy, which few have been able to do the past two years.

The Bishops run a tight half-court defense, but don't be surprised if they go box-and-one against Reading. This won’t be the first box-and-one Healy has faced in her career, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

By Sarah Moomaw, Globe Correspondent

It was a senior night that will live forever in Norwell girls' basketball history.

Six minutes into the second quarter, senior center Brenna Diggins grabbed her 1,000th career rebound as the Clippers went on to defeat Mashpee, 54-14, and move to 16-4 on the season.

She hit 1,000 career points as a junior - currently sitting at 1,359 - for the first player in school history to be a double member of the 1,000-stat club.

"For our program it solidifies what the entire program stands for - playing every possession and not taking anything for granted," coach Matt Marani said.

Diggins, playing gingerly on a sore knee, entered seven rebounds from the historic mark and finished exactly there, coming out two minutes later and sitting for the rest of the game. She had 11 points.

Marani said he run plays for her to do her thing - ideally finding a one-on-one situation to let her drop-step, but really he expects everything and anything from her.

"It starts in the paint with Brenna, and her teammates step up as we play," he said. "She drives her team, and it's been that way for four years."

Diggins only has two regular-season games left in a Clippers uniform.

"I hope someday I'll another have a player like her, but it's very doubtful ," Marani said.

By Ayoub Kourikchi, Globe correspondent

After an even 8-8 in the first quarter, Triton exploded in the second quarter, scoring 20 points that included five three pointers. After a brief timeout with a minute left in the first half, Hogan finished a breakaway layup and later scored three points from the charity strip after getting fouled from behind the arch. The Hornets went into the locker room trailing the Vikings 28-19.

“Cutting that deficit down to 9 going into halftime I think really helped us psychologically, because we really broke down mentally and we collapsed defensively but we managed to gain some momentum late,” said Casey.

The Hornets tightened their defense in the third quarter by attacking the Vikings with a 1-3-1 half court trap that limited their offense to 6 points. Offensively, the Hornets scored 16 points behind senior guard Evan Wade’s two big 3-pointers.

Trailing, 38-35, in the middle of the fourth quarter, Wade tied the game at 38 apiece with his third 3-pointer.

“We started to find our rhythm through our defense and offensively we had better ball movement and once we survived their onslaught we calmed down and started making our own run late in the game,” said Casey.

North Reading travels to Shawsheen Tech next Tuesday in hopes of completing the second undefeated season in school history since the 1977 Hornets.

“Finishing undefeated wasn’t our goal at the beginning of the season but right now we are chasing history and it would be nice to that get that last win,” said Casey.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

Here are the latest items of interest for boys' basketball followers this week:

1. Bob Crook wins 300th – Not only did Braintree clinch its trip to the tournament with a 59-53 win over Weymouth on Tuesday, but the victory was also special for head coach Bob Crook who won his 300th career game. “I've been lucky to have a lot of good players come through this program,” said the humbled coach. “We have a very young team but we are coming together at the right time.” The Wamps are now on a five-game winning streak and are 6-1 at home this season.

2. IABBO Board 27 Comcast Classic – If you want to see some great high school basketball in Massachusetts, Babson College in Wellesley is the place to be. To start things off on Sunday, sixth-ranked BC High will take on No. 13 Newton North. After that game, top-ranked Danvers will face No. 11 Brighton. The consolation and championship games will be played on Monday (Presidents' Day).

3. Catholic Central Large showdown – With its 86-58 win over Archbishop Williams, No. 18 Cardinal Spellman is now in the driver's seat for the Catholic Central Large title. The 13-3 Cardinals haven't lost a league game this season, but the final one will be the most important as they travel to Arlington Catholic on Wednesday. Spellman already beat the Cougars, 54-46, earlier this season. Be that as it may, if Arlington Catholic beats the Cardinals in the rematch, both teams will finish the year with the same record and will be co-champions of the Catholic Central League.

4. Newton North is rolling – Last time the No. 13 Tigers lost a game was Jan. 8 against Brookline. Newton North's second game against the Warriors this season saw different results as the Tigers were able to clinch the Bay State (Carey) title for the eighth time in nine years with a 65-57 victory. “Character and makeup has led us to success. These kids are gritty, tough, and hard-working.” said coach Paul Connolly, whose team has won 11 consecutive games. “This year's group has set its own identity, similar to the groups in the past, and it has been a pleasure to coach.”

5. Point guard shines for Roxbury Latin – Junior point guard Patrick Benzan has a lot to be proud of in his young career. The six-footer averages an ISL-leading 21 points per game and also leads Roxbury Latin (12-5) with seven rebounds and six assists a game. “He's been a member of the team since his 8th grade year. Essentially we've gone from a 3-win team to a 15-win team, and even New England tournament quarter finalists last year,” explained coach Tony Texeira. “His progress has resulted in success for the program. There's a direct correlation by what he's been able to do on the court and what we do as a team.” The talented guard scored his 1000th career point earlier this season, becoming the second all-time leading scorer at Roxbury Latin. He now has 1,278 career points and is only 271 shy of surpassing Remy Cofield to become the school's all-time leader.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

1. Weston's Salieh Serrette becomes another player to surpass the 1,000-point mark. The two-time Dual County League MVP and former All-Scholastic is an all-around player. Serrette is averaging 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game. Weston coach, Mark Madden described Serrette as "a phenomenal person and player. [Serrette] is a great basketball player that has grown into her role as a leader within the program and been able to become more vocal with leading her teammates."

2. On Tuesday, Pope John coach Shawn Thornton traveled to Medford to take on his former team St. Clement where recorded his 100th career win. Thornton described his feat as "bittersweet," because he reached his milestone at a place that he called home for seven years before taking over the coaching position at Pope John. The Tigers remain undefeated in the Catholic Central Small League at (13-0).

3. Playing a team the second time continues to be a challenge. After losing by 1 to No. 14 Fontbonne in the first game of the season, unranked Bishop Feehan got revenge on the Ducks, 61-55, on Tuesday behind Sierra Schrader's 22 points and 10 rebounds. This is the second ranked team the Shamrocks have beaten this season. The Shamrocks also defeated No. 13 Westford on Dec.18.

4. Arlington Catholic recovered from two straight losses by defeating Bishop Fenwick, 48-30, on Tuesday. The Cougars (12-4) received a big contribution from junior Maura Buckley, who delivered 24 points in the win.

5. No. 18 Duxbury, winners of 13 straight, continue to dominate. The Dragons (15-1) have not lost a game since December, and with Fontbonne's loss to unranked Bishop Feehan, expect the Dragons to move up in the rankings this week. You cannot speak about the Dragons success without mentioning senior captain Michela North. The Tufts-commit registered 25 points on Tuesday, and is averaging 18 points per game.

Michelle Fenelon covers girls' basketball. She can be reached at michelle.fenelon@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @MichFenelon.

By Sarah Moomaw, Globe Correspondent

The Warriors used an 11-3 run over the final two minutes of Tuesday’s game to beat Bedford, 66-55, and clinch a share of the Dual County small title for the third year in a row.

“We finished strong tonight which was good,” said coach Dennis Doherty. “We weren’t able to do it last week, but did it tonight.”

On Feb. 12, the Warriors were up by 6 before dropping the 55-47 decision to Concord-Carlisle. Doherty feared the same happening as Bedford erased the 10-point halftime difference.

Senior guard Mark Bonner, playing in his third game since returning from an ankle injury, put Wayland (14-3) up by 4 with two minutes left to trigger the final run. Senior Dan Karp came off the bench and hit two free throws with 1:40 on the clock.

“It was a game of run. We kept getting a lead and they’d chip away at it,” Doherty said. “They made a bunch of runs but we didn’t break.”

The Warriors were led by senior guard Jaleel Bell’s 20 points and Bonner’s 19.

The win clinched a share of the Dual County League regular season title. A victory over Waltham on Feb. 21 would give the Warriors sole possession of first place in the conference.

By Tim Healey, Globe Correspondent

BRAINTREE — It was not as thorough of an effort as Cardinal Spellman boys’ basketball coach Mike Perry may have wanted, but in the end his squad came out on top — again. The 18th-ranked Cardinals (13-3) upended host Archbishop Williams, 86-58, Tuesday night for Spellman’s fifth straight win.

Junior center Rory Donovan and junior forward Joey Crane tallied 23 points apiece to lead the way, while junior captain Ryan Roach and senior captain Paul Preziosi chipped in 11 and 10, respectively.

Senior Ryan Brown’s 17 points led Archbishop Williams.

It was the Cardinals’ first game in 12 days — they last beat Cathedral Jan. 31 — and, at times, they played like it.

“It was tough tonight,” Perry said. “You lose that little bit of a competitive edge [by not playing for nearly two weeks]. I was surprised we even came out as well as we did at the beginning.”

What surprised Perry was his team jumping out to a 27-11 lead by the end of the first quarter, thanks in large part to Crane’s 9 and Donovan’s 8 points.

The Archies (3-15) narrowed the deficit to as few as 9 at the beginning of the third quarter, though. After a little more coaching from an agitated Perry, Spellman was able to re-open the lead with a stout defensive effort that held the hosts to just 25 second-half points.

“I always tell them, ‘There’s going to be times when we’re not happy with the way you’re playing,’” Perry said. “I said, ‘It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s because I care about you. I show you different ways sometimes . . . When you make mistakes and we don’t get on you a little bit, that’s when you need to worry.’”

Spellman’s win sets up Wednesday night’s 6:30 p.m. showdown with Arlington Catholic.

With the Cardinals, 9-0 in Catholic Central play, holding a slim lead over the Cougars (12-3, 8-1 Catholic Central), another Spellman victory would mean a league title. If AC wins, the teams will be co-champions.

Tim Healey can be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @timbhealey.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

Here are some tidbits in boys' basketball this week:

1. Central Catholic missing key player -- The Raiders started the season 5-0 before losing their first game of the year, an out of state contest against St. Anthony's in New Jersey. Central Catholic bounced back with seven straight wins, making a statement as the best team in Massachusetts. However, last Tuesday, in their first loss since December, the Raiders lost one of their best players, senior captain Doug Gemmell. The 6-foot-4 forward suffered a head injury in the 58-52 loss to North Andover. It proved to be an issue for Central Catholic who lost to St. John's Prep just five days later. “We don't know if he's going to return,” said head coach Rick Nault. “[Doug] is our emotional leader and he does so many things for us in terms of getting the guys ready to play. We're really missing him.”

2. North Reading clinches title -- No. 10 North Reading remained undefeated on Tuesday night by beating Pentucket, 54-36. Not only was it the Hornets' sixteenth win of the season, it was also a special night as they clinched the Cape Ann Large title. Four different players scored double digits for the Hornets, but senior Chris Capozzoli led the team with 15 points.

3. Franklin qualifies for tournament -- The Panthers are heading to the tournament once again after beating Sharon, 54-40. Franklin was led by senior guard Sam Bohmiller who finished with 22 points and five assists. The Panthers started the season losing three of its four first games but have battled back behind their tough defense. “That is one of our goals every year,” said coach Dean O'Connor about the team's defense which is only allowing an average of 47 points per game. “It looked like this year would be a little bit more of a struggle but the kids keep improving and have gotten better each week.”

4. Brighton extends winning streak -- Brighton trailed New Mission by 20 points last Thursday yet found a way to rally and beat Brighton for the second time this season. The eleventh-ranked Bengals won their ninth consecutive game on Tuesday, beating Madison Park, 77-70, in double overtime. With the win, Brighton (11-3) has secured the top spot in the city tournament and looks to continue its winning ways.

5. Concord-Carlisle's turnaround -- With such tough competition in the Dual County League, it's easy to be overlooked at times. The Patriots lost five of the team's first eight games this season which put them behind early on. Since then, Concord-Carlisle has won seven of eight, including a huge win over No. 20 Waltham and another one over No. 19 Wayland. The Patriots only have two league games left on their regular season schedule, which means the title might be out of reach. But keep a close eye on them as the tournament rolls around.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Here some tidbits that you should know in girls' basketball this week:

1. Is it possible not to talk about Reading's standout guard/forward Olivia Healy? -- I don't want to sound like a broken record, but Healy's dominance cannot go unnoticed. She is one of the most versatile players in girls' basketball right now. After the senior set a new scoring record for Reading High School, Healy outscored Lexington herself, 40-34, and collected 13 rebounds along with 10 steals on Tuesday for a triple-double.

2. Look out for Fenway -- The former Division 4 champions are trying to make a case for a spot on the Boston Globe Top 20. Internally, we've gone back and forth on whether or not we think Fenway deserves a spot. Led by Tajanay Veiga-Lee, who is averaging 22 points per game, the Panthers (11-3) are having another great season and beating a top team may solidify a spot in the Globe's rankings.

3. Governor's Academy senior Katharine Fogarty is having a monster season -- The senior is averaging a double-double with 23.5 points and 15 rebounds a game. With eight games remaining in the season, Fogarty is Governor's all-time leading scoring with 1,570 points, and all-time leading rebounder with 994 rebounds. Next season, she will suit up for Marist College.

4. Big game coming up -- Archbishop Williams' visit to St.Mary's at 6:30 p.m. on Friday will be a pivotal game in the Catholic Central League. While the Archies did beat St. Mary's by 19 points on Jan.12, the score did not reflect the competition in the game. St. Mary's guard Brianna Rudolph's four first-half fouls played a big role in the defeat. Now that the Spartans have already faced Archbishop Williams, they will be prepared for their half-court press, Rudolph may not get into foul trouble, and they'll have home court advantage. The Archies are (10-0) in the CCL with sole possession of the top spot for now. But St.Mary's (9-1) has big plans on changing that.

5. Passing the bar -- A team's true character shows when they are tested, and seventh-ranked Oliver Ames was tested on Tuesday. Led by senior captain Caitlyn Abela's 21 points, the Tigers managed to overcome Attleboro's strong third quarter rally. The Tigers (14-0) remain undefeated, but they also gained confidence in this grind out win because they know they are able to come together as a team when they are challenged. This game was a test, and the Tigers passed.

Michelle Fenelon covers girls' basketball. She can be reached at michelle.fenelon@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @MichFenelon.

By Marvin Pave, Globe Correspondent

Paul (Wally) Seaver of Milford, who coached youth and high school basketball for 30 years and was chairman of the Milford Youth Center Commission, died Tuesday morning after a two-year battle against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly know as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Seaver, 53, began his coaching career as the junior varsity boys' basketball coach at Milford High (1983 to 1988). He then served as Franklin High varsity basketball coach from 1988 to 1999. He was coach of the MetroWest Travel Team from Milford which included his sons, Paul and Daniel (1999-2008) and was Wellesley HIgh junior varsity coach for the 2010-11 season.

The Milford Youth Center Gymnasium was named “The Paul F. Seaver Gymnasium” in October of 2012.

``Paul was an inspiration for our entire athletic program,'' said Wellesley High athletic director John Brown. ``It was never about him, but about giving back to basketball and to athletics.''

Milford High athletic director Rich Piergustavo said Seaver ``will be sorely missed by the entire community. He touched the lives of countless student-athletes whose lives are better for having known him. This is a very sad time for us.''

Numerous fundraising events benefiting ALS and the Seaver family were held in Wellesley and Milford since he was stricken.

Seaver's funeral will be held Friday at 9 a.m. from the Edwards Memorial Funeral Home, 44 Congress Street, Milford,followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in the Upper Church of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 7 East Main Street, Milford. Burial will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery in the town.

Visiting hours will be Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers. memorial donations may be made to The Paul F. Seaver Family Fund, c/o Milford Federal Savings & Loan Association, 246 Main Street, Milford MA 01757.

By Pat Bradley, Globe Correspondent

In a battle of Middlesex League heavyweights, the Melrose High boys' basketball team held on for a 65-61 win over visiting Wakefield Tuesday night, clinching the league title while improving to 15-0.

After trailing 25-11 at the end of the first quarter, Wakefield (12-4) went on a 13-2 run minus star sophomore guard Bruce Brown and senior captain Kendall Hamilton, both sitting out with 3 early fouls.

Melrose freshman Sherron Harris (25 points) took over though, scoring 10 of his 18 first half points in the second frame to lead the Red Raiders to a 39-32 halftime lead.

“He didn’t play like a freshman in the first half,” said Melrose coach Mike Kasprzak of Harris. “His defense set up most of those plays, though.”

Wakefield senior Mikol Blake-Green, a 6-foot-6 center, dominated the first half with 13 points, but after taking a hard charge, he was not as effective the rest of the way.

The game seemed to be over as Melrose once again closed a quarter with a run, this time taking a 57-45 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to its suffocating pressure defense that forced several Wakefield turnovers. Hamilton picked up two quick whistles and fouled out of the game, seemingly deflating any Wakefield hopes, which trailed 62-47 with just over 4 minutes remaining.

Then Brown took over.

The super sophomore (18 of his 20 points in the second half) just took control of the game on both sides of the ball, creating turnovers and driving to the hoop with ease. On the rare occasion he couldn’t make it to the basket, Brown settled for pull up jumpers – the most important an and-1 three pointer that would cut the deficit to 64-59 with under a minute to play – that fell through the basket with ease.

Wakefield closed within 3 at 64-61 with 4.5 ticks left on the clock, but Melrose senior tri-captain Matthew Sherlock sank one free throw to ice the game.

“They’re a great team,” Kasprzak said of Wakefield. “They’re going to be a force to be reckoned with. But we made plays when it mattered, and to beat them twice in a season is outstanding.

“Our kids didn’t quit,” said Wakefield coach Brad Simpson. “They made some big plays down the stretch, and that’s what we’ll take out of it.”

By Phil Perry, Globe Correspondent

NEWTON -- Linda Martindale began her coaching career more than 20 years ago, but she believes this year's Newton North girls' squad takes as much pride in its defense -- if not more -- than any other team she's been around.

True to form, her Tigers smothered Brookline from start to finish in their 57-27 Bay State Carey Division win on Tuesday night.

In the game's opening two minutes, Newton North forced four turnovers -- three steals and one 5-second violation -- and jumped out to an 11-2 advantage before Warriors coach Allyson Toney called a timeout. But that didn't slow the Tigers' momentum. They finished the first quarter with a commanding lead, 24-7.

Newton North applied constant defensive pressure with its 2-2-1 zone press, then, when Brookline managed to get over half court, the Tigers' man-to-man defense was just as stingy.

As a team, they finished with 24 steals. Junior forward Infinity Thomas-Waheed led the way with 10 takeaways to round out a triple-double (20 points, 13 rebounds). Senior point guard Madison Beatrice had seven steals and four assists, while sophomore guard Amanda Ortiz finished with 14 points and three steals.

The Tigers (16-1, 12-1 Bay State) have now won 15 games in a row and find themselves atop the Bay State Carey standings with Braintree (15-2, 13-1 Bay State), which they beat two weeks ago to split their regular-season series.

By Tim Healey, Globe Correspondent

ATTLEBORO — The seventh-ranked Oliver Ames girls’ basketball team walked out of the Attleboro High gym with a 58-49 win over the host Bombardiers Tuesday night, the score a little closer than some may have expected from an undefeated Tigers team outscoring opponents by 25 points per game.

But that’s just the way OA coach Elaine Clement-Holbrook wanted it.

“We need games like this,” said Clement-Holbrook after the Tigers improved to 14-0. “We need to be able to play tough and play through this.”

Attleboro sophomore point guard Kerri Beland put up a team-high 15 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome three Tigers who scored in double figures.

Senior captain Caitlyn Abela led the way with 21 points, while junior guard Michaela Lievi and senior captain Asia Mitchell chipped in 15 and 11, respectively.

The Tigers led 30-24 in the half, thanks in large part to Abela’s 13, but Attleboro managed to pull within one after 7-2 run, prompting Clement-Holbrook to call a timeout.

“We had to calm them down,” she said. “[The Bombardiers] were setting a high ball, screen and we were getting hung up on the screen … We changed our defensive set up a couple times. We understood what they were trying to take from us and we did a better job stopping it.”

Attleboro continued to stick with the taller and stronger visitors through three, 41-36 —then Oliver Ames took over.

A 13-1 Tigers run, capped by an Abela 3-pointer, ate up most of the final frame and in effect put the game out of reach.

“That was huge,” Clement-Holbrook said of her captain's basket from beyond the arc. “The kids took a deep breathe after that. We felt a little bit more [at ease]. They were like, ‘OK, we can handle this.’”

Tim Healey can be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @timbhealey

By Michelle Fenelon

Only two big games matched up teams in the Top 20 this week, meaning little change in the rankings.

St. Mary's completed its season sweep of Arlington Catholic with a 58-48, victory on Friday, moving the Spartans up one spot to No.15, while the Cougars drop to No.16.

Andover also suffered a drop to No.17 after losing a Merrimack Valley Conference match to No.4 Billerica.

This may come as a surprise to many, but Newton North jumped to No.13 in this week's poll. No, the Tigers did not beat any team in particular and No.19 Duxbury and No. 18 Ipswich did not lose this week. We just feel that Newton North is better than a 19th-ranked team.

The Tigers, winners of 13 straight games, will be right there in the tournament, and as long as they continue to win games they will continue to climb to the top 10.

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

Told you guys last week I was bringing some type of bad luck and I wasn't lying.

We decided to give Central Catholic a special shoutout for being undefeated in Massachusetts this season and then it lost two of the next three games which moved them down three spots.

Sorry, Raiders fans.

The new No. 1 team in the Globe Top 20 is undefeated Danvers. The Falcons are averaging 70.9 points per game while only allowing an average of 46.7.

With Central Catholic getting dethroned, Mansfield, which hasn't lost since December, and St. John's Prep, which just beat the Raiders, both move up a spot.

New Mission looked like it was finally going to get revenge on Brighton this past week but a 20-point lead became as non-existent as the fans in attendance on Thursday, as the Bengals won, 57-52, moving up to the 11th spot and dropping New Mission to No. 14.

Wayland makes its debut this week at No. 19 after extending its winning streak to 11 games with a 50-41 victory over Weston.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Basketball fans will get the opportunity to see some of the region's top talent play next week in the Hoop Dreams Magazine Prep Classic at Curry College.

The tournament will take place Feb. 9th and 10th at the college and will feature 16 prep schools from New England and two more from New York and South Carolina.

Here's a list of the schools that will be playing in the tournament:

Brewster Academy (NH), Vermont Academy (VT), Tabor Academy (MA), Lee Academy (ME), Believe Academy (SC), Milton Academy (MA), Bridgton Academy (ME), Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA), Putnum Science (CT), Redemption Christian Academy (NY), Green Farms Academy (CT), Hyde Prep (CT), McDuffie School (MA), Beaver Country Day (MA), Satellite Academy (NY), Belmont Hill School (MA), Masters School (CT), Suffield Academy (CT).

For more information on the tournament, visit http://hoopdreamsmag.com.

Sarah Moomaw, Globe Correspondent

The Gann girls' basketball team used 43-17 run to remain undefeated with a 53-35 road victory at Brimmer and May on Thursday.

"We talk every day that our goals are greater than just winning a game," coach David Goose said.

This season, the Red Heifers (13-0) only have one win within a single digit margin and at halftime on Thursday, with a one-point advantage at 20-19, they thought they might have been looking at a second.

Down 18-10 half way through the first half, freshman guard Rachel Goose and junior Sabrina Fried sparked the beginning of the momentous run that would carry over into the second half.

Goose finished the game 7-of-8 shooting and was 4-for-4 from the foul line, with 14 of her 18 points in the second half.

"We really haven’t had a lot of close games," Coach Goose said."

But the real difference maker in Thursday's game was Fried. The 5-foot-10 center has grown from playing roughly eight minutes to 26 minutes against the Gators in which she chipped in 10 points, but grabbed 21 rebounds.

As a junior, she's helping lead her team to the best finish ever (13-5 last year, 12-6 in 2010-11). The 13-0 run has certainly given his four seniors - Maddie Rodman, Sarah Litwin, Rebecca Jackson, and Jackie Teperman - something to remember.

"This gives our four seniors a chance to really go out on top," said Goose.

"Maddie (10 points vs Brimmer & May) is the team leader without a doubt," coach Goose said. "I don’t know what we’d do without her. She’s been fantastic all four years, but especially this season."

With three games left, Goose said their eyes are beginning to look towards the post-season and the NEPSAC tournament.

"We want to make the NEPSAC tournament and do the best that we can possibly do," he said.

Wayland's Jaleel Bell scored his 1,000th career point on Tuesday night, collecting 26 in all against Boston Latin. (Jon Mahoney / For the Boston Globe)

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

Here are some tidbits you should know in boys' basketball this week:

1. Warrior dashes to his 1000th point -- Jaleel Bell and his mother got an unexpected phone call on Sunday from Wayland coach Dennis Doherty. The coach was calling to inform Bell that he was just seven points shy of scoring his 1000th career point, and Bell had no clue. “He doesn't worry about stats. Only number he cares about is who has more at the end of the game,” Doherty said. The 6-2 speedy guard scored his 1000th point in the second quarter, finishing with 26 points and 10 boards in Wayland's 58-53 win over Boston Latin. “It has been a privilege to coach him,” said Doherty about Bell. “He arrived at Wayland as a willed, talented player and has really blossomed.” Behind Bell's strong performance on Tuesday, the Warriors improve to 11-2 and remain atop the Dual County League (Small) standings.

2. Down goes Central Catholic -- There's a first time for everything, right? The top-ranked Raiders hadn't yet lost a game in Massachusetts this season until they ran into No. 6 North Andover Tuesday night. Forward Isaiah Nelsen was outstanding for the Knights, finishing with 28 points while senior Derek Collins contributed with 15 points. With the loss, its first since Dec. 28, Central Catholic is now 12-2 and will host Methuen on Friday before a much anticipated showdown against No. 4 St. John's Prep on Super Bowl Sunday. And speaking of Prep ...

3. Waltham making noise, clinches trip to tournament -- Sunday's game between Central Catholic and St. John's Prep had the potential to be a clash of the top two ranked teams in the state, but No. 19 Waltham had something to say about that. In an afternoon game on Sunday, the Hawks stunned the Eagles, 68-55, handing them their first loss of the season and knocking them out of the No. 2 spot in the Globe's Top 20. “We ran into a very good team, Waltham was just a lot better than us on Sunday,” said Prep coach Sean Connolly. “They played very well defensively and deserved to beat us.” Waltham's tough defense was back at it on Tuesday night as they beat Newton South, 73-55, improving to 11-2 and qualifying for the tournament.

4. Still perfect -- It went down to the wire in Beverly as No. 2 Danvers was able to escape the Panthers, 49-47, to stay unbeaten. Senior Vinny Clifford led the Falcons, hitting the game-winner with 40 ticks left on the clock and finishing with 14 points. Danny Connors and Eric Martin scored 10 points apiece. Undefeated North Reading continued rolling, dropping Ipswich, 64-33, behind Chris Capozzoli's 16 points. The twelfth-ranked Hornets are now averaging 64.2 points per game. No. 14 Melrose (13-0) also added another win to its record on Tuesday night as they defeated Arlington, 59-48.

5. New Mission on a mission -- The 10th-ranked Titans continue to impress and climb the ranks week after week. New Mission won its fifth consecutive game on Friday as it beat Charlestown, 83-57, behind an incredible defensive performance from its man press. “Believe it or not, that was the game plan,” said junior guard Shaquan Murray, who led the Titans with 19 points. “To play defense, pressure and attack. That’s how we were able to get turnovers and fast-break layups and shots.” Two of New Mission's three losses this season were out of state. The other one was an 11-point defeat at the hands of Brighton back in December. But in 2013, the Titans are perfect and guess who they play on Thursday? Brighton. Keep a close eye on the Boston City League.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Here are some thoughts and tidbits you should know about in girls' basketball this week:

1. On the rebound -- No.3 Braintree is looking to rebound after a tough loss to Newton North last Tuesday. The Wamps are still one of the teams to beat. I’m sure the squad would have loved to finish the season off undefeated, but I’m also certain that they would rather lose during the regular season than later on in the tournament. As long as they continue to apply their tough defensive pressure that they used to suffocate opposing teams in the start of the season, they will remain in the hunt.

2. The spark that started the fire -- You cannot talk about No. 19 Newton North’s continuing dominance without mentioning Infiniti Thomas-Waheed. The junior forward fills the stat sheet on any given night. She not only scores when needed to, but she also defends against the opposing team's best players. Whether it is collecting 19 rebounds against Dedham or scoring 24 points against Needham, Waheed makes a point to put her mark on the game. “Infiniti is one of those rare high school basketball players that gives 100 percent every time she steps on the court,” head coach Linda Martindale said. “She is disciplined, hard-working and has an innate competitive sensibility. She does whatever it takes to make herself and the team better.”

3. A shakeup in the Merrimack Valley Conference? -- Don’t look now but there might be a new Merrimack Valley Conference champion this season. The Golden Warriors have held onto the league title for the past seven seasons and now that Billerica defeated Andover on Tuesday, things may get a little interesting. Led by senior point guard Brittany Lomanno, the Indians are unbeaten in the league, and if they continue to take care of their conference foes, this might be the year we crown a new champion. Andover also took a loss against MVC rival Central Catholic Dec. 28.

4. A chance for revenge? -- Sparked by scoring from guards Diondra Woumn, Deidra Newson, and Catherine Stinson, No. 9 Lynn English (13-2, 10-1 Northeastern) is emerging. After two early season losses, the Bulldogs have pulled together a 10-game winning streak. Lynn English faces Revere on Friday, a rematch of the Bulldogs' season-opening loss to their Northeastern league rival.

5. At the top of the world --At the top of the Globe Top 20, Reading (13-0, 11-0 Middlesex League) has been the team to beat. But the top teams should be wary of opponents they have already beaten this season. For instance, after beating Notre Dame (Hingham) by a total of 12 points the week prior, No.11 Pentucket (14-1, 10-0 Cape Ann Div. 1) received its first loss of the season from the unranked Cougars on Saturday thanks to Colleen McClelland, who scored 14 points and collected 12 rebounds. Reading has four more games against Middlesex league opponents the Rockets have already faced. I think I see a pattern developing.

Michelle Fenelon covers girls' basketball. She can be reached at michelle.fenelon@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @MichFenelon.

By Zac Vierra, Globe Correspondent

There must be something about Watertown’s court that appeals to Reading senior Olivia Healy. Last season, Healy netted her 1,000th career point on the Raiders’ home floor and on Tuesday she reached another milestone.

With 42 points in the Rockets’ 56-39 win over Watertown, Healy set the overall career scoring record at Reading. The performance left her with 1,568 career points passing the previous record set by Brian Wilson in 1985.

Last season Healy passed Jenny Shoemaker’s girls record of 1,201 which was set in 2003.

“Olivia is the most dominant high school player I have ever seen,” said Reading coach Kim Penney.

Healy, who plays different positions depending on the need of the team, also had 13 rebounds in Tuesday’s game as the No. 1 Rockets stayed undefeated at 13-0.

“It was a very good team win and Olivia led the way,” said Penney.

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

Stoneham coach Paul Tanglis drew up a simple game plan: Put the ball in junior Steve McGrath's hands and watch the copious results unfold.

McGrath rattled off 31 points, including 7 of the team's 11 points in overtime to lead the Spartans to a 61-57 win over Lexington.

"I just rode the hot hand," Tanglis said. "[McGrath has] led the way for us and played unbelievable."

McGrath needed just one 3-pointer to account for more than half of the team's offensive output, while hitting 13 of 19 free throws.

"Individually, he kept us in it on offense," Tanglis said. "When we had bad possessions, he took it to the hole and took good jump shots."

While McGrath paced the offense, Stoneham used an aggressive man-to-man defensive set to stifle the Minutemen.

Stoneham, who trailed by as much as 14 in the second quarter, was behind, 32-23 at halftime.

But in the third quarter, the Spartans outscored Lexington, 17-8, to tie the game at 40 going into the final frame.

Both teams scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.

"We knew going into the half, in order to come back we'd have to get a couple of stops in a row," Tanglis said. "We pride ourselves on being a defensive team. It was great to see us battle back on the road against a strong D1 opponent."

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

Starting to think that I bring some sort of bad luck.

I wrote two stories last week, one about Taunton and one about St. John's Prep, and look what happened, they both lost.

In a stunning result Sunday afternoon, Waltham dropped the undefeated Eagles, 68-55, moving them two spots down in this week's Top 20. With the win, the Hawks make their first appearance in the rankings, in the 19th spot.

Danvers, which, remains undefeated, took Prep's place as the second-ranked team.

Mansfield, which won its eighth consecutive game Sunday, edging out No. 15 Brockton, 66-41, moved into the third spot. The 11th-ranked Tigers only went down one spot after their crushing 77-76 loss to New Bedford.

Cardinal Spellman, which is 6-0 in the Catholic Central League, rounds out the Top 20.

One thing that hasn't changed? Central Catholic has yet to lose a game in Massachusetts this season and remains in the top spot for another week.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Reading is the new top-ranked team, following Braintree's loss to previously unranked Newton North.

Newton North has made its case that it belongs in the Top 20, thanks to an impressive win over Braintree and a 31-point victory over No. 20 Lincoln-Sudbury. North debuts at No. 19. With the loss, the Wamps fall to No.3, moving Archbishop Williams to No.2.

Central Catholic dropped to No.10 after Andover avenged a tournament loss to the Raiders earlier in the season. The Raiders may continue to skid with a tough match up against North Andover this week.

No. 11 Pentucket also suffered a drop in the polls after Notre Dame (Hingham) snapped the Sachems undefeated season bid on Saturday.

It is important to make note that the Merrimack Valley is up for grabs. The Top 20 may continue to shift as conference races heat up.

By Sarah Moomaw, Globe Correspondent

Entering the fourth quarter of Friday’s Sandwich girls’ basketball game against Plymouth South, coach Chris Gendreau didn’t want to relive the team's last-second defeat on Tuesday.

In both games, the Blue Knights had a solid halftime lead, but found themselves needing to rally in the final quarter. They couldn't pull it off Tuesday, losing 60-59 to Falmouth.

Erin Gendreau made sure there wouldn't be a disappointing ending this time, scoring 22 of her 39 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Blue Knights to a 80-58 win.

“Not only do you have to be physically strong, but mentally strong,” he said.

Gendreau's outburst helped the Blue Knights (4-8) outscore the Panthers, 29-16, in the final quarter.

“When you see someone in the zone, it’s just weird. It’s unconscious,” her father and coach said.

Erin Gendreau opened the quarter with four 3-pointers and a jumper to account for a 14-0 run.

“Tonight was one of those nights we're we tried to get people out of the way,” Chris Gendreau said.

Sidney Miller contributed 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists in the comeback win.

Chris Gendreau said once Erin got on her roll, they began setting plays for Miller to get the ball into Erin Gendreau’s hands.

“Once one has the ball, it’s almost like they share a brain,” Chris Gendreau said.

Gendreau was named a Globe Fall All-Scholastic for field hockey and is looking to play both college field hockey and basketball. She has narrowed her choices to American International, Stonehill, Hobart, and Davidson University in North Carolina.

“[Erin] leads by example, lets her actions on the court do her talking for her,” her father said.

By Cat Calsolaro, Globe Correspondent

Senior captain Darien Fernandez became Wareham’s all-time leading scorer as the Vikings (12-1) defeated Fairhaven, 66-51, Friday night. Fernandez’s 21 points gave him 1,225 for his career.

Fernandez, who is averaging more than 20 points and nearly 10 assists per game, started on the varsity as a freshman. As the sixth man that year, he helped Wareham win the 2010 Division 3 state championship. “He got a lot of playing time with a good team,” said coach Kevin Brogioli. “He’s our most experienced player. When Darien is on his game, he leads by example.”

Since that championship run, Fernandez has led his team to the quarterfinals of the Division 3 South tournament in 2011 and back to the state tournament last year, where the Vikings lost in the quarters to eventual state champion Danvers.

“He has constant energy on the court,” said Brogioli, who praised Fernandez’s ability to hit 3-pointer as well as drive into the lane and crash the boards.

“He’s like a fire hydrant,” Brogioli said of the 5-foot-8-inch point guard.

Wareham thrives in transition and Fernandez sets up scoring opportunities by forcing steals on defense. He finished Friday’s game with 12 assists. Junior guard Mason Vasconcellos added 19 points, including five 3-pointers.

Of another run at the state title, Brogioli said, “We have some room for improvement for sure. We need to limit turnovers and keep our running game going.”

By Lisa Kocian, Globe Staff

Lexington’s athletic director was placed on one week of unpaid leave, starting Thursday, after she admitted to fabricating information in an email to other athletic directors in the Middlesex League.

Naomi Martin sent an email Nov. 15, to 11 other athletic directors regarding the league’s non-compliance with Title IX, which promotes gender equity in school sports.

Martin, who has been Lexington’s athletic director since 2010, told her counterparts in the email, that an unnamed Lexington parent was threatening to sue if gender inequity in the basketball schedule was not rectified.

As a result, the Middlesex League schedule was changed, to allow girls’ basketball varsity squads to play at 7 p.m. rather than 5:30 p.m. The later times tend to draw more spectators and make it easier for parents to attend games.

A parent, Kathryn Robb, had indeed written to Lexington High school’s principal on November 14, regarding the same issue, and Martin quoted from Robb at length in her email to the athletic directors.

But Martin embellished when she said that the parent had threatened to file a civil rights lawsuit and go to The Boston Globe with her complaints, “untrue statements” according to a letter of apology Martin wrote to Robb on January 19. Martin also told athletic directors that the parent was targeting the entire league, even though Robb only mentioned Lexington, and that she was a civil rights lawyer, which she isn’t. (Robb is a bar exam instructor.)

Martin could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

Superintendent Paul Ash, who referred the Globe’s request for comment to a spokesperson, sent a letter to the same athletic directors January 19, to correct the record.

“While I believe the email was well intentioned insofar as it was written to advance the league’s compliance with Title IX, Ms. Martin’s decision to strengthen her advocacy by falsely stating that the league had been threatened by a parent with both a lawsuit and negative publicity for non-compliance is unacceptable and must be corrected,” Ash wrote in the letter.

Robb, a mother of five and a longtime volunteer basketball coach, said she is frustrated with the superintendent’s response.

“If a student had taken a teacher’s email and, copied and pasted it, altered it, doctored it in 18 to 20 places and then blasted it out to other people, I think that that student would be swiftly and probably severely disciplined,” said Robb in a phone interview with the Globe today. “I find it difficult to believe there wouldn’t be swift and severe action for a student.”

She said she doesn’t know what exactly would be appropriate discipline in this case, but she said her reputation has been ruined with parents thinking she threatened to sue the schools.

Robb’s email to Lexington High Principal Laura Lasa was stern in its tone but ended on a conciliatory note.

“LHS is in clear violation of the law,” wrote Robb. “Yet, what is most troubling, is that LHS is sending a very bad and insidious message to their female athletes – they are ‘less than’ their male counterparts.”

Robb wrote that she felt she had been professional and emphasized that she had not gone to The Boston Globe or filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Office of Civil Rights.

“I am not looking for blame, judgment or penalty,” she wrote to Lasa. “I am seeking progress.”

By Andy Deossa, Globe Correspondent

Here are five things worth noting in boys' basketball right now.

1. Matignon guard aiming for 1,000 -- The Warriors started the season losing five straight games but a sudden turnaround and a soon-to-be milestone has Matignon optimistic for the future, specifically Friday. Senior point guard Ron Slager, who has been averaging more than 20 points per game, is now just four points away from scoring his 1,000th career point. Coming into this week, Slager was 20 shy of the accomplishment but he only scored 16 in Matignon's 48-44 win over Austin Prep on Monday. Not only is he the Warriors' star on the basketball court, Slager also plays varsity football and baseball. Matignon (7-5) is continuing to establish its presence in the Catholic Central League (Small) and Slager is a key reason why. I'm not a betting type of guy, but if I was I'd put all my money on him scoring his 1,000th point on Friday against St. Clement.

2. North Reading remains unbeaten -- Last season the Hornets lost a total of 13 games. This season, they've lost a total of zero. After suffering numerous injuries last season, the senior-laden team is back in full force and does not plan on slowing down anytime soon. No. 12 North Reading is allowing a state low average of 40.3 points against per game. John Mastascusa, who transferred back from Malden Catholic, is leading the 12-0 Hornets with an average of 12 points and five rebounds a game. Seniors Tommy Hogan and Dan Fitzgerald, both three year varsity players, have also been important contributors for North Reading. But despite their success, coach Joseph Casey says his team is taking it one game at a time. “12-0 is nice but our goal is to win the Cape Ann League and compete for that state tile,” he said. “Our kids play well together. I think everyone knows their role and the goal for these kids is to win.”

3. BC High confident after loss -- BC High was looking to win its fifth consecutive game on Tuesday night but St. John's Prep was too much to handle. “We'll get back to the drawing board,” said the hopeful Eagles coach Bill Loughnane after the loss. Instead of trying to make excuses for the 14-point loss to Prep, Loughnane admitted his team simply was worn down by the fourth quarter. However, he has not lost any enthusiasm. “We lost to two very good teams, St. John's Prep twice and Mansfield,” he said. “Our expectation is to get to that final game and we're going to work hard to get there. We have a good crew, they're going to work hard and we're going to get there.” How's that for confidence?

4. Plante leads Case to success -- It isn't common nowadays to hear of a team led by its center, but this is a different case in Swansea (pun-intended). Matt Plante is Case's six-foot-seven senior and helped clinched the 12-2 Cardinals first trip to the Division 3 sectional tournament in eight years. This past week, in just two games, he scored a combined 36 points, grabbed 21 rebounds and had eight blocks. Plante led the Cardinals with 13 points in Monday's victory over Fairhaven. Case is 8-1 in the South Coast League and looking forward to a much anticipated matchup against Wareham (10-2) next week.

5. Central Catholic stays at the top -- There's no question why the 11-1 Raiders are the Globe's top-ranked team. Whether its junior guard Tyler Nelson (21 points on Friday against Lowell) or Doug Gemmell (23 points against Dracut on Tuesday), one thing that's for certain is this team has no issues scoring. Central Catholic is averaging 73.4 points per game this year, including a 91-point performance in the season opener. In their next couple of games the Raiders will have yet another chance to prove that they are the No. 1 team when they take on fourth-ranked Andover and No. 8 North Andover.

Andy Deossa covers boys’ basketball for the Boston Globe. He can be reached at andydeossa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Andy_Deossa.

By Michelle Fenelon

We thought long and hard about dropping Braintree after a 51-42 loss to top girls' basketball recruit, Mercedes Russell and Springfield (Ore.), at the Hoophall Classic on Friday. But eventually it came down to Massachusetts. We did not think the Wamps should be penalized for losing to an out-of-state team, although they did play fairly well against the Millers.

Bottom line is, Braintree is still the best despite the loss.

And this means there isn't too much movement in this week's poll. The top 10 teams remain in place. The only changes take place in the bottom half of the poll.

No.13 Westford's loss caused some shifting, which allowed No. 11 Lynn English and No.12 Arlington Catholic each to move up one spot. Previously, unbeaten Ipswich's close loss to No.7 Pentucket caused them to drop to No.17, moving Andover up to No.14.

No.15 Fontbonne and No.16 St.Marry's both jumped two spots after No.18 Scituate and No.19 Lincoln-Sudbury suffered losses on Tuesday.

Next week's poll may see more changes in the top half because Medfield's first big test after a losing to Fontbonne earlier in the season comes Thursday, when they visit Archbishop Williams.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

The 2013 Hoophall Classic, which started on Thursday, resumes Friday in Springfield with the nation's top high school teams and players competing in the three-day invitational.

The games will be played at Blake Arena located in Springfield College and will showcase the country's premiere high school players, such as Duke commit Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon, Noah Vonleh, Kasey Hill, Andrew Wiggins, Jahlil Okafor, Dakari Johnson and top female recruit Mercedes Russell.

Here's a couple of the top matchups. (You can view the entire schedule on the classic's website.)

Friday:

6 p.m. -- The day's top matchup will feature Tennessee-commit Russell. Springfield (Ore.) girls will go head-to-head against the Globe's top-ranked Braintree.

Saturday:

4:30 p.m. -- Whitney Young (Ill.) high school, which features the No. 3 ranked boys player Okafor, and Long Beach Poly (Calif.) high school headlines Saturday games.

Sunday:

5: pm. -- New Hampton (N.H.) vs. Huntington Prep (W. Va.) - The nations top-ranked player in the country, Wiggins, will compete against eighth-ranked Vonleh for the day's most exciting matchup.

Sunday will conclude with players showcasing their athleticism and individual skill in the skills challenge, which includes a slam dunk contest, a 3-point challenge, and half-court hustle.

One-day tickets will be available for $15 for adults and $10 for students.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Fourteen of New England's top prep school boys' basketball teams will square off in the 4th annual Prep School Classic Saturday and Sunday in Boston. The games will be held at the Ray and Joan Kroc Salvation Army Community Center in Boston.

"BABC is excited to once again host the Prep Classic," said Jay Demings, BABC's Director of Operations in a release. "We feel we have compiled the best regional prep school teams and believe that the advanced level of play will make for another memorable event."

Saturday's schedule:
2 p.m. -- Vermont Academy vs. Redemption Christian Academy (NY)
3:20 -- St. Andrew's School (RI) vs. Tilton School (NH)
4:40 -- New Hampton (NH) vs Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg)
6 -- Beaver Country Day vs Worcester Academy

Sunday's schedule:
2 -- Kimball Union Academy (NH) vs. Marianapolis Prep (Conn.)
3:20 -- Brimmer & May vs. Northfield Mt. Herman
4:40 -- Rivers vs. Pingree

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent

McDonald's announced its list of nominees for the 2013 McDonald's All American Games and out of 814 seniors, three local female athletes have made the list.

Newton South's Kayla Burton, Rivers School's Emilee Daley, and Medway's Sarah Hope were all nominated to play in the game.

A complete list of nominees is available at www.mcdaag.com.

The final roster of 24 boys and 24 girls will be announced during the McDonald's All American Games selection show 5 p.m. Feb. 14 on ESPNU.

The 36th annual boys game will tip-off 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 3 from Chicago's United Center and will be aired on ESPN. The 12th annual Girls game will precede the boys game, beginning at 7 p.m., and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

Tickets for the 2013 Games go on sale Jan. 19 at noon. Net proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). The games have raised more than $10 million for RMHC since its inception in 1978, according to McDonald's.

By Sarah Moomaw, Globe Correspondent

The No. 6 Billerica girls’ basketball team came back from a halftime deficit for the second consecutive game to top No. 11 Westford, 57-53, on Thursday.

On Jan. 11, the Indians’ edge out then-No. 3 Catholic Memorial, 57-55, on the road after being down by eight at halftime.

“I think [the girls] are getting use to playing those tight games,” Billerica coach Chris Doneski said.

With less than five minutes left in the second quarter, Westford (7-4 overall) erased an 11-point lead by the Indians (7-1 overall) to go into the break up by three, 31-28.

From there on out, neither team could pull beyond a four-point lead.

“It was really just trading baskets, trading shots,” Doneski said.

The two sides traded the lead a couple times in the fourth quarter before the Indians took hold for good with 30 seconds left on the clock. Senior forward Danielle Nickerson nailed a turnaround jumper in the lane to put Billerica up 55-53.

Westford had a chance to tie it from the free throw line, but missed both shots.

Billerica senior guard Kayla Leverone sealed the win with a pair of free throws.

Billerica junior forward Shannon Hayes and Westford junior center Samantha Hyslip each had 14 points as the game's top scorers.

By Patrick McHugh, Globe Correspondent

Here are some interesting tidbits in boys’ basketball right now:

1. Two Top 10 showdowns in the MVC Friday night -- A pair of enticing matchups will take place a mere five miles apart on Friday night when No. 4 Lowell travels to No. 1 Central Catholic and No. 6 Andover hosts No. 7 North Andover. There is no denying the Merrimack Valley is the top league in the state, and these two contests will go a long way to determining who wears the regular season crown. The Scarlet Knights ended any hope of a 1 vs. 2 battle when they handed the Red Raiders their first loss of the season, 57-55, on Friday. I’ll be interested to see what tempo Lowell plays with. Central has thrived on players like sharpshooter Tyler Nelson getting open off transition, so going too fast and turning the ball over could spell disaster for the visitors. But in the early part of the season, Lowell’s up-tempo attack proved to be an advantage. Just south on Route 28, can North Andover avenge their only loss of the season to their rivals?

2. New contenders challenging Mansfield in the Hockomock -- As expected, No. 3 Mansfield has established itself as the team to beat in the Hockomock, but a pair of new clubs are not far behind. No. 12 Taunton and No. 19 Milford -- each in their first year in the league -- have begun a combined 16-1, and the squads met Tuesday night on the South Coast. The Hornets defeated the Tigers last week, but by a slim six points. Mansfield has company at the top of the Hockomock standings, and it doesn’t look like either Taunton or Milford is going to fade any time soon.

3. What’s wrong with Wakefield? -- One of the biggest surprises to me was the fall of Wakefield, which tumbled from No. 6 to No. 20 after a pair of losses last week. It was especially eye-opening to see the way the Warriors were handled by visiting Melrose on Tuesday night at home, losing 61-44. Sophomore Bruce Brown has been out with an injury, and it’s clear what impact his loss is on the lineup. Wakefield had its two lowest-scoring outputs of the season in Brown’s absence. Coach Brad Simpson will need to make some adjustments to keep his team on track until his star guard is fully healthy.

4. Road show continues for Catholic Memorial -- I can’t imagine too many coaches would enjoy the schedule Catholic Memorial’s Denis Tobin has had thus far. The No. 18 Knights played their first seven games on the road, and their home opener was spoiled by a sizzling St. Peter-Marian team that pulled a 54-49 upset Jan. 6. CM is again in the midst of a four-game road swing, including contests at No. 2 St. John’s Prep and No. 9 BC High. Tobin’s club will get to play six of its final seven in their own building, but life on the road could bump the Knights out of the Top 20 by then.

5. Points aplenty for Panthers -- I’ll be keeping my eye on Whitman-Hanson going forward. The Panthers spent their holiday break in Orlando (sadly the Globe didn’t send me to cover their games) for the Chick-fil-A Classic, and W-H defeated a pair of Florida clubs to take third place. The team has rolled through their in-state competition, winning all but one game by at least 19 points. The offense has been the story thus far in averaging 70 points per game, led by top scorer Shane Devlin. The Panthers are well on their way to a Top 20 position.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Here are some interesting tidbits in girls' basketball this week:

1. Andover and North Andover will be a spectacle -- No. 20 North Andover will pay a visit to Merrimack Valley Conference rival Andover 7 p.m. Thursday night in the game of the week. When these two teams win, they win big. Both squads are beating teams by an average margin of 26. But don't expect this game to be a blowout. This game should be competitive and I will not be surprised if it comes down to the final possession. Look for the Golden Warriors, who are averaging more than 17 assist per game, to move the ball a lot against a tough Knights defense.

2. In Braintree, defense is key -- When you play close attention to teams like No.1 Braintree, you realize that they do not have a prolific scorer. Any player on any given night can come up big, but it all begins with defense. The Wamps are only giving up 25 points per game and have kept teams under 20 points five times this season. Last Wednesday against Fontbonne, I was impressed at how they clogged up the middle and pressured the ball creating turnover after turnover, making it tough for the Ducks to set up their offense.

3. Medfield is surging -- Medfield has quietly become one of the top teams in the state. They have rebounded from a tough loss to Bentley-commit Jen Gemma and the Fontbonne Ducks by winning six straight. During those six wins, the Big Blue are averaging 67.5 points per game. Even though they're sitting on10 wins, outside of a 49-47 loss to Fontbonne, Medfield hasyet to be tested. This team may be a threat come tournament time, but the lack of competition may cause them some trouble.

4. Scituate will not go away quietly this season -- Despite losing to unranked Duxbury, the Sailors are (5-1), led by Kelly Martin who has taken over for former all-scholastic guard Shannon Brady as the dominate scorer on the team. Martin, who recently scored her 1,000th career point, is averaging 23 points per game and will make sure her team is in the hunt for the Division 2 title.

5. Biggest season turnaround? -- The Bourne girls' basketball team is making a pretty big case for this year's biggest turnaround. The Canalmen are having their best season since 2008, a year they began 13-0 and were a No.1 seed in the tournament. They are currently 9-1 and have already matched their total wins from last season when they went finished 9-11. Coach Mike Tierney may have a squad on his hands. Motivated by a disappointing previous season the year prior, the Canalmen have regrouped and are ready to make statement in the the Division 3 south.

Michelle Fenelon covers girls' basketball. She can be reached at michelle.fenelon@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @MichFenelon.

By Cat Calsolaro

“There will definitely be a lot of running and a lot of defensive drills tomorrow,” said Minutemen Tech coach John Fusco after his team’s 77-61 home victory over CASH on Tuesday night. It isn’t the typical response from a winning coach who just watched three of his players score in double figures and one put on an amazing performance - but this isn’t the typical team.

The Mustangs are 7-1 (the loss a 43-42 buzzer-beater to Lynn Tech in their third game), not bad for a team whose combined record over the previous three seasons was 15-45.

CASH’s Jayshawn Edwards put up 32 points and controlled the boards on both ends. “We matched him up with a guard, but he penetrated us, he made great moves to the basket, grabbed his rebounds and got layups,” said Fusco.

But the offensive star was junior guard Brandon Robinson who had a Rajon Rondo-like 18 assists to go with 8 points for Minutemen.
“Brandon was trying to keep everyone involved in the game,” said Fusco. “He was finding everyone in the zone. It is definitely very unusual to see 18 assists in a high school game.
“I think he wanted to take control and make sure people got good shots tonight. He found a lot of open men. He was phenomenal. He could have had even more had the other shots had gone in.”

Fusco took over the varsity basketball team at the start of the 2010-11 season, turning a one-win team into a four-win team, and last year his Mustangs finished 10-10 with a spot in the postseason tournament.

The Mustangs went up, 18-8, in the first quarter but found themselves in foul trouble by the end of the first half. CASH made a 9-point run to close the gap to 36-27 going into the third quarter.

A strategy change in the second half protected Minutemen’s lead.
“We went into full denial on Edwards. One of my seniors and one of my freshman did a nice job slowing him down and it allowed us to maintain that lead,” said Fusco.
Junior center Mike Wiederkehr also took control of the paint, finishing with 11 rebounds and five blocks.
On the offensive side, sophomore guard Darrel Akins, continued to do what he has all season, scoring 21 points with seven assists. Senior captain guard Jake O’Neil had 16 points, and Wiederkehr had 14.
“We’re going forward, which is great,” said Fusco. “Brandon and Darrel were both new to the school this year and their tenacity is what really helped to push us in this direction.

“The nice thing is we haven’t even really jelled yet. The kids play well together, they play hard together. We have a lot of tough games coming up and I think they welcome the competition.”

This season, Needham's Maddy Ganser has stepped up as a leader on the girls basketball team. A vocal captain who leads by example, Ganser is looking to make the most of her final season in Needham before heading to Holy Cross to play basketball next year.

By Patrick McHugh, Globe Correspondent

This week’s boys' basketball Top 20 saw some shifting in the Top 10 following Lowell’s loss to North Andover on Friday. St. John’s Prep remains undefeated and has moved up to No. 2, followed by Mansfield at No. 3 and Lowell at No. 4. The Knights sit at No. 7, one spot behind their rivals from Andover. New Mission picked up two wins to jump up to No. 8, followed by BC High.

One of the biggest movers this week is No. 10 Rockland, which jumped up from No. 16 last week. The Bulldogs are 10-0 and have dominated their competition thus far. They have proven to be a top team to this point.

This week’s poll also saw the debut of Melrose and Milford at No. 17 and No. 19, respectively. The Raiders had an impressive win at Wakefield on Tuesday and are 8-0, while Milford has quietly run up a 9-0 mark. These teams weren't high on our radar before the season, but their undefeated records are impossible to ignore. The Hawks will put their perfect mark on the line Tuesday against No. 12 Taunton.

Wakefield suffered a big fall in the rankings from No. 6 to No. 20. The Warriors were without guard Bruce Brown in the losses to Melrose and Burlington, but the setbacks raise questions about the team’s depth and ability to score in the absence of their top player.

Next week’s poll could potentially see a new No. 1 if Central Catholic falls to Lowell on Friday night. The Raiders have been the most consistent team in Eastern Mass., remaining at the top all season.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Before every game, Archbishop Williams’s girls' basketball head coach, Jim Bancroft emphasizes energy.

And it was defensive energy that led the No. 4 Archies to a 59-40 victory over their
Catholic Central rivals, No. 19 St. Mary’s Saturday at Emmanuel College.

The game was tight throughout the first half, with the Archies holding an 8-point lead at halftime.

But it was the Archies' suffocating half-court press and ball pressure in the third quarter that sparked a 12-2 run, forcing the Spartans into 10 turnovers and limiting St. Mary's to just 6 points in the third quarter.

“Our coach told us to focus on the ball defense, being patient on offense and really taking care of the ball,” said sophomore forward Alana Gilmer.

Archies opened up the game 4-0, but the Spartans refused to go away, led by junior guard Sharell Sanders, whose 14-point first half kept the Spartans in the game.

In the second half the Archies capitalized off turnovers caused by pressure on guard Sanders, who was limited to 4 points.

“We allowed her to dribble penetrate into the key too much [in the first half],” Bancroft said. “We weren’t contesting her shots too much and we talked about it at halftime that we have to go out and get her.”

“We just needed everyone to contribute and pick her up when we she was in their area.”

Bancroft used his bench throughout the game so his team could run on every possession.

“We were hoping to keep fresh enough so we can put our zone press on to get some steals and easy hoops because in the half court we’re still strugglin,” he said.

Abp. Williams was led by sophomore forward Gilmer with 15 points while senior guard Sara Ryan added 10 points. Leah Spencer and Olivia Conrad each chipped in 9 points.

The Spartans also received a big game from junior guard Sanders, who scored a game-high 18 points.

The Archies' (6-3) victory ends the Spartans (8-2) undefeated record in the league and they continue to remain unbeaten in league games.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe Correspondent

Tuesday’s boys’ basketball game between Cambridge and Everett was stopped with 3:11 to go in the fourth quarter because of an altercation between two fans behind the Cambridge bench. Cambridge, which was up at the time, was awarded the win with the approval of both coaches.

“It was a minor altercation between two adults in the stands, one being from Everett, one from Cambridge,” said Cambridge principal Damon Smith, who reviewed the incident at a meeting Wednesday morning. Superintendents, athletic directors, coaches, and principals from both schools were present at the meeting.

Smith said that while the altercation started two or three rows into the crowd, it didn’t take long for the two males to stumble onto the Falcons' bench. Smith denied rumors that Cambridge assistant coaches engaged in the altercation.

“They were just trying to separate,” said Smith. “They were moving our kids out of the way.”

Smith added that no players from either team were involved, and steps were discussed during the meeting to prevent another incident when the teams meet again Jan. 25.

By Patrick McHugh, Globe Correspondent

Here are some interesting tidbits in boys basketball right now:

1. Lowell, North Andover fighting for second behind Central Catholic -- No. 2 Lowell will make the short trip up 495 (well no trip on 495 is ever short) to meet Merrimack Valley foe North Andover on Friday night in the game of the week. The Red Raiders began a perfect 8-0, but things haven’t come as easy recently. Lowell stormed through their first three games winning by an average of 43.3 points-per-game, but the last two have been won by an average of eight points. After blasting New Bedford 93-39 on Dec. 21, the second contest on Sunday was decidedly closer at 57-51. Meanwhile, the No. 11 Scarlet Knights started 6-1 with their only loss to Andover in December. Both teams are looking up at No. 1 Central Catholic.

2. New Mission’s daunting schedule not getting easier -- No. 12 New Mission’s schedule has had a little bit of everything to this point. The Titans opened the season in the Empire State at Roosevelt High School, faced back-to-back tough tests against city foes Charlestown and No. 15 Brighton, then had three games in three nights against New York power Christ the King, No. 4 Mansfield and Windsor, Conn. The squad has managed to go 4-3 thus far, but the schedule will get no easier as No. 13 East Boston visits tonight and a gritty Madison Park squad awaits on Friday. Coach Cory McCarthy’s team is as tested as they come at this point.

3. Danvers dominant, but yet to be challenged -- How good is No. 5 Danvers? We know they’re at least 23 points better than any team they’ve met thus far. The Falcons have comfortably dispatched every opponent, but haven’t faced the caliber of competition others in the Top 10 have. The reigning Div. 3 champs are 6-0 but remain somewhat of a mystery right now. They have the talent to be a top five team, but won’t get an opportunity to prove it against the elites until the tournament.

4. Rockland rock solid -- One of the surprise teams this year is No. 16 Rockland, which was a perfect 8-0 entering Tuesday play and had won six games by at least 16 points. The Bulldogs’ top dog is 6-foot-6 senior Tyler Gibson, a UMass-Lowell commit who turned in 22 points and 20 rebounds against Wellesley Dec. 28. After last night’s test at similarly unbeaten Mashpee, Rockland shouldn’t be challenged until travelling to Cohasset Feb. 1. It’s hard not to imagine this group as the top contender out of the South Shore League.

5. Judson Jumpstarts St. John’s Prep -- For No. 3 St. John’s Prep, no player has been as instrumental in the program’s 8-0 start as sophomore Ben Judson. The 6-4 sharpshooter impressed me on Friday night when he drilled five 3-pointers in a 67-58 defeat of No. 10 BC High. The Eagles have strong senior captains in Drex Costello, Tyler Dooley and John Syska, but Judson could determine how far Prep advances in March.

Patrick McHugh can be reached at patrick.mchugh@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMcHugh89.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Here are some interesting tidbits on the high school girls' basketball scene:

1. There are always a few speed bumps on the road to the state tournament. For teams like Reading it comes in the form of ACL tears. However, despite missing their starting point guard, Morgan O'Brien, the Rockets (7-0) are undefeated with key wins over league foes Watertown, Lexington, and Burlington.

2. Don't underestimate conference games. Conference victories are just a little sweeter and tasteful. After No. 3 Central Catholic snapped No. 8 Andover's 42-game winning streak, including five consecutive wins over the Raiders dating back to 2011, the Raiders were stunned by unranked North Andover to give coach Sue Breen her first victory over Central Catholic since she took over the position back in 1999.

3. Two wins can go a long way. After beating two ranked teams, (Arlington Catholic and Lynn English) St.Mary's found their way on the top 20 this week. The Spartans (8-0) are defeating their opponents in impressive fashion, dominating their league (4-0), and are on pace to compete for a Catholic Central league championship title.

4. Billerica vs. host Central Catholic will be an interesting matchup to watch Friday. There is a lot of history brewing between these two ball clubs. Central Catholic defeated Billerica in the tournament last season, but the Indians got the best of the Raiders in the fall tournament this season.The conference matchup will feature Central Catholic junior center Casey McLaughlin, who will work to dominant the paint, and point guard Brittany Lomanno who will be orchestrating Billerica's offense. They're both stud players. Expect this to be a very physical and defensive game.

5. Pentucket on its way up. Pentucket climbed its way to the No. 9 spot in the Globe top 20 with an impressive victory over No. 7 Billerica, 59-39, last Wednesday. The Sachems are using their defense to propel them to victories, while returning players, Kelsi McNamara, Coley Veselli and McKenna Kilian, provide them a spark offensively. The unbeaten Sachems sit on top of the Cap Ann league at 7-0.

Michelle Fenelon covers girls' basketball. She can be reached at michelle.fenelon@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @MichFenelon.

By Nick Ironside, Globe Correspondent

Mike Lewis used to coach Cohasset’s junior varsity girls’ basketball team. That was when he first noticed a point guard he would soon have on his team.

Kelly Martin, Scituate's now senior point guard, played that day against Cohasset, and Lewis hasn’t forgotten Martin’s work ethic.

“The thing that stood out is how active and tough she is as a defender,” said Lewis. “She’s a real hard-nose player.”

Lewis also recalled Martin’s ability to transition from defense to offense quickly two years ago.

Now instead of coaching against Martin, Lewis is in his first season as the Scituate's’ (5-0) basketball coach. He was able to coach Martin as she crossed 1,000 points against Quincy on Friday night.

“All of her teammates knew,” Lewis said. “There was a great atmosphere, and everyone was really pulling for her.”

Martin needed 21 points to crack 1,000 at Quincy. With 20 points already on the night, the 5-foot-9 point guard stepped to the free throw line in the third quarter stuck at 999 career points.

Then she sank her first free throw.

“For an away game, there were a lot of people from Scituate and they knew she was 21 points away,” Lewis said. “It’s a nice milestone to be a part of.”

Lewis noted that after a break in the action once she scored her 1,000th point and the first free throw, Martin went back out and sank her second. She finished with 22 points on the night.

As a first-year varsity coach, Lewis has been extremely impressed with Martin, who will attend Stonehill College (Easton, Mass.) on a full scholarship next fall to play basketball.

“She’s a court leader. Sometimes it’s like having a second coach on the court,” Lewis said.

“She gives 100 percent in practice every single day. I think that’s one of her best characteristics.”

Martin isn’t just a scorer, though.

“She has great leadership skills,” said Lewis. “The kids respect and look up to her. They feed off her energy.”

Lewis said he doesn’t look into the future too much, but he’s happy with how the team’s playing.

“We’re playing very good defense right now,” he said. “We’re playing very good basketball.”

And the Sailors’ coach knows that the unblemished record is, in part, a tribute to Martin’s hard work.

“It’s a luxury to have her.”

By Craig Forde, Globe Correspondent

The two-day event features eight teams with a combined 20-9 record competing in two separate divisions, with each crowning a champion on Sunday.

Saturday
Small School Division
Game 1, Noon - Winchester (2-2) vs. Whittier Tech (3-1)
Game 2, 1:30 p.m. - Arlington Catholic (3-0) vs. St. Clement (4-0)

Large School Division
Game 3, 3 p.m. - Brookline (2-2) vs. Belmont (0-3)
Game 4, 4:30 p.m.- Malden Catholic (3-1) vs. Salem (3-0)

Sunday
Consolation games
Game 5, noon- Small School Division
Game 6, 1:30 p.m. - Large School Division

Championship games
Game 7, 3 p.m.- Small School Division
Game 8, 4:30 p.m.- Large School Division

All proceeds will benefit the IAABO 27 Referees for Cancer initiative, which has raised nearly $13,000 for cancer research in 2012.

Malden Catholic is located at 99 Crystal Street in Malden.

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Globe correspondent

After putting up 31 points earlier in the week against New Bedford, Barnstable sophomore Molly Bent was practically unstoppable again, scoring 41 points against the same team in a 52-46 victory.

Bent has scored in double figures in each of the Red Raiders’ first four games with 28 points in first two games against Nauset and Brockton, which is probably why coach George Bent didn’t seem surprised she was able score a career high against the Whalers.

"There was nothing really different,” he said. “The first three games she’s been that good and she just kept it going.”

The guard’s great first-half shooting (23 first-half points) propelled her team to an early double-digit lead, however, the Whalers were able to storm back by double-teaming Bent and closed it to just a 4-point lead at halftime.

Coach Bent said the reason they were able to get the lead back is because Molly went away from shooting from the outside (3-4 3-point shooting) and focused more on driving to the basket and drawing fouls.

“In the second half, they had people face-guarding and helping [her] a lot,” Bent said. “They double-teamed her but they also fouled her a lot.”

Molly went 11 of 12 from the line.

While she’s been on fire, Bent recognized adjustments will need to be made as a result of opposing teams’ focusing their defenses in on her, however, he isn’t worried about her sharing the ball.

“She wants to do whatever it takes to win and I don’t think it will matter to her if she has 10, 20, 30, etc,” Bent said. “She’s a very unselfish player.”

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

The Plymouth South boys' basketball team had history on its side Thursday night when it rallied from 17 down after three quarters of play to top Nauset, 60-53, in overtime in Eastham.

The Panthers (2-1) accomplished a similar feat last season, rallying from 10 down to Nauset with two minutes to play for the win in regulation.

"I think that win [last season] stuck in the kids minds," said Plymouth South coach David Costa. "History was on our side, but to come back from 17 down took a lot of hard work from my kids too."

Junior guard Mike Nele led the Panthers with 18 points, 14 in the second half and overtime. Through three games, he's been the Panthers' most consistent threat, averaging 21 points a game.

The Panthers spent much of the game trying to confuse the Warriors (0-4) with different defensive looks, but abandoned the tactic for their usual full-court man-to-man defense after falling behind, 48-31, at the end of the third.

"We went from playing a lot of zone back to our normal [defense] and started generating some turnovers and once we got the momentum we didn't look back," said Costa.

Sophomore guard Jack Browne (12 points) was instrumental in the comeback, connecting on three fourth quarter 3-pointers to help Plymouth South finish regulation on a 20-3 run.

Sophomore Sam Letendre (14 points) hit a jumper with 20 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 51 and complete the comeback.

Browne's hot shooting from behind the arc continued in the extra frame, where he connected on a fourth 3 to help the Panthers pull away.

By Patrick McHugh, Globe Correspondent

The head coach and founder of the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) had his sophomore and junior teams play back-to-back games on Sunday at the BABC's Veterans Day Classic at Roxbury's Shelburne Community Center. Even with little rest and a small roster, both squads earned victories, with the juniors winning, 80-58, over the South Shore LOX and the sophomores dispatching the South Shore Wolfpack, 68-48.

"We try to make it hard on ourselves playing back-to-back because we're the host," said Papile. "Not many teams would do that. We figure rather than a couple hours rest, we'll go back-to-back. We try to stack the deck as much as we can to push ourselves."

With only five players on the roster for the junior team, Papile had his sophomores see action the LOX, a team made primarily of juniors and seniors. After a sluggish first half that found LOX leading 32-30 at halftime, BABC exploded with a 24-0 run to put the game away.

Central Catholic sharpshooter Tyler Nelson led all scorers with 29 points and scored 18 of his team's points during the run, including four consecutive three-pointers. Bob Ahearn and Terrance Mann also reached double figures with 13 and 12 points respectively.

"I thought early on their physical strength kept them in the game for a good half," Papile said. "I thought in the second half of a 40 minute game, the residual effect of our pressure made them play a little bit too fast."

The hosts applied pressure throughout, garnering 18 steals in the contest that wore down LOX.

"It was a gradual rise for us," Papile said. "Like a decision in boxing, not a knockout. I think it became unanimous at the end."

In the ensuing contest against the South Shore Wolfpack, the BABC sophomores grabbed a double-digit lead in the opening six minutes and never looked back. Ahearn, Henry Bolton and Bonzie Colson led the way with 14 points apiece, and Mann added 12. Colson and Nick Cambio (9 points) nearly had double-doubles as each grabbed nine rebounds.

The Classic closes out what was another successful summer and fall campaign for the BABC, which claimed the 10th grade AAU national championship in July for the third year in a row.

"It was a good way for us to end up our fall season," Papile said. "This is sort of our spring football, because now the prep school guys start practice on Saturday, the MIAA guys start the Monday after Thanksgiving. We've had a good five-week fall, going undefeated."

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

The Boston Amateur Basketball Club's (BABC) Veterans Day Classic is set to tip off this Saturday. Team's from the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th grade divisions will play 20 games in total at the Tobin Community Center, the Vine Street Community Center and the Shelburne Community Center -- all in Roxbury.

The tournament will showcase some of the best the basketball talent in New England, with the winner in each division determined based on pool play records.

The BABC sophomore squad, which plays on Saturday at the Tobin Community Center at 4:35 p.m. and again on Sunday at the Shelburne Community Center at 1:40 p.m., has won the Amateur Athletic Association (AAU) National Championship three years in a row.

To see video highlights of the BABC from a tournament earlier this year, click here.

Listed below is the schedule:

Saturday, Nov. 3 @ the Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont St., Roxbury
Division Time Teams
Junior/Senior - 9:00 a.m. South Shore WP vs. LOX

Junior/Senior - 11:00 a.m. MPC vs. LOX

Eighth Grade - 12:15 p.m. BSS vs. Shooting Stars

Junior/Senior - 1:20 p.m. South Shore WP vs. MPC

Freshmen - 2:25 p.m. NE Storm vs. CT Gladiators

Eighth Grade - 3:30 p.m. Shooting Stars vs. BABC (2017)

Sophomore - 4:35 p.m. MPC vs. BABC (Soph)

Eighth Grade - 5:40 p.m. B2TL vs. BABC (2017)

Saturday Nov. 3 @ the Vine Street Community Center, 339 Dudley St., Roxbury
Division Time Teams
Sophomore - 2:00 p.m. MPC vs. MABC

Eighth Grade - 3:05 p.m. BSS vs. B2TL

Freshmen - 4:10 p.m. CT Gladiators vs. MABC

Freshmen - 5:15 p.m. Boston Spartans vs. NE Storm

Freshmen - 6:45 p.m. Boston Spartans vs. MABC

Sunday Nov. 4 @ Shelburne Community Center, 2730 Washington St., Roxbury
Division Time Teams
Freshmen - 9:00 a.m. Boston Spartans vs. CT Gladiators

Junior/Senior - 10:05 a.m. South Shore WP/LOX vs. BABC (SO/JR)

Junior/Senior - 11:30 a.m. South Shore WP/LOX vs. BABC (SO/JR)

Freshmen - 12:35 p.m. NE Storm vs. MABC

Sophomore - 1:40 p.m. MABC vs. BABC (Soph)

Eighth Grade - 2:45 p.m. BSS vs. BABC (2017)

Eighth Grade - 3:50 p.m. B2TL vs. Shooting Stars

*Home team on left

For more information make sure to check out the BABC's Facebook page.

Former Boston College basketball guard Chris Herren returned to campus on Wednesday afternoon to speak to students from the Boston Scholar Athlete program about his long battle with substance abuse. (Justin A. Rice / For the Globe)

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Eighteen years after he first used cocaine as a freshman guard on the Boston College basketball team in 1994, Chris Herren returned to campus on Wednesday afternoon to speak to students from the Boston Scholar Athlete program about his battle with substance abuse.

The 36-year-old, who will celebrate four years of being sober on Aug. 1, said his drug use wasn’t a reflection of Boston College and he was glad to get the opportunity to make amends.

“Coming back to Boston College on campus is special to me,” he told students from the BSA’s free three-day ‘Summer Zone’ program for Boston public school scholar athletes. “Because at 18-years-old I took advantage of a lot when I had it and I didn’t realize how special of a place it is and what an opportunity I lost by taking advantage of it.”

The former Durfee High star and one-time Celtic candidly detailed his four overdoses in one heartbreaking story after another.

“I played for the Celtics for seven months, that’s it, but it gets me out in front of you guys,” Herren said as he described his drug-filled journey through basketball leagues in Italy, Turkey, China and Germany.

A motivational speaker for athletes of all ages, Herren launched Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren, a developmental company that mentors young basketball players in 2009. He is also the co-author of "Basketball Junkie: A memoir," and the subject of the Emmy Award-nominated documentary "Unguarded.”

Herren’s career at the Heights ended after he suffered a season-ending broken wrist in his debut game. The McDonald's All-American who was featured in Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone and a book called “Fall River Dreams,” partied hard after his injury and started using cocaine. He failed a drug test and transferred to Fresno State.

Herren excelled on the court at Fresno State despite testing positive for drugs and spending a stint in rehab. He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in1999 but spent most of his time on the court high on the pain-relieving drug OxyContin.

He was traded to the Celtics a year later and cut seven months after that.

After jumping from team to team across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Herren’s basketball career ended shortly after he started using heroin in 2004. That year, he was was arrested in Portsmouth, R.I. after he was found unconscious at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru with 18 packets containing heroin residue.

Herren finally got help in 2008 from NBA Hall of Famer Chris Mullin, who is a recovering alcoholic himself.

Herren said he put too much weight on basketball when he was a kid and he’s trying to prevent his children and scores of other kids from making the same mistake.

“My love for basketball was taken before drugs entered my life because I put too much emphasis on success in basketball,” he said. “Basketball became all of me. It was my identity. It was my ego, it was everything. … If you don’t make this fun, if you don’t keep this fun, if you don’t love this sport, you’re going to pay a price one way or another. So find that passion or walk away from it.

“I forgot to aspire to be a professional human being.”

Herren said he doesn’t look back at lost opportunities and he gets more satisfaction from preventing students from going down the road he went down than from any point he ever scored or contract he ever signed.

“If I can spare one kid in this room from going down the road that I’ve gone down than I’ve done my job, then I’ve reached my goal,” he said.

Several students approached Herren after his talk on Wednesday.

“I thought it was amazing and I was personally shocked by his experiences,” Burke senior Kirina Laryea said in an interview after the talk. “I’m proud of him that he’s doing something positive with his life. He’s spreading his experiences and trying to help young children today to do better and not fall down the same path he went through.”

One of his most poignant points was when he said seven of the 12 players on his high school basketball team became junkies.

“When we were your age we sat in house parties, we drank a little bit, we smoked a little bit, we talked about going to college, we talked about getting this scholarship, that scholarship but nobody ever talked about being a junkie,” he said. “You have to be very aware of your decisions you make at a young age because it will stay with you when you get older.”

Herren spends much of his time on the road these days, doing about 250 public speaking engagements across the country. He said every so often he will feel envious of someone drinking a beer in an airport bar.

“But for me, I would never make it home,” he said. “I think about if I drink that first beer, if I’m in Philly I’m going to end up in South Philly and my family wouldn’t see me in six days. So I play the tape. I see what’s going to happen from that decision.

“You accomplish things one day at a time, I stay sober one day at a time and that’s it,
’Today I will not get high.’ So there’s never an end point to this for me. You’re never accomplished. Every day you wake up and start over and that’s how I approach my life today.”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Mary Pavlu, Globe Correspondent

Former Durfee High star and one-time Celtic Chris Herren will visit the Boston Scholar Athletes’ (BSA) ‘Summer Zone’ program Wednesday at Boston College, discussing issues he faced as a student-athlete and how he overcame them as part of the free three-day event for 50 Boston Public School scholar-athletes.

The event will be held at 1 p.m. in Boston College's Gasson Hall, Room 305.

Herren is now a motivational speaker for athletes of all ages. In 2009, he launched Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren, a developmental company that mentors young basketball players. He is also the co-author of "Basketball Junkie: A memoir," and the subject of the ESPN documentary "Unguarded."

Additional highlights of the program include:

Wednesday, July 25: Boston College
• 10 am: Guest speaker Steve Donahue, BC Men’s Basketball Coach
• 11 am: Campus tour
• 2:30 pm: High School preparation for college

Thursday, July 26: Northeastern University
• 10 am: Campus tour
• 11 am: College motivation panel discussion with NU students
• 2:15 pm: Professionalism seminar

Friday, July 27: Suffolk Construction Headquarters, Roxbury
• 5:15 pm: Dinner
• 6 pm: Awards presentation by Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish

For more information on the event or the BSA, contact Sarah Blodgett at (617) 557-9190 or sarah@mcdvent.com

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Several teams in the Boston Neighborhood Basketball League started their seasons about a week late last week after league officials cracked down on a long-time residency rule that was never truly enforced before now.

The 43-year-old summer basketball league known as BNBL is — like all programs run by Boston Centers for Youth & Families — only for Boston residents because it’s funded by the city and its taxpayers.

But in past years, a player’s residency was only checked if it was challenged by another team during the course of the season. BCYF Director of Recreation, Sports and Fitness Ryan Fitzgerald said the policy was too hard to enforce once the season already started.

So this year BCYF officials required BNBL players to prove residency before the season started by showing a report card, birth certificate or another document that proved their address is in Boston — a process that delayed the start of the season for some teams.

“This is no different from what a lot of programs and leagues in the city require anyway,” Fitzgerald said. “We had many coaches and players and participants in the program voice concerns on the issue so we’ve taken steps to address it and minimize the infractions.”

While Fitzgerald said he hopes the missed games will be made up on off days, many teams and players a still irked.

“It’s very frustrating because I wanted to play basketball and I wanted to be with my team last week when we should’ve started,” Jaleel Bell of the Dorchester YMCA team said after his squad played its first game last Wednesday night at the Perkins Community Center in Dorchester.

“In Massachusetts you’re a Massachusetts player, if other people want to play its OK. We’re all playing basketball, it’s for the youth, we’re not doing anything dangerous, we’re not doing drugs; we’re playing basketball so it’s something positive.”

Dorchester YMCA coach, Andrew Angus agreed that the league should be open to everyone because it helps keeps kids off the streets.

“We also go down there and join their leagues too, it goes hand-in-hand, I think we’re Massachusetts it’s not anything else, we’re all one,” Angus said.

The former BNBL player, who won three MIAA state titles as a player with Charlestown High from 2000 to 2003, said competing against players from outside the city in the summer made him a better player during the school year.

“It kind of made the league a little better with people who come from all over to just play BNBL [from outside the city]," he said. “That’s just bringing different talent inside the city. You’re just playing everybody. So trying to keep it in the city you kind of take away a little bit but it’s what the city wants I guess.”

Fitzgerald, who played in the league himself as a youngster, said he sees both sides of the issue.

“I can certainly see that point of view,” he said. “As a young kid I was excited to play against all competition no matter where it came from. I get that. The only problem is this is a program run by the City of Boston with city resources so it becomes complicated about who we can provide services to.

“For every person that has [Bell and Angus’] opinion there is another one who feels that it should be City of Boston kids and that’s what the program was started for. I’m not saying either one is wrong but as it is currently constituted that’s what we have to do.”

Perkins Community Center coach Eric Bradshaw said the residency issue has been a problem since he started coaching BNBL 20 years ago. He said he doesn’t’ have a problem with cracking down on residency but said that that BCYF should start figuring out who can and can’t play earlier in the school year.

“Every year it’s always been the same thing,” he said. “I don’t know why it took so long to be honest with you but it’s been an issue for 20 years.”

Fitzgerald said they notified coaches and players of the new policy starting in May.

“We feel there was ample amount of time to get this information,” he said. “But I don’t begrudge anyone who had trouble and I certainly understand it takes more work to collect it. … We knew it might be a little bumpy this year. When things are new and different, especially when they were done the same way for such a long time, there are hiccups.

“But I think next year when people are prepared for it I anticipate it to be a lot more smooth.”

One of the league’s founders, Alfreda J. Harris, said she would’ve liked to see the policy shift happen years ago.

“It’s very simple, the program originated 43 years ago and it’s for Boston residence,” said Harris, who is a school committee member in Boston. “The money comes from city of Boston tax payers, it’s always been that way. It’s better to get it clear now than wait till the end of the season when teams lost to teams because they had illegitimate players.

“I think it was a good idea for Ryan [Fitzgerald] to clamp down and get the paperwork in at the beginning of the season.”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

Dominique Litif-Nelson (right) and her mother Luanne Litif celebrated the unveiling of the new logo for the Boston Neighborhood Basketball League in May. Litif-Nelson won a contest to design the BNBL logo, which was printed on more than 3,500 Reebok shirts before BNBL play kicked off earlier this month. (Photo courtesy of BNBL)

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Since it was founded 43 years ago, the Boston Neighborhood Basketball League has become an institution among school-aged children and teens. The league has been a signifier of summer in the city.

But unlike most popular sports institutions in the city, the league run by Boston Center for Youth & Families and sponsored by Reebok lacked a logo that truly represented its culture.

That's not the case anymore now that 13-year-old Dominique Litif-Nelson won a contest to design the league’s new logo, which was printed on more than 3,500 Reebok shirts before BNBL play kicked off earlier this month.

“I was astonished, I didn’t know what to say,” said the South Boston resident who is entering the eighth grade at the Perry Schoolof her reaction when she was told that she won this past spring. “I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t even believe what happened.”

For her efforts, Litif-Nelson was awarded a voucher worth roughly $400 that allowed her to go online and design two custom pairs of Reeboks, although she wasn’t able to include her new BNBL logo on the sneakers.

“My design was too intricate,” she said.

The contest was launched after last season and was the genesis of a conversation between the Boston Center for Youth & Families and Reebok.

“The league is so historic and we’re going into our 43rd year,” said Ryan Fitzgerald, the center's director of recreation, sports and fitness. “Over the years the logo has changed or been tweaked for one reason or another.

“There are just so many young people involved in it over the years we just thought it would be cool to allow our young, talented artists a chance to design the logo.”

The center started promoting the contest at schools and community centers across the city in the fall and midway through the school year collected nearly 125 entries. The center and Reebok chose 10 finalists before ultimately unveiling the winning logo in May.

“All ages were welcome as long as they were under 18 and a school-age youth,” Fitzgerald said. “We had cute ones from little elementary students in crayon, then we had more advanced candidates as well. We said all along, if a 6 or 7-year-old did something interesting and something in the spirit of BNBL, working with the Reebok designers, we would use it.”

Originally set in front of a generic skyline, Latif-Nelson’s logo was touched up my Reebok designers who incorporated the Boston skyline into it. Fitzgerald said other than the skyline, the logo is Litif-Nelson’ original design.

“She included what basketball meant to her and she included the Reebok logo which is obviously special to us,” Reebok Sports Marketing Basketball Manager Kim Federico said. “It was a great drawing.”

For the last 15 years Reebok has provided in-kind donations to the league in the form of shirts for the players and polo shirts and sneakers for the league’s volunteer coaches.

“Lots of kids wear [the shirts around], they want to show they are part of the league,” Federico said.

Lifit-Nelson, who has been drawing consistently since she was about 4-years-old, was encouraged to enter the contest by the staff at the Tynan Community Center, where she played her first season of BNBL just last summer. She's back for more this summer.

She spent about an hour working on her submissions and ended up entering six logos into the contest.

Inspired by comic book and tattoo art, Lifit-Nelson said she incorporated stars into her logo because she noticed that was a theme in past logos.

“I didn’t know [how good it was], I thought there was other people that were better than me but I wasn’t sure,” she said. “I told my friends and they were like ‘I’m playing BNBL, I’ll root for you.’ They were just like ‘Wow you drew that, I can’t believe you drew that.’ ”

Her mother said she didn’t pass any artistic talent down to her daughter.

“Neither did her father, it must be somewhere down the line, she must be related to somebody — Michelangelo,” Luanne Litif said. “She amazes me.

“She’s just a natural, she’ll just sit down and draw for hours and draw whatever is in her head.”

Both Fitzgerald and Federico said they would like to continue the program for years to come.

“I would love to see it each year and have a new design to be able to include more kids and build a tradition; like some of the NBA players, they have a new shoe each season, let’s roll out a new T-shirt design each season and build some history.

“If we put out it out in the schools we might attract someone not interest in basketball, it doesn’t necessarily have to be someone who plays in the league who can be a winner. Let’s include someone else in the community. It doesn’t have to be someone on the basketball court which is really nice.”

Lifit-Nelson, who hopes to attend Boston Arts Academy next year, said winning the contest hasmotivated her to be more focused.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Mary Pavlu, Globe Correspondent

On the day of Wellesley varsity basketball team’s final game of the season in February 2011, coach Paul “Wally” Seaver was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

“It’s a progressive disease, there’s no cure, and barely any treatment,” Seaver’s eldest son, also Paul, said. “For 95 percent of treatments, they don’t even know what caused it.”

In honor of his father’s fight against the disease, Seaver’s eldest son will be running the first annual high school basketball tournament, titled the “Wally” Seaver High School Invitational. The two-day tournament consisting of 16 teams will take place at Milford High School and Milford Middle School East on Saturday July 21 and Sunday July 22.

The 16 teams in the tournament are from Massachusetts, with the exception of one from Connecticut, and one from Rhode Island.

“It’s a life-changing situation, but the community has been great,” Paul Seaver said. “We’ve received tons of support, especially from Milford, but everywhere … We have 16 teams coming in.”

"Wally" Seaver coached varsity basketball at Franklin and Wellesley high schools, and coached youth teams for Milford. Seaver’s sons Paul and Daniel are also Milford High graduates.

For donations or more information on the invitational, contact Paul Seaver at wallyinvitational@gmail.com.

Tournament Schedule:

Group A (all games at Milford High School): Milford, Hopedale, Rocky Hill (CT,) Dedham

Group B (all games at Middle School East): Wellesley, Sutton, Ashland, Lunenburg

Group C (all games at Milford High School): Franklin, Uxbridge, Framingham, Mount St. Charles (RI)

Group D (all games at Middle School East): Wachusett, Canton, Brookline, BMR

Saturday, July 21:
8 a.m.: Franklin vs. Uxbridge (Milford High School)
8 a.m.: Sutton vs. Ashland (Middle School East)
9 a.m.: Milford vs. Dedham (Milford High School)
9 a.m.: Wellesley vs. Lunenburg (Middle School East)
10 a.m.: Rocky Hill vs. Hopedale (Milford High School)
10 a.m.: BMR vs. Wachusett (Middle School East)
11 a.m.: Franklin vs. Framingham (Milford High School)
11 a.m.: Lunenburg vs. Ashland (Middle School East)
Noon: Rocky Hill vs. Dedham (Milford High School)
Noon: Canton vs. Brookline (Middle School East)
1 p.m.: Framingham vs. Mount St. Charles (Milford High School)
1 p.m.: Wellesley vs. Sutton (Middle School East)
2 p.m.: Milford vs. Hopedale (Milford High School)
2 p.m.: Wachusett vs. Canton (Middle School East)
3 p.m.: Uxbridge vs. Mount St. Charles (Milford High School)
3 p.m.: Brookline vs. BMR (Middle School East)

Sunday, July 22:
8 a.m.: Franklin vs. Mount St. Charles (Milford High School)
8 a.m.: Wellesley vs. Ashland (Middle School East)
9 a.m.: Framingham vs. Uxbridge (Milford High School)
9 a.m.: BMR vs. Canton (Middle School East)
10 a.m.: Milford vs. Rocky Hill (Milford High School)
10 a.m.: Wachusett vs. Brookline (Middle School East)
11 a.m.: Hopedale vs. Dedham (Milford High School)
11 a.m.: Lunenburg vs. Sutton (Middle School East)

Semifinal Round
12:30PM: Group A Champion vs. Group C Champion (Milford High School)
12:30PM: Group B Champion vs. Group D Champion (Middle School East)

Championship Round
2:15PM: Winner of Group A/Group C vs. Winner of Group B/Group D

By Mary Pavlu, Globe Correspondent

The 2012 Bay State games have already begun, and there are at least eight Boston public school athletes taking part.

Four athletes hail from Boston Latin, including junior left fielder Malcolm Nachmanoff for baseball, sophomore shortstop Paige Mulry (West Roxbury) in softball, and one of Boston public school’s leading pitchers, sophomore Caitlyn Berry (Roslindale) in softball. In basketball, center Maggie Mulligan (Brighton) will also take part.

Kareem Murrell (Dorchester) and Francis DePina are competing in 9th and 10th grade boys basketball. Both players represent Snowden International.

A top scorer for East Boston, Jonathan Perez (Lowell) is playing for the boys soccer team in the games.

Just one student represents New Mission, Diandra Humphries. She's playing girls basketball.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The majority of the Boston City League boys' basketball coaches voted in favor of creating a third basketball division starting this winter, according to Boston schools Athletic Director Ken Still.

“The votes are a majority to implement a new plan and that’s what we are going to go with," Still said during a telephone interview Thursday morning.

Currently, the 15-team boys’ basketball league is divided into North and South divisions.

Teams will be placed in one of three divisions depending on how strong the program has performed in recent years.

Still said the breakdown of the three divisions will be hashed out in the next two or three weeks along with how many times each team plays the teams in their division and outside their division.

“The setup can be changed at any given time as far as something new on the table,” he said.

It’s also unclear how teams will qualify for the city championships. In baseball, the only other City League with three divisions, the top two teams from the North division go to the cities while the top team from the other two divisions qualify as well.

Still said they could either duplicate the baseball format or implement a wild card berth for the team with the best record that doesn’t win its division.

“The logic is to try to get some of the lower level teams to have a successful season and maybe try to bring one of the lower level teams into the championship game,” Still said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Another option is to reshuffle the divisions every few years based on how well the teams perform, which is what is done for football, Still said.

“We’ll try to please everybody but won’t,” Still said. “We’ll come up with a formula and work on it.”

Boston English coach Barry Robinson said the creation of three divisions will make it easier for teams in the lower divisions to qualify for the state tournament since it is likely that they won’t have to play the Division 1 and 2 teams as much during the regular season.

Last season English failed to qualify for the Division 2 state tournament by a few games.

“Now we’ll have more teams with a better record that can qualify for the states,” he said recently. “We can also give a team lower the lower tiers the opportunity to win the whole thing in the cities rather than have the powers always winning based on their talent.

“But at same time, if I don’t qualify for cities at least my record will be better than in the past and I’ll get a better seeding for states and that’s ultimately the goal and where it’s at.”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Monday's inaugural Agganis All-Star women’s and men’s Lacrosse Classics have been postponed due to inclement weather. The games will be played on Wednesday at Manning Field – women at 6 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.

That means the first competition in Agganis week will be the men's and women's soccer games Tuesday at Manning Field beginning at 5:30 p.m. In addition to lacrosse, Wednesday will have also have baseball and softball at Fraser Field. Thursday is basketball with two games at Lynn Classical. And Friday is the 51st Football Classic at 7 p.m. at Manning Field.

Jake Layman and the Team USA U18 National Team captured the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship with an 81-56 victory over host Brazil Thursday night.

The University of Maryland-bound Layman, a Boston Globe Super Teamer in 2011 and 2012 at King Philip Regional in Wrentham, saw limited time in the title game but picked up a steal in five minutes of play.

Team USA, coached by University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan, averaged over 97 points per game and had an average winning margin of 38.6 points per game in the competition.

In five games, the 6-foot-8 Layman averaged 7.6 points per game and 4.0 rebounds while averaging only 12 minutes of playing time.

He was 6 for 15 from three-point range and his .400 success rate was best on Team USA, with his six made three's tying a team-high. Layman also had three blocks in the competition which was second most on Team USA.

By Ryan MacInnis

Former Lowell Catholic Athletic Director, Mickey Sullivan passed away early Monday morning after a long bout with brain cancer.

Sullivan, who served as Lowell Catholic’s athletic director from 2003-2011, is responsible for the growth in the school’s athletic programs that includes the additions of ice hockey, lacrosse, wrestling and golf.

“He built this program from the ground up,” said current AD Jack Fletcher. “When I was at Chelmsford and he was at Tewksbury, he showed me how things were supposed to be done and I’ll be forever grateful for that.”

Sullivan graduated from Keith Academy, now Lowell Catholic, in 1964 and served as athletic director at Tewksbury and Holliston before coming back to his alma mater. In February of 2011, Lowell Catholic named its basketball court, “Mickey Sullivan Court” in Keith Gymnasium after the former AD.

Sullivan was a longtime member of the MIAA, IABBO 95, and was devoted to the Army National Guard organization. He is also one of the first Athletic Directors to receive the Certified Athletic Administrator designation in the state of Massachusetts and has been a member of the C.A.A. since 1992. Sullivan was also nominated as the 2012 National Interscholastic Athletic Administrator for Massachusetts.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

As part of Friday's story on the 40th anniversary of the Boston Shootout we put together two teams. The first is the best five ever to play for Boston in the Shootout and the second is the best five players not from Boston to lace them up in the Shootout.

All players are from 1972-1999.

Starting five from Boston:

- Patrick Ewing, King Gaskins, Ronnie Lee, Bill Curley, Wayne Turner.

For those who disagree, which we encourage by the way, please vote in the poll below by checking your top five. If your favorite player isn't there, please feel free to add him in the comments section.

Out of Boston starting five:

-Doc Rivers, Chris Mullin, Paul Pierce, Grant Hill, Adrian Dantley.

Once again, feel free to vote for yourself, or add a comment below.

Thanks for reading. We're looking forward to the feedback.

The Boston Amateur Basketball Club released the schedule of games for the 2012 Boston Shootout basketball tournament June 1-3. All games will be played at Tufts University’s Cousens Gymnasium in Medford. BABC is the host team.

FRIDAY, JUNE 1

7:30 p.m. -- Mike Crotty Sr. Memorial Game - Middlesex Magic vs Mass Rivals

SATURDAY, JUNE 2

9 a.m.-- Sophomore Game 1: New England Playaz vs MBNation (ME)
10:15 -- Sophomore Game 2: BABC vs CT Select
11:30 -- Junior Game 1: New England Playaz vs Eric Gordon All-Stars (IN)
12:45 p.m. -- Freshman Game 1: CT Select vs Albany City Rocks
2:00 -- Freshman Game 2: BABC vs East Coast Elite (CT)
3:15 -- Junior Game 2: BABC vs USAD (CT)
4:30 -- Sophomore Game 3: The City (NY) vs New England Playaz
5:45 -- Sophomore Game 4: Albany City Rocks vs CT Select
7:00 -- Junior Game 3: Mass Rivals vs Loser Junior Game 1
8:15 -- Junior Game 4: Albany City Rocks vs Loser Junior Game 2

SUNDAY, JUNE 3

9:00 a.m. -- Freshman Game 3: Loser Freshman Game 1 vs loser Freshman Game 2
10:15 -- Sophomore Game 5: MBNation vs The City
11:30 -- Sophomore Game 6: BABC vs Albany City Rocks
12:45 p.m. -- Junior Game 5: Winner Junior Game 1 vs Mass Rivals
2:00 -- Junior Game 6: Winner Junior Game 2 vs Albany City Rocks
3:15 -- Division TBD on Saturday night following games
4:30 PM Finals -- Division TBD on Saturday night following games
6:00 PM Finals -- Division TBD on Saturday night following games

Emilee Daley, a junior at the Rivers School in Weston, has verbally committed to play basketball at Boston College, according to her coach Bob Pipe. Daley is a two-time ISL and New England All-Star and has helped lead Rivers to two NEPSAC Class B titles. Daley scored 14 points in Rivers win over Tilton in the NEPSAC title game last March.

Pavel Dzemianok / For the Boston Globe

Washington Irving basketball coach, Len Brown, addressed about 40 of his former players at the 27th annual Washington Irving Middle School basketball reunion on Tuesday.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

About 40 former players attended the 27th annual Washington Irving Middle School basketball reunion on Tuesday at the Roslindale school.

The theme of the reunion, which is organized by the Warriors for Peace basketball alumni organization, was Support our Troops.

Brown was honored himself during the Boston Middle School League championship games last month.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

The 27th annual Washington Irving Middle School basketball reunion will be Tuesday from 2:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Roslindale school.

The theme of the reunion, which is organized by the Warriors for Peace basketball alumni organization, is “Support our Troops”

“First of all, this month is Military Month and just the idea of honoring them,” Washington Irving basketball coach Leonard Brown said when asked why this year’s theme was chosen.
“They should know even a school with young kids and alumni, we’re trying to do something that’s bigger than ourselves. We really appreciate what they do for us to make our country safe and they are putting themselves in harm’s way.

“I feel this is a small thing we can do, a grass roots thing, not with celebrities or big time people.”

Brown was honored himself during the Boston Middle School League championship games last month.

Last year’s reunion theme was “Fallen Heroes” in honor of two of Brown’s former players who were killed in the Mattapan Massacre. The September 2010 quadruple killing that took the life of a 2-year-old boy was what propelled Brown to formalize his reunion program and call it Warriors for Peace.

“I’ve lost eight guys due to violence and even one of our teachers on our staff,” Brown said. “Warriors for Peace, that’s when I started the title for what we actually do. Last year, because of all the violence going on in the city, it really hit us hard … I made up this big banner with the [victims] names on it and had T-shirts and had some family up here and dedicated a whole day and event to the fallen heroes.”

This year’s event will feature former and current players dating back to 1984. The program’s Hall of Fame museum will be on display from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. before the colors are presented by the Northeastern Color Guard. There will be a short speaking program and an award ceremony before an alumni basketball game.

Brown said they will also collected donated DVDs send to troops stationed abroad.
City Councilor Rob Consalvo is also expected to attend the event, along with Washington Irving Principal Arthur Unobskey and Assistant Principal Tim McLaughlin, who himself is a veteran.

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Craig Forde, Globe Correspondent

Chris Bramanti has been selected by Westford Academy as the new boys’ varsity basketball coach. He will replace retiring head basketball coach Ed Scollan who was at the helm of the Grey Ghosts for 13 seasons.

Bramanti has served as an English teacher at Westford Academy for 14 years and has been a part of the basketball program in various roles under Scollan. He also has more than 20 years experience coaching AAU and summer league teams in the region.

“I’m incredibly thrilled and excited about the opportunity to be the next basketball coach at Westford Academy,” Bramanti said in a press release. “I obviously have huge shoes to fill, but I’m ready for the challenge.”

Bramanti, a native of Burlington, resides in Chelmsford with his wife Gretchen and seven children.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

The Tournament Management Committee voted 13-0-1 in favor of expanding Division 4 to Central and Western Massachusetts starting in 2013. Currently Division 4 is limited to EMass. The vote also means that some EMass schools will be moved to CMass for the tournament, and some CMass schools will be placed in WMass, all in the interest of having the same number of schools in each sectional.

The EMass schools most likely to move would be those closest to CMass. Which schools will be moved will be posted on the MIAA website in late summer and those schools can appeal their placement.

"It's not an exact science but our goal is to be as equitable as possible for the kids," said Basketball Committee chair and Watertown athletic director Mike Lahiff. "It would be nice if everything was in groups of 16."

At the June 18 meeting the TMC will hear proposals to create a Division 4 for the soccer tournament and also hear expansion plans for lacrosse and wrestling.

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

The second item on Tuesday’s Boston Public Schools Committee meeting, after the traditional pledge of allegiance, was recognition of the middle school basketball championship teams.

The school committee recognized both the Rogers Middle School girls’ team and the Orchard Gardens boys’ team for their accomplishments in winning the Boston City Middle School championships.

Rev. Dr. Gregory G. Groover, chairperson, along with Superintendent Carol Johnson, presented the award to the girls’ squad, which defeated Edison 48-41 to win the title.

“We are thrilled to honor the boys’ and girls city champions,” said Groover.

He then presented the plaque to the members of the team in attendance along with assistant coach Lajuane Harvey.

“We extend our congratulations to you and with you continued good fortune,” said Johnson.

Harvey said his team was excited to be honored, but a little nervous, not knowing what to expect.

“It’s the school’s first championship and they had an undefeated season,” Harvey said. “They are very excited and we are proud of our girls. We had a bunch of eighth grade girls, and had good balance and good chemistry. It was a good season.”

Following the recognition of the girls’ team, Vice-Chairperson Michael O’Neill presented the Orchard Gardens boys’ squad with their plaque, “in recognition of winning the 2011-2012 Boston Public Schools middle school championship,” O’Neill said.

Orchard Gardens defeated Tobin 36-35 in overtime to take home the city title.

“It meant a lot of them, when the regular season ended it was school vacation, so it was nice to come get recognized,” Orchard Gardens coach Nate Proulx said. “They were really excited about it.”

The night was more than just a recognition of the two championship teams, but a recognition of the progress the Boston Public Schools has made in the area of athletics, specifically middle school athletics.

“[Middle school athletics] is everything, it’s the feeder system to high school,” said Proulx. “Middle school is the place where you can catch a kid who is off track a little bit.”

Following the presentation of the plaques to the two squads, Superintendent Johnson also took a moment to recognize Darlene Knight, who is in charge of middle school sports under BPS Athletic Director Ken Still.

“We’ve had a really great increase in student participation in the middle years,” Johnson said. “And I think it’s been more competitive.”

Johnson also noted the increase in female participation in sports, especially at the middle school level.

“It has been an important aspect in giving our children more physical health and education,” Johnson said, citing Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s support of the fight against childhood obesity.

Johnson credited the hard work of Knight, along with the coaches and administrators of the schools and Boston Public Schools’ relationship with the Boston Scholar Athlete program, for the increase in quality and participation of the athletic programs in the Boston public middle schools.

Starting Friday, 30 teams will compete in the Massachusetts 10th Grade State AAU Tournament, hosted by the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC). The pool and bracket portion of the tournament will run through Sunday, and games will be played at Boston’s Tobin Gym and Community Center, Vine Street Community Center and Orchard Garden Community Center.

Eight teams will compete for the Division 1 title while 22 teams vie for the Division 2 crown. The semifinalists in each division will advance to the Massachusetts State AAU “Final Four” to be held at UMass-Lowell, May 19-20.

For additional information on the event including game times, pools and directions, visit www.thebabc.com.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

USA TODAY and Highschoolsports.net announced Thursday the 2011-2012 All-USA boys’ high school basketball team, naming Everett native, Nerlens Noel, the Player of the Year.

Noel, who stands 6-foot-10-inches, averaged 12.6 points, 3.9 blocks and 7.9 rebounds per game for Tilton School (N.H.) this past season. He has committed to the University of Kentucky.

The center joins a list of former USA TODAY Player of the Year honorees, which includes Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Click here for a complete list of the ALL-USA team, including first, second, and third teams.

Nerlens Noel, shown in a screenshot here during his appearance on ESPNU, decided to attend the University of Kentucky Wednesday evening.

By Julian Benbow, Globe Staff

When all the speculation was over, Nerlens Noel’s decision was in his head the whole time.

The Everett product and the top high school player in the country announced Wednesday the he will sign with the national champion Kentucky Wildcats, ending a whirlwind stretch of college visits and an never-ending guessing game about where the 18-year-old phenom would end up.

He did it, though, by unveiling the Kentucky logo shaved into the back of his signature high-top fade.

In North Carolina for the Jordan Brand Classic, Noel announced the decision in a live signing day special on ESPNU.

The show had more than a hint of LeBron James’s 2010 decision. Noel went so far as to say he would “take my talents” to Lexington.

Noel, who originally transferred from Everett High School to the Tilton School in New Hampshire, shook up the 2012 recruiting class when he decided to reclassify, graduating from Tilton this spring rather than next.

His defensive skills have been compared to Bill Russell by coaches but a more modern-day comparison is Greg Oden, who dominated at Ohio State and was the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft.

Noel’s professional prospects are already a topic of discussion with many draft experts pegging him as a lottery pick in 2013.

For Kentucky, getting Noel to commit couldn’t be bigger. Under head coach John Calipari, the Wildcats have had three straight No. 1 recruiting classes, mastering the art of turning players who stay for just one season into powerhouse teams.

This past season, freshman center Anthony Davis racked up award after award (consensus first team All-American, national player of the year, and freshman of the year among them), leading Kentucky to its eight national championship.

Noel, considered to be superior to Davis defensively but behind offensively, will presumably slide into the role Davis left behind.

Former Charlestown High guard Akosa Maduegbunam signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for Penn State on Wednesday afternoon as his mother looked on. (Justin A. Rice / For the Boston Globe)

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Moments before former Charlestown guard Akosa Maduegbunam signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for Penn State on Wednesday afternoon in the Townie's gymnasium, Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso explained when Maduegbunam should place the crisp new Penn State hat on his head as carefully as a clergy member telling a groom how to place the ring on his bride’s finger.

“I know, I’ve seen it on TV, I’ve just never been a part of it,” Maduegbunam told his old coach, surrounded by family, friends, classmates, and media members.

After averaging 22.3 points per game as a junior for the Townies, Maduegbunam decided to complete his senior year at Winchendon School despite receiving an athletic scholarship to Boston University. He repeated his sophomore year at Charlestown after transferring from Cushing Academy halfway through the year but was eligible to graduate from Charlestown after his junior year.

“We’re very proud of his accomplishments at Charlestown High school and we’re very proud that he has become a young man right in front of our eyes,” Cardoso said during the press conference. “I’ve known Akosa for a couple years now and one thing I can say is he’s a hard working student athlete. He cares about school as much as he cares about basketball and that’s what gives him an option to go to such a great school like Penn State University.”

Maduegbunam said it took a village to get him to this point.

“I want to thank everybody, my little brother, my older sister, all my aunts and uncles and all the male role models I had in life with my father passing early,” he said. “I thank Charlestown High for letting me play my game and being the student athlete I’ve always dreamed of becoming.

“Early in my career I had doubts of ever becoming a Division 1 basketball player but along the way I’ve always had big brothers in my life to build my confidence up, to help me realize I could go after whatever I want. It’s been a long time coming and I still have a long way to go.”

Maduegbunam’s mother, Gina Maduegbunam, said, “I’m really very happy today for my son, I’m very proud of him, he worked hard to be here and I wanted to use this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported him along the way.”

Akosa was also accompanied by his mentor Marques Simpson and Charlestown Headmaster Margaret Bledsoe.

“We’re very proud of Akosa and we’re very proud of our sports program and we’re very proud of the way we use sports as a way to be successful academically and to learn to be more successful in life,” Bledsoe said. “We’re looking forward to more signings in the future and we’re very happy about this one.”

During the press conference Maduegbunam was asked what his top three choices for colleges were.

“Penn State, Penn State, Penn State,” he said with his new hat firmly placed on his head.

Justin A. Rice can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Former Charlestown guard Akosa Maduegbunam will sign his letter of intent to play basketball at Penn State 2 p.m. Wednesday at Charlestown High School.

After averaging 22.3 points per game as a junior for the Townies, Maduegbunam decided to complete his senior year at Winchendon School despite receiving an athletic scholarship to Boston University. He repeated his sophomore year at Charlestown after transferring from Cushing Academy halfway through the year but was eligible to graduate from Charlestown after his junior year.

"Charlestown is where I first got to display my talent, it’s basically where I got my confidence," Maduegbunam said about the signing being at Charlestown during a telephone interview on Monday afternoon.

Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso said Penn State asked to do the signing at Charlestown High, which Maduegbunam had no problem with.

"I'm the type of young man that family is everything," he said. "I'm blessed coach is back in my corner. He's great. He’s been to family events and I'm able to talk to him about anything."

Cardoso said Maduegbunam is proof that players can use the Boston City League to springboard into a Division 1 school. Cardoso also expects senior Rony Fernandes to earn a basketball scholarship.

"It also shows that they worked hard and are a prime example of a kid from the inner city that if they do what they have to do, you have an option in front of you," Cardoso said.

Even though he's not going to BU, Maduegbunam will still be playing for the Terriers' former coach, Pat Chambers, in Happy Valley. He said the fact that Chambers spent time in Boston will help ease his transition to a new school and environment.

"That makes everything so much easier," Maduegbunam said. "Coach Chambers, he's just the man. Having him there makes it a lot easier. If I'm home sick, we can probably talk about things.

"He has a lot of confidence in me and makes me confident."

Maduegbunam said he tries not to let the recent child sex abuse scandal in the Penn State football program distract him from his goals, but added that Chambers is the type of coach who can help heal the school's sports culture.

"I know that has nothing to do with the basketball program, people make jokes here and there but that’s not my focus," he said. "Everything else I have to minimize as just a distraction. I couldn't tell you more about it. All I know about Penn State is basketball and academics."

Between his mother subscribing to the Big 10 Network on Direct TV and watching ESPN3 online, Maduegbunam watched as much Penn State basketball as possible this winter. In addition to studying the Nittany Lions on TV, he said he also maintained a 3.0 grade point average at Winchendon and averaged 19 points per game.

On top of that, he said he also learned how to play within a system and to play team defense while at Winchendon.

"I took it as a job here in Winchendon," he said.

Penn State originally made him an offer last summer, according to Maduegbunam, but ended up not having a scholarship available in the Class of 2011 for him.

"Since I wasn't able to sign back in November I always thought April would never come," he said. "Now that the day is approaching I'm excited, I'm ready to get to work. It's just another step closer, just another checkpoint. I'm happy for the people who got to see me grow and for myself I just want to continue to grow and encourage others to push me anytime I seem misguided."

Maduegbunam said he'll always be willing to come back to talk to Charlestown High's teams to "let them know it is possible coming from the city of Boston. There are a lot of distractions and rough neighborhoods. But everything is possible if you put the time in."

Justin A. Rice can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Kaleb Tarczewski, Nerlens Noel, and Ricardo Ledo contributed to an 84-72 win for the East over the West in the second annual All-American Championship game in New Orleans Sunday.

Ledo, who attends South Kent School and is from Providence, R.I., scored 15 points on the night for the East.

Tarczewski, the 7-foot center from St. Mark's school, started alongside Ledo and scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds.

Noel, a 6-10 center from Everett who attends Tilton, scored six points and pulled down six rebounds in the win. After the game, he told reporters he would announce his college commitment April 11. He's narrowed his choices to Kentucky, Syracuse, and Georgetown.

The all-star game featured some of the top high school basketball players in the country.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The Boston Amateur Basketball Club will be hosting the George "Trigger" Burke Tipoff Friday through Sunday, featuring 43 teams with players ranging from the seventh to 12th grade in Boston.

"We feel that we have compiled some of the best local AAU and travel teams to take part in our Tip-off,” said Jay Demings, BABC’s Operations and Tournament Director in a release to the media. “For such an early season tournament we think this is going to be a highly competitive event because of the quality of teams and their coaches.”

The tournament, which will span six age divisions, is named after Burke, a former UMass star, 1956 All-American, and one-time Boston Celtic.

BABC's freshman, sophomore, and junior teams will play in the tournament.

The tournament will take place at the Tobin Gym, Kroc Center, Orchard Gardens, and Vine Street Community Center.

For the tournament's full schedule, including game times and location, visit the BABC's website: http://www.thebabc.com/BABC/Home.html.

By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent

The Boston Scholar Athlete Program announced the official girls and boys basketball rosters for the second annual Dr. Joseph D. Warren Memorial Boston City League Basketball All-Star Game.

The All-Star game, which will be held Saturday, March 31 at Northeastern University's Cabot Center, will feature 61 student-athletes from Boston Public Schools split by the North and South.

The girls' game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Saturday. Here is the rosters:

Girls North

Boston Latin Academy: Virginia McCaughney, Julia Rosario; Charlestown: Sara Centeio, Shannon Simpson; East Boston: Maria Delvecchio, Marta Chacon; Fenway: Tajanay Veiga Lee, Kayla Cox, Julissa Ross; Madison Park: Krystal Edwards, Khiyana Isaac, Amber Edward; Snowden: Jovanna Sandifer, Tania Ortiz; South Boston: Elaina Wright McCarthy, Daitannah Smith.

Girls South

Brighton: Amy Bernardez, Shantal Solomon; Dorchester: Shyla Fitzpatrick, Kymesha Kelley; English: Trayana Mair, Timilia Lattimore; O'Bryant: Araion Bradshaw, Raven Kelsey, Kiana Daley; Burke: Briana Hooks; New Mission: Tianna Johnson, Jazala Laracuente, Tiffany Williams; West Roxbury: Marissa Sarette, Makayla Williams.

The boys' game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Saturday. Here are the rosters:

Boys North

Boston Latin Academy: DeVaughn Riley; Charlestown: Tyrese Hoxter, Rony Fernandes, Omar Orriols; East Boston: Travon Moore, Kyle Jimenez Fox, Zack Gattereau; Kenny Ramos Fenway: Jonathon Roman; Madison Park: Rayshaw Matthews, David Stewart, Dakim Murray, O'Shea Joy; Snowden: Paul Maurice; South Boston: Alexander Brown.

Boys South

Brighton: Jerard Mayes, Decorsie James, Tre Downman, Malik James; Dorchester: Jedaun Langston; English: Kwame Townshend, Bryanne Toney; Community Academy of Science & Health: Josh Baptista, Anthony Ware; Burke: Charles Slayden; New Mission: Leroy Hamilton, Isshiah Coleman; West Roxbury: Sterling Brown, Freddie Oliveira; O'Bryant: Wesley Ogebeveon.

Boston Public high school student-athletes were chosen by their coaches.

The event is sponsored by Boston Scholar Athletes and the Boston Center for Youth and Families.

By Craig Larson, Globe Staff

After guiding the Scituate High girls’ basketball team to a 20-0 regular season and the program’s first Division 2 South title, Buckley has decided to step down as head coach after eight very rewarding seasons. He informed his players at the team’s breakup dinner Wednesday night.

“It’s so sad, our trip to the state semifinals, our first sectional championship, our first undefeated [regular] season, it was eight special years,” said Buckley, a longtime Quincy resident who has coached at the high school and college level for nearly four decades.

“But it’s nice to leave on top, with the success we had this season.” In January, he retired as the athletic director at Quincy College.

He departs Scituate with a 131-47 record (45-4 the last two seasons), four South Shore League titles, and 12 victories in the state tournament.

His last Sailor team (24-1 overall), led by senior forwards Shannon Brady and Megan Otto, along with junior point guard Kelly Martin, advanced to the state semifinals at TD Garden before falling to eventual state champion Reading, 71-64, in overtime. Even in defeat, Buckley proudly called it “the greatest game I ever been a part of.”

His own playing career ended at the old Garden, when his Archbishop Williams squad lost to a Catholic Memorial juggernaut featuring Fran Costello (Providence), Billy Raynor (Dartmouth) and freshman sixth man King Gaskins. “Kind of fitting,” he said, noting that both Reading and CM went undefeated.

He lauded the support the Sailors received from the "whole town" all season, noting the vocal crowd at the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, and also pointed out that with the return of three starters, including Martin, Scituate will contend again next season.

“I’ve never had a vacation longer than three days in the winter, now my wife and I can spend more time in Florida,” added Buckley, a head coach for 27 years, with stops at Quincy College, Curry College, BC High, Archbishop Williams (girls) and Scituate.

Worcester Academy junior Rene Castro has been named the Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Castro, a 6-foot-1 guard from Milton, averaged 23.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game this past season, as the Hilltoppers (15-11) advanced to the New England Prep School Athletic Council Class AA Tournament quarterfinals.

An accurate shooter, Castro shot 41.7 percent (43-for-103) from behind the arc and showed remarkable consistency, scoring 20 or more points in 16 games this season.

Castro is now automatically a finalist for the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award which will be announced in March. He started his career as a freshman at Milton High before transferring to Beaver Country Day, and then Worcester.

Click here to see the official release.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

In its inaugural year as part of the Massachusetts Charter School Athletic Association the KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate girls' basketball team made a great first impression on Sunday, winning the MCSAO tournament title, 53-51, over the Academy of the Pacific Rim.

Point guard Alex Huffman went 3-for-4 from the line in the final 30 seconds of play at UMass-Boston's Clark Athletic Center to help a Panther team composed entirely of freshman rally from 7 points down in the last five minutes for the win.

"I’ve coached this exact team for the past four seasons at the middle school," said KIPP coach Nat Jones. "Then we opened a high school this year and they all agreed to go, so I moved up with them."

Huffman, who finished with a game-high 23 points for the Panthers (15-2), earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors for her effort.

"I have not seen a player that I would trade for [Huffman] on any team," said Jones, whose team led 28-23 at the half. "For a ninth grade point guard, with a pass first mentality, that can score when we need her to, I’m just fortunate to have a player like her.

"She’s the undisputed leader of the team on the court and has never let me down once," Jones continued. "I can’t wait to see how awesome she can become."

Pleilerkay Gaye (9 points) and Serena High (8 points) also turned in strong performances for the Panthers, who defeated a top-seeded Pacific Rim team which featured 12 players older than anyone on KIPP's roster.

"We’re a team of freshman playing in a varsity league and to win this was pretty awesome," said Jones. "I’ve been practicing with these girls ever since they were in the middle school in a parking lot, we never had a gym, we've had to practice in the snow, so it’s pretty gratifying to actually come on a real court against seniors and win."

According to Jones, the KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate facilitates are currently under construction and he and his team should have their very own gym to play in by the start of next season.

Senior guard Meagan Badohu finished with 14 points to lead Pacific Rim (15-2), while freshman Jameela Olivo added 9 of her own.

The small one in the photo is Coach Jones's daughter, Serena, named after Panther's forward Serena High. She's also the team's No. 1 fan.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER -- Springfield Central took a 5-point lead entering the fourth quarter of the Division 1 state championship and turned it into a resounding, 67-46, win over Brockton at the DCU Center in Worcester on Saturday.

The Golden Eagles, who clinched their first state title since 1991, started the fourth on a 20-5 run, highlighted by two Cornelius Tyson 3-pointers that sucked the life out of Brockton, to hand the Boxers just their third loss all season.

“He had that look in his eyes,” said Springfield Central coach Michael LaBrie of his 6-foot-1 junior guard. “Tyrell [Springer], Chris [Prophet], and Lee [Turner], They all started looking Tyson because they knew he was on fire.”

Tyson finished with a team-high 16 points (and four 3-pointers), all of which came in the second half.

6-foot-2 senior point guard, Tyrell Springer also came alive in the second to score 9 of his 14 points for Central.

“I don’t like isolation stuff,” said LaBrie, “but [Springer’s] special. Once he gets it going I just stay out of the way. I just let him go and good things seem to happen.”

Central, who was badly outrebounded in the first half, erased a 7-point halftime deficit and rallied to put up 47 points in the final two quarters. The Golden Eagles also managed to hold Brockton’s leading scorer, Sayvonn Houston (9 points, 17 rebounds), scoreless in the second half.

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

Senior guard Nicole Boudreau put on a show as the Andover Golden Warriors have made it three in a row, defeating Holyoke 61-45 in Saturday night’s Division 1 state championship game at the DCU Center in Worcester.

“It means everything. If we didn’t (win), it would have been horrible,” Boudreau said. “The fact that we came out on top and we three-peated and I’m out of here with the three-peat, there’s really nothing better.”

Andover (27-0) is the second team in Massachusetts to win three consecutive state championships, including Haverhill.

“I’m just so proud. Three in a row and the icing on the cake is going undefeated,” said Andover coach James Tildsley. “I’m at a loss for words because I’m just so happy for these kids. Nicole is just an incredible, incredible player. The things she does out there that people don’t see, she just knows the game. “

The Boston College bound Boudreau finished with a game-high 31 points. In her four seasons, Boudreau led Andover to a 97-9 record. A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, Boudreau finishes as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,200 career points.

“I’m honored to have worn an Andover uniform and hopefully represented pretty well,” Boudreau said. “I just came in as a freshman just trying to get better as a basketball player and a person. I could have never predicted this could have happened. What better way to end it?”

Boudreau opened the game with a quick three-pointer from Boudreau and the Golden Warriors held Holyoke scoreless until 5:53 in the first when junior forward Nyomi Walker netted a fast-break layup. The Purple Knights played basket to basket with Andover, using their speed to run past the Golden Warriors' full-court press. Andover led 15-14 after eight minutes.

Holyoke put their best defender, Selena Yates, on Boudreau. She played tight defense in the first half, limiting Boudreau to 11 points.

“She’s a great defender, we all knew they were going to try to pressure me and make me do things I didn’t want to do,” Boudreau said. “She made it really tough on me.”

The Golden Warriors opened the second frame on a 6-0 run, but quickly gave four points back to Holyoke. The Purple Knights got a basket from senior guard Monique Heard and a steal and layup from Yates to cut Andover’s lead to two. Holyoke tied the game 23-23 with 3:14 left in the half off an old-fashioned three-point play from junior guard Kirsy Segarra. The Purple Knights took their first lead of the game with 45 seconds left in the second on a three pointer from Segarra. They took the 27-25 lead into the half.

“We came in at half time and said 'listen, 16 minutes left, how much do you want it,’ ” Tildsley said.

Neither team managed a point in the opening minutes of the second half until Boudreau netted two from the line with 4:36 left in the third. It was the fourth foul on Yates and took her out of the game for the remainder of the quarter. Holyoke got one back with a free throw of their own, but Andover regained the lead with another Boudreau charity point and a layup from Jackie Alois.

Defensively, Andover found their groove in the second half, as they limited Holyoke to three points in the third quarter. Without Yates on the floor, Boudreau was able to take control offensively, scoring eight points in the quarter, including a big three with just over a minute left to give Andover an eight-point lead. The Golden Warriors opened up a 41-30 lead after three quarters.

“We said, ‘hey, we have to get back on defense’ and we did that in the second half,” Tildsley said. “We just played so tough defensively, especially in the third quarter and that was the whole difference.”

Once Andover found their rhythm, there was no slowing them down. The Golden Warriors scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, including 12 from Boudreau.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER -- Phil DiPhillo came up with a critical block and a game-clinching free throw in the final seconds to wrap up Mahar’s first ever Division 2 state title on Saturday, as the Senators defeated Brighton, 45-41, at the DCU Center in Worcester.

“[DiPhillo’s] a gamer,” said Mahar coach Chad Softic of his 5-foot-10 shooting guard. “He’s a four-year starter. He broke his hand late in the season and we didn’t know whether we’d get him back, or what condition he’d be in. Luckily, we did. I just knew he could make the game-winning plays in crunch time because he’s done it for us for four years and he did it again today.”

Mahar’s defense was the difference in the game, as the Senators held the Bengals (21-4) – who scored just 3 points in the first quarter – 27 points below their season average.

Mahar's help defense did a solid job of stepping up and prevented Brighton point guard Malik James (10 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists) from getting into the paint where he could create shots for himself and teammates all game.

“We were going to make James show us that he could shoot,” said Softic, whose team led 23-14 at the half. “If they were going to beat us, they were going to have to knock down some shots. We just said, collapse, take charges, and make sure we get on the defensive glass.”

DiPhillipo (12 points, four rebounds) and fellow senior guard Jesse LaCroix (16 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) led the Senators (22-3) on offense, while senior forward Travon Godette chipped in with 8 points and five rebounds.

Mahar entered the fourth quarter up by 2, but quickly watched its lead disappear, when James found a cutting Jerard Mayes (8 points) for an alley-oop to tie the game at 33.

However, the Senators remained composed, scoring the game’s next six points to go up 39-33 with five minutes to play.

The Senator lead remained at 6 until the 2:02 mark, when Mayes put back an offensive rebound to give Brighton just its third and fourth points of the quarter. The teams then traded baskets before Theo Oribharbor knocked down a 3-pointer to bring the Bengals within three, 43-40, with one minute to play.

After the two teams traded free throws, the Bengals took the ball out down 3 with 11 seconds to play and that's where DiPhillipo came up with the defensive play of the game, blocking a potential game-tying 3-pointer and corralling the rebound.

“I just knew that they had to shoot a 3 because there wasn’t a lot of time left,” DiPhillipo said. “I was just trying to get to whoever had the ball and hopefully block it. And I did.”

DiPhillipo, who was immediately fouled, confidently hit his first free throw to make it a two-possession game and force the Bengals to wait at least one more year for their first-ever state title.

“It’s incredible,” DiPhillipo continued. “I was excited just to win Western Mass, winning states is just ridiculous.”

“You have to take your hats off to Mahar,” said Brighton coach Hugh Coleman. “They made some big plays. They made some big shots. I don’t know what you can do about that.”

“It’s been a beautiful season for us,” Coleman continued. “It has surpassed our expectations. We struggled at the very end of the regular season and entering the playoffs, then we clicked a little bit, so it’s been special. This is the first time our school has made it this far. That’s a great accomplishment. This is something we will learn from.”

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER -- Olivia Healy netted 16 points as Reading finished its season undefeated and claimed the school's first state championship with a 48-27 victory over Tyngsborough in the Division 2 final at the DCU Center in Worcester on Saturday.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Reading coach Kim Penney said. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster and it hasn’t set in yet. But very very happy.”

“It’s weird knowing it’s over, but we played until the very last day and that was our goal,” Healy said. “It means everything. We’re a family and to know that we got this far together, it’s unbelievable.”

Reading went on a 13-0 run in the third quarter to open up a 20-point lead and never looked back

“That was so important. We knew they were a great three-point shooting team so we couldn’t only be up by a few points, you have to convert,” Penney said. “When you get a steal you have to convert and we weren’t really doing that in the first half.”

The game started slow with turnovers and missed layups aplenty for both teams. Tyngsborough opened the scoring with a layup from junior guard Amanda Hogan (7 points). Reading didn’t get its first point until the 5:51 mark of the first when Healy made one of two free throws. Reading took the lead on a Melissa DalPozzo (13 points) basket from underneath. The Rockets led 10-9 after eight minutes of action.

“We were a little nervous in the beginning, we needed to get a feel for the game,” DalPozzo said. “They came up with a good defense that we had to adjust to, but once we kind of got into our groove we just took it and ran.”

The Rockets stepped up their offense in the second frame, netting 11 points, led by four from DalPozzo. The Tigers racked up the fouls early, but Reading shot just 2 of 6 from the line in the opening half. But with the strength of DalPozzo and Healy in the frontcourt, Reading controlled the boards, allowing them to get second-chance points and limit the Tigers’ offensive opportunities.

“Our aggressive rebounding over the course of the entire season has really benefited us in big games and big times,” Penney said.

Tyngsborough was held to just one basket in the second, a three-pointer off the fingertips of senior forward Helena Hamilton (12 points) midway through the period. The Rockets took a nine-point lead, 21-12 into the half.

“We’ve come out really slow for the past couple of games and we were like ‘let’s go in and get it done’ and that relentlessness built us up for the second half,” Healy said.

The Tigers recorded the first basket of the second half with a jumper from junior forward Lauren Iadarola. The Rockets then went on a 13-0 run that lasted seven minutes. Tyngsborough’s Hogan netted a three from the baseline to end that run with thirty-second left in the third. The Rocket’s held a 37-17 lead after three.

Tyngsborough had their best offensive quarter in the fourth, netting ten points. But Reading’s 20-point advantage was too much to overcome and the Rockets went on to win.

“This is the best feeling ever,” DalPozzo said. “This was it, this was the big thing and we did it.”

By Ryan MacInnis, Globe Correspondent

It was Danvers's first state championship.

“I can’t even explain it because words wouldn’t do it any justice,” said Danvers coach John Walsh. “All year we thought we had the ability to get to this point, but we didn’t know what was going to happen and a lot of things fortunately went our way. I can’t describe it.”

The 6-foot-7 Merry, a senior team captain, dropped seven points and blocked three shots in the first quarter as Danvers took a 13-9 lead. St. Joseph battled back to lead by one at the half, 25-24, thanks to a strong second quarter by junior guard Mike Carpenter, who came off the bench to score seven points.

St. Joseph's Mike McMahon, who is 6-5, held Merry scoreless in the second quarter.

“In a way, I was really able to do a couple of moves on them, but then they really figured out how to defend me and really played lockdown defense,” said Merry, who finished with 11 points and 6 blocks. “So I tried to do everything I could to secure the ball, and find places to score, but they played really well and I couldn’t get a shot off without someone being all over me.”

St. Joseph Cathedral put Danvers in a six-point hole with less than two minutes to play in the third, but Danvers had been in similar situations all season. Three free throws by junior guard Nick McKenna (18 points, 15 in the second half) sparked a 7-0 run to help Danvers take a 38-37 lead after three.

McKenna, who was sidelined by a shoulder injury earlier this season, scored 10 of Danvers's 21 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory.

“Nick missed last year because of knee surgery and this year a little because of the shoulder, but everyone is only seeing him come to his peak,” said Walsh.

“At the half, coach told us that is was on the Nicks (Bates, McKenna) to generate the offense,” said McKenna. “Once you get a couple going in a big game like this, it starts to flow. It's such an amazing feeling right now.”

Danvers (21-4) recorded its first 20-plus win season in program history.

“I’m so proud of the kids,” said Walsh. “They persevered all year, had a target on their backs from day one, put in the work, and I’m so happy for the kids that they can now go out and celebrate.”

By Andrew MacDougall, Globe Correspondent

But with his youngest daughter, Kelsie, now a freshman on the team, McNamara can cross that family milestone off his list.

Kelsie scored 14 points and senior forward Sarah Higgins scored 22 points as Pentucket took home the Division 3 girls’ state championship with a 55-32 victory over Sabis International Charter School Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

“It’s special having your daughter out there,” McNamara said. “I love all the girls, but when your daughter's out there, there’s a bond. Sometimes we butt heads, but it’s special.

“This is nice because this is a group that’s worked their tail off to get here.”

This visit to Worcester was Pentucket’s first since 2010, when it entered the title game 26-0 before falling to Lee, 56-42.

“I know he was really disappointed when they didn’t win [against Lee],” said Kelsie. “I really wanted to help him to have him say he won the state championship.”

Pentucket (23-4) then went on a 13-5 run, led by Alex Moore with four points, before Shyanne Wellington hit a three from the top left of the key for Sabis. McNamara answered with a three of her own, her second of the quarter.

After a series of back-and-forth layups, Pentucket’s defense tightened up and kept Sabis scoreless for the final 2:35 of the half. Pentucket led 29-17 at halftime.

“We really didn’t want their three scorers [Jazmine Collins, Wellington, and Janaiya Sanchez] driving, creating contact, and getting to the foul line and making layups,” said coach McNamara. “We tried to contain that and make sure we always had someone in the gap helping out defensively.”

Pentucket found the lane to the hoop throughout the second half, and its aggressive inside game put Sabis in foul trouble. Seventeen of Pentucket’s 26 points in the second half came from the free throw line.

Pentucket held Sabis, a team that averaged 56 points, to nine points or fewer in each quarter.

“We like to get after the ball full court. We wanted to throw two girls on [Collins] and see if we could get her to give the ball up, make her have to beat us. Overall we did a good job, I think in the second half she beat us a bit, but she’s a tough player," coach McNamara said.

Higgins scored 14 of her 22 points on free throws, including 10 in the second half. She was 14 of 16 from the line.

“Ever since freshman year, I would always stay after practice and shoot free throws. I would have to make two swishes before I left, and that just paid off in the long run,” Higgins said.

Collins, a junior guard, and Wellington, a junior forward paced Sabis with 10 points each.

Chat with the Boston Globe as we cover the state basketball championships at the DCU Center all day Saturday. We'll fire the chat up at 10:45 a.m. for the first game of the day.

On Saturday, Worcester's DCU Center will once again play host to all six boys and girls state basketball championship games. Here's the full schedule:

- 10:45 a.m. Div. 3 girls: Pentucket vs. Sabis Charter
- 12:30 p.m. Div. 3 boys: Danvers vs. St. Joseph Central
- 2:15 p.m. Div. 2 girls: Reading vs. Tyngsboro
- 4 p.m. Div. 2 boys: Brighton vs. Mahar
- 5:45 p.m. Div. 1 girls: Andover vs. Holyoke
- 7:30 p.m. Div. 1 boys: Brockton vs. Springfield Central

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The girls state basketball championship matchups are settled after Wednesday's games between Western and Central Massachusetts teams.

In Division 1, Andover will face Holyoke after Holyoke defeated Wachusett 45-43 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. Monique Heard led Holyoke with 25 points.

Reading will take on Tyngsboro in the Division 2 state title after Tyngsboro beat Palmer 50-35.

And in Division 3, Pentucket will play Sabis Charter after Sabis Charter beat Sutton 54-29.

The girls state championships will be Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Saturday's girls basketball state championships:

- 10:45 a.m. Div. 3: Pentucket vs. Sabis Charter
- 2:15 p.m. Div. 2: Reading vs. Tyngsboro
- 5:45 p.m. Div. 1: Andover vs. Holyoke

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Springfield Central beat St. John's of Shrewsbury 52-47 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield in the Division 1 matchup. Tyrell Springer led Central with 16 points.

Mahar will take on Brighton in the Division 2 state championship after beating St. Bernard's Tuesday night 58-36. Mahar's Travon Godette led all scorers with 20 points.

St. Joseph Central beat Whitinsville Christian 61-59 in the Division 3 matchup. Joseph Wiggins led Central with 17 points. They'll face Danvers.

The state finals will be held on Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

- Div. 1: Brockton vs. Springfield Central
- Div. 2: Brighton vs. Mahar
- Div. 3: Danvers vs. St. Joseph Central

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

“It’s good to win here at the Garden and we just have Saturday to see what we can do,” Andover coach Jim Tildsley said. “I’m very excited, very happy for my kids.”

Andover (26-0) went on an 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to take a nine-point lead. Sophomore forward Rebecca Alois began the run with a layup under the basket before senior guard Nicole Boudreau (22 points) took over, netting two three-pointers and two free throws to push the score to 47-36.

“My teammates trust me to step up in those situations,” Boudreau said. “Rebecca helped me out there with a couple of layups and it’s a total team effort.”

Braintree got within six with just over three minutes left, but Andover’s defense was too much down the stretch.

Braintree (22-3) opened a 6-0 lead to start the game. Andover didn’t get on the board until Boudreau hit two free throws at the 3:46 mark of the first quarter. Braintree's fast-paced offense stumped Andover, and Braintree led 13-7 after the first quarter.

“We weren’t playing good defense,” Boudreau said.

Andover climbed back in the second quarter. Senior guard Ally Fazio netted a layup and then a three to give Andover an 18-17 lead midway through the quarter. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the half, and Braintree led, 25-23, at halftime.

Andover increased its defensive pressure in the third quarter and held Braintree to 14 points in the second half. Junior forward Jackie Alois hit a jumper from the baseline to tie the game for Andover with 6:23 left in the third, but Braintree’s Molly Reagan got it right back with a layup of her own at the other end.

“I just thought the second half, defensively, we just played really, really well,” Tildsley said. “We’re talented, but we have a lot of heart out there.”

Andover took its first two-point lead of the game when junior guard Devon Caveney netted a layup and was fouled with 59.8 second left in the third quarter. She hit the free throw and Andover led 31-29.

“Devon struggled in that first quarter, but she played a heck of a second half,” Tildsley said. “And what can you say about those two Alois girls? We just did a really great job rebounding.”

Andover began the fourth on a 4-0 run with baskets from sophomore guard Rebecca Alois from a nifty pass from Boudreau and Caveney. Braintree answered with a basket from Reagan with just over six minutes to play and Andover led 37-36. That was as close as Braintree got, because Andover used an 8-0 run to seal the victory.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

After a Shannon Brady (28 points, 17 rebounds) layup with two seconds remaining in regulation for Scituate tied the game at 59 apiece, the Rockets started the overtime period on an 8-3 run, highlighted by 6 points (all from the line) from O’Brien, and never looked back, handing the Lady Sailors (24-1) their first loss of the season.

“We wanted [O’Brien] at the line and she wanted to be at the line,’’ said Reading coach Kim Penney. “She’s been steady for us all year. And today she did great when it counted the most.’’

The Rockets (24-0) will now play the winner of Wednesday’s game between Tyngsboro and Palmer at the DCU Center in Worcester on Saturday for the state title.

“Hats off to [Scituate] and their coach,’’ said Penney. “They’re a great team. We’re just very happy that at this point in the season we are playing a team that’s that good. This is what makes it so exciting. You don’t want to be here against someone that’s not going to challenge you. They more than challenged us, we had to play our very best basketball to beat them and that’s the best.’’

With 6:34 to play in the fourth and the Rockets trailing by 6, Olivia Healy (22 points, 10 rebounds, 7 steals) picked up her fourth foul, but Penney chose to keep her emotional leader on the floor. The move paid off, as the junior netted Reading’s next 5 points to bring it to within 51-49 with 3:49 to play.

Healy continued to dazzle, finding an open Katie Clements (6 points) for a 3-pointer to give the Rockets their first lead of the game, 52-51, with two minutes to play.

“I knew I just couldn’t foul out,’’ said Healy. “I was like, ‘Coach do anything but put me on the ball.’ ’’

With 20 seconds to play Reading had the ball up 1, 58-57. O’Brien took the inbounds pass and was immediately fouled. She went to the line and hit her first free throw, just after the referee’s whistle sounded to alert the players that a Scituate girl had fouled out.

The whistle negated O’Brien’s free throw, however, she hit her next attempt to put the Rockets up 2. Her second back-rimmed and the Sailors found Brady to send the game into overtime.

The Lady Sailors connected on their first five shots of the game, finishing the frame with a 16-14 lead.

Scituate started the second quarter on an 11-3 run, highlighted by senior forward Megan Otto (10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), who was personally responsible for 5 of the 11 points. Her free throw with 3:30 to play before the half put the Lady Sailors up, , 27-17.

Reading started the third quarter off hot, as O’Brien and Healy both connected on 3-pointers and Melissa Liaboe scored 3 points the old-fashioned way to give the Rockets a quick 9 points.

However, an Otto 3-pointer gave Scituate a 7-point edge with 3:45 to play. Undeterred, the Rockets, led by O’Brien (12 points in the quarter), continued to grind away and entered the fourth trailing, 46-40.

“The first half we were doing a couple of things that we don’t normally do because we’d never seen a Shannon Brady, so we had to adjust,’’ said Penney.

“We’re finally proving to people that we’re here,’’ said Healy. “Reading’s here to stay and we’re going all the way.’’

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

Pentucket will play in the state title game Saturday in Worcester for the second time in three years.

“I think it’s pretty special,” Pentucket coach John McNamara said. “Going down to Worcester is different than playing (at TD Garden). You have to get ready for that.”

Fairhaven (22-3) pushed the ball upcourt at the start and netted easy layups. Junior guard Ashley Brown scored seven of Fairhaven's 13 points in the opening eight minutes. Brown suffered a neck injury with 1:16 left in the first quarter after diving into the scorer's table trying to save a ball from going out of bounds. She left the arena on a stretcher. Pentucket (21-4) held a 14-13 lead after the first.

“You have to give credit to them, they lost one of their better players early in the game, but they hung tough and gave us a war,” McNamara said.

Fairhaven managed five points in the second quarter, all from Kara Charette (15 points), who netted a layup and three free throws. Pentucket’s second-quarter offense also came from one player, junior guard Nicole Viselli (13 points), who scored five points in the second and 11 in the half, including three 3-point baskets. Pentucket held a one-point lead, 19-18, at halftime.

“I think the nerves were part of it in the first half,” McNamara said. “It took us a little while, but I think we got going. They are a tough team, so it was partly to do with what they were doing on the defensive end.”

Pentucket made a defensive adjustment at halftime and double-covered Charette. Charette was held to six points in the second half.

“Our defense wasn’t as good as it usually is, but in the second half it got them to work,” McNamara said.

Pentucket opened a six-point lead in the third quarter thanks to senior forward Sarah Higgins (20 points), who scored nine points in the quarter. Higgins also defended Charette and held her to six points in the third. Fairhaven managed 10 points, but trailed 34-28 after three quarters.

“She took over,” McNamara said of Higgins. “Sarah is capable of doing that. It’s like she’s all over the court. If she gets the steal, if she gets half a step on somebody, she’s going to the rim.

“Our girls got the ball quickly to her," McNamara continued. "When they see Sarah in that zone, they get her the ball.”

Higgins opened the fourth quarter with a three-point play. She was fouled on a layup and knocked down the free throw to give Pentucket a nine-point lead. Fairhaven got within seven points with 3:45 remaining, but three big three-pointers from freshman guard Kelsie McNamara kept Pentucket ahead.

Pentucket will face Sutton or Sabis at the DCU Center in Worcester on Saturday.

By Ryan MacInnis, Globe Correspondent

Fenway won its first Division 4 state championship.

“Coach always told us that it’s all mental focus,” said 5-foot-4 guard Kayla Cox. “If we could stay focused and stay on our objective as a team, we’ll hold out at the end, and that’s what we did.”

Fenway (19-3) came out strong, leading Greater New Bedford 15-14 behind junior guard Tajanay Veiga’s eight-point first quarter.

Greater New Bedford (21-4) bounced back to a 26-22 halftime lead with a 12-2 run led by senior forward Stephanie Antoine, who scored six of the 12.

“We told them, look they’re here to win, too,” said first-year Fenway coach John Rice. “You can’t pout, you can’t cry because they want to win as well, so we needed to keep playing our game and keep fighting them, but at the same time keep smiling and having fun.”

Fenway tied the score at 37 behind Jalissa Ross’s eight points in the third quarter.

Greater New Bedford was led by Antoine -- the second tallest player in the game at 5-foot-10 . She finished with 16 points.

“We had one team score 50 points on us all season and [Antoine] gave us a lot of trouble,” Rice said. “We made some adjustments and only held her to two points in the second half, doubling down on her in the zone to try and take her out and it worked.”

Veiga scored eight points to start the game, but was scoreless until late in the second half. She finished with 13.

“I just told myself that my shots weren’t always dropping so I’m going to get my teammates involved because without my team, I’m nobody, so I gave them the ball and they made the baskets,” Veiga said.

Fenway outscored Greater New Bedford 21-12 in the second half, sparked by a 10-0 run led by Matthews and Cox.

“I really just wanted to win and it’s my last year so I just wanted to give my team the best effort as possible and Cadejia was huge for us,” Cox said. “My coach kept telling us it’s mental and as long as you stay controlled, we can hold it out to the end and we did”

Cox finished with 15 points and Matthews had 12.

“Fenway is a wonderful school and I’m just so blessed to coach this team,” Rice said. “The fans are just awesome and for a city school to have that kind of support is just awesome for me and the girls.”

Chat with the Boston Globe as we park ourselves at TD Garden for the girls basketball EMass championships and state semifinals. We'll have coverage of all four games, Divisions 4 to 1, right here through the evening.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Sayvonn Houston finished with 22 points for Brockton, none bigger than the two free throws he made with 15 seconds left in overtime, to put the Boxers up by three points over Charlestown in the Division 1 EMass championship at the TD Garden on Monday night.

Charlestown's Rony Fernandez followed with a missed 3-pointer and Brockton's William Baker chipped in two more free throws as the Boxers walked away, 67-64, winners.

“I love moments like that,” said Houston, who stands 6-foot-7. “I love the pressure, I like to feed off it. I told all my teammates, I’m going to make the free throws. I do it all the time in the heat of the moment when I know I’ve got to do it,I just go out and do it.”

Brockton’s Jamal Reuben (10 points), who only had six points in regulation, came up with two huge drives to set the tone in overtime and put the Boxers up 4.

“What worked [in overtime] was that we continued to be aggressive,” said Brockton coach Robert Boen. “Reuben got the ball and took it to the hoop strong a couple of times. He hadn’t done too much tonight, but at the end of the game he got in two very powerful moves to the basket."

With seven seconds left in regulation, Baker (6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals) drove the baseline and went up for the game-winner but was turned away by Charlestown's Tyrik Jackson (6 points) who blocked his fifth shot on the attempt to send the game to overtime.

“We’ve lost three years in a row in the tournament in overtime,” Boen said. “So when we got there again tonight, I have to admit it crossed my mind.”

The Townies led for most of the first quarter, but with 20 seconds to play Baker went coast-to-coast for the Boxers to tie the game at 19.

Brockton’s Jaylen Blakely (15 points) called his own number with 4:15 to play in the second quarter to put the Boxers up, 30-23. Blakely drove on Fernandez (10 points), then faked a pull up jumper – which got Fernandez off his feet – and ducked under for the lay in, to the delight of the crowd. After one half of play, Brockton led 34-30.

Brockton fell behind in the third but finished with a flurry, highlighted by the play of Drew Fiske. The senior shooting guard hit an NBA-range three, took a huge charge and then connected on a last-second three as time expired to tie the game at 44.

“Fiske’s a fantastic shooter,” Boen said. “We count on him to come in and hit a couple of threes like that. The charge was just the perfect play. He got himself back, we were in trouble, they had numbers going to the basket, but he just stood there and [Tyrese Hoxter] ran over him.”

Hoxter came out aggressive in the fourth, scoring Charlestown's first 11 points, but the Boxers, who finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds, fought their way back to tie the game at 57. Neither team would score again in regulation.

Hoxter and Houston (14 rebounds) finished tied for the game-high in scoring with 22 points apiece.

The Boxers will now play for the Division 1 State title on Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester against the winner of Tuesday’s St. John’s (Shrewsbury) and Central matchup.

“We’re feeling really good right now,” Houston said. “We have a big game Saturday, we're not satisfied yet, we wanted to win at the Garden, but right now we're going to get right back to focusing on the next game."

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

The Brighton Tigers held Stoughton to 4 of 20 shooting in the second half and got 11 points from sophomore guard Malik James to lead them past the Black Knights, 53-42, for the Division 2 EMass title Monday night at TD Garden.

“It feels good in the moment,” said Brighton coach Hugh Coleman. “In this moment, for this game it feels great.”

Stoughton came out shooting in the opening minutes of the game, netting a quick three and another layup before Brighton managed a basket. Sophomore guard Malik James kept the Bengals in the game with his team’s first four points. Brighton handed the Black Knight’s four first-quarter points with fouls under the basket. Stoughton went 4 for 4 from the line in the opening eight minutes, including capitalizing on two three-point plays, giving them the 16-13 lead after the first.

“It was kind of difficult because during crunch time we weren’t playing to the best of our ability. We had to get everyone together, get them focused,” James said. “As soon as we started playing like a family again we just put them away.

The two squads traded baskets to open the second quarter before Brighton’s Daivon Edwards tied the game with a long trey with 2:15 remaining in the half. The Bengals took the lead for the first time in the game with a basket from Prince Unaegbu with just seconds remaining in the half but Stoughton's Antonia Ferreira raced the ball up the court to cap the half with a monster dunk and 26-26 tie.

The Bengals stepped up their defensive pressure in the second half, limiting Stoughton to six third quarter points. Brighton played a box-and-one defensively, with James going one-on-one with Stoughton’s best player, 6-foot guard Aaron Calixte. Calixte managed to net 17 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Brighton.

“I told my coach, ‘we go box and one on him.’ I’ll step up and take the responsibility so we can put them away early,” James said. “I played good defense on him, got a few steals and helped my team. I think that’s what helped us get this victory tonight.”

Transition offense accounted for six of Brighton’s nine points in the third. Edwards again hit a big three to give the Bengals the 33-32 lead with 1:07 remaining in the quarter. Theo Oribharbor put Brighton up 35-32 with a steal and a layup in the offensive end, to give the Bengals the lead after three.

Brighton kept Stoughton from netting any points for the first four minutes of the third quarter. The Black Knights' Mauro Oliveira bucked that trend with a 3-pointer to narrow Brighton’s lead to six, 45-39, with 3:59 left in the game. But once again it was Edwards with the big three for Brighton. He hit his third trey of the game with 1:15 remaining to open up a nine-point lead for the Bengals and essentially seal the game.

“Daivon is a really really good shooter,” Coleman said. “There have been stretches where he has just come out and hit big shots and he’s more than capable of doing it.”

Brighton will move on to the Division 2 state championship on Saturday night at the DCU Center in Worchester. They’ll face the winner of Wednesday night’s game between St. Bernard’s and Mahar.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Danvers' inside-outside combo of Eric Martin (5 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists) and George Merry (22 points, 8 rebounds) down low proved too much for Wareham Monday afternoon as the Falcons (20-4) ended the Vikings (24-1) perfect season and took home the Division 3 EMass championship, 68-45, at TD Garden.

The Vikings, who trailed, 30-22, at the half, started the third on a 10-0 run, capped off by a Darien Fernandez (19 points, 9 rebounds) drive, to a take a 2-point lead with 6:30 to play in the quarter.

However, the Falcons knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers, on their way to to scoring 24 of the game’s next 28 points.

At the end of the third quarter, the Falcons had amassed a commanding 18-point lead, and were saluted with chants of “one more quarter” by Danver’s faithful fans.

“We got punched in the mouth a few times,” said Danvers coach John Walsh, “but we punched back, you know. That’s a great team, Wareham, they’re tough kids, we’re tough kids. I was happy the way we played, we didn’t back down from anybody.”

“I just felt the energy drain [after Danver’s connected on those threes],” said Wareham coach Kevin Bregoli. “Even though we played hard the rest of the way. I thought that was the difference in the game.”

The Falcons were able to cruise through the fourth, outscoring the Vikings, 14-9, as both teams pulled their seniors to standing ovations with a minute to play in the game.

With the win, Danvers advances to take on the winner of today’s game between Whitinsville Christian and St. Joseph’s for the Division 3 state title at the DCU Center in Worcester on Saturday.

If the Falcons were nervous to take on the only undefeated team left in Eastern Massachusetts, it didn’t show as Merry, who stands 6-foot-7, hit four of his first five shots to help Danvers take a 21-9 lead after the first quarter.

The Falcon’s defense, which has held opponents to just 45.4 points a game this season, frustrated Fernandez and the normally high-flying Vikings. Wareham, which averages 70 points a game, finished 25 short of their usual mark on Monday.

“We knew they like to shoot the three ball,” Walsh said. “So we knew if we could limit that, that they probably couldn’t make enough two’s to get up into the 70’s where they like to play. We knew if we held this game into the 40’s-50’s range that we were going to be in good shape and give ourselves a real chance to win.”

Nick Bates (17 points, six rebounds) and Nick McKenna (12 points, five rebounds) also turned in strong performances for the Falcons.

“This is probably one of the greatest achievements of my life,” said a tired, but excited looking Merry. “Ever since freshman year, I knew we were going to be a good team, but I didn’t know we were going to be able to take it this far.”

“We’re just going to work hard all week,” Merry continued, “carry over what we’ve been doing and try to take the energy from today’s game on over to the next one.

By Andrew MacDougall, Globe Correspondent

After winning back-to-back state titles in 2001 and 2002, it took St. Mary’s of Lynn a decade to get back to the Division 4 state championship. They weren’t going to let the bright lights of TD Garden stop them from their ultimate goal.

Senior guard Devin Thompson scored 25 points and junior Tommy Deveau had nine points off the bench as St. Mary’s of Lynn clinched the Division 4 state title with a 70-64 victory over Cathedral Monday afternoon.

“If you don’t have butterflies coming into a state championship game, you probably shouldn’t be playing basketball,” said Spartan forward Nick Gagliolo. “I was really nervous coming in, but once the ball went up, everything just settled in.”

Their opponent, Cathedral, came in with a squad full of kids who were on the roster form their 2010 state final loss to New Mission.

The Spartans and Panthers had faced off twice before during league play for the Catholic Central Large. The Spartans took the first meeting of the season, 62-52, at their home gym in Lynn. Their second meeting on Feb. 17 went to Cathedral, 74-61.

“There were no surprises,” Gagliolo said. “Obviously we played them twice. They were battles both games. It was great that we came out successful this time.”

Randolf Thurman did not play the second game for the Spartans, but made all the difference in this one, scoring 14 points while playing all 32 minutes.

“From my perspective, he’s the best guard around,” said Moran of his junior point guard. “I say that because he can do it all. He had assists, points, steals, and rebounds. He’s just the guy that makes us go.”

The Panthers got off to a quick start, taking a 10-5 lead midway through the second on a Kyle Lawyer hoop and harm play. Deveau then made a layup and hit a three on consecutive possessions to tie the game.

Lawyer, who had a game-high 26, answered with a lay up and three of his own, only to be matched by Thompson, who hit his own three-pointer and nailed a turnaround jumper to tie the game at 15 with 50 seconds left in the first. A Thurman layup with 15 seconds left in the quarter game the Spartans a 17-15 lead, one that they wouldn’t relinquish.

Including the Thompson jumper and Thurman layup, the Spartans would go on a 12-3 run through the middle of the second period. The Spartans held Cathedral to only eight points in the second quarter, and went into the locker room with a 32-23 lead.

“On that run, our focus was that we had to stop them on transition and we had to box everyone out,” Thurman said. “We also had to run through our plays and keep our composure.

“We were setting picks for each other. We got on each other saying we have to set all of our picks, have them hard, and wait for them so we don’t have an offensive foul. I think that how we freed our guys up and how we moved the ball around set us up for all the points we got.”

Cathedral’s Carlos Bermudez fouled out early in the fourth quarter, which seemed to spark the Panther offense. The Panthers went on a 12-2 run to pull within four at 62-58 with 2:18 to play, but foul trouble for Cathedral put the Spartans at the line, all but sealing the victory for the Spartans.

“Words can’t describe how I feel right now,” Gagliolo said. “They really can’t.”

Chat with the Boston Globe during the MIAA's boys basketball state semifinals at TD Garden. We'll have all the updates from the games right here.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Today kicks off the first of two days at TD Garden where boys and girls basketball players will be vying for a spot in the state championships Saturday.

Here's the schedule for the games being played from the Eastern Mass. half of the bracket.

MONDAY (March 12)

Boys state semifinals
- 2:30 p.m. Division 4: Cathedral vs. St. Mary's
- 4:15 p.m. Division 3: Danvers vs. Wareham
- 6 p.m. Division 2: Brighton vs. Stoughton
- 7:45 p.m. Division 1: Charlestown vs. Brockton

TUESDAY (March 13)

Girls state semifinals
- 2:30 p.m. Division 4: Fenway vs. Greater New Bedford
- 4:15 p.m. Division 3 : Pentucket vs. Fairhaven
- 6 p.m. Division 2: Reading vs. Scituate
- 7:45 p.m. Division 1: Andover vs. Braintree

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

LOWELL -- Last year, Brighton guard Malik James left the Division 2 North sectional title game in tears after falling to eventual state champion New Mission.

On Saturday night, he nearly did the same, albeit for different reasons.

Brighton (20-3) went on an 11-2 run to open the section title game at the Tsongas Center and never trailed at any point, leading by as many as 14, en route to a 66-59 victory over fifth-seed Wakefield.

“Going into this game I was very nervous," said James, who led all scorers with 19 points. “As soon as I walked into the arena, I remember the moment that I cried, we were in the locker room ... I went home and it was all on my mind, and knowing that we came out with a victory I want to cry again, but tears of joy this time.”

After faltering last year on the same stage, the Bengals enter the state tournament for the first time in school history. They'll play Stoughton in the Division 2 Eastern Mass title game.

“It feels good,” Brighton coach Hugh Coleman said. “We know that there’s two more games to go, and we’d like to come out on the upside of those games as well, so for this moment it feels really good.”

Brighton’s quick start was helpful, but Coleman also had his team well prepared for any problems along the way, of which there were plenty despite leading by double digits for nearly the entire 32 minutes.

“I said [to the guys] 'listen, some things are not going to go our way, but we just got to continue to play through it,' " Coleman said. "We know that were capable to come out on the other side of those [types] of games."

Bengals shooters had trouble finding a rhythm early on, particularly from beyond the arc. Poor shooting and untimely turnovers allowed the Warriors (17-7) to hang on just enough to avoid a blowout.

Despite missing their best rebounder, 6-foot-5 center Tre Dowan, who was out with a broken finger, Brighton outworked Wakefield on the Warriors’ offensive glass throughout the first half, taking away any second chance opportunities Wakefield could have had. Brighton led, 36-22, at halftime.

“Last year really showed us when our guards are rebounding we have a great advantage,” Coleman said. “So we tried to emphasize that all year. I felt when we played Melrose, our guards didn’t do a great job rebounding .. so I made a big deal, guards have to rebound.”

Wakefield was able to cut the deficit to seven points with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Leading 63-56, James missed what could have been four critical free throws if Wakefield had been able to convert on their end of the court. But twice the Warriors came up with the ball after missed shots and twice they were unable to cut into the Bengals’ lead.

“They were the better team, for us, it was they were better than we were,” Wakefield coach Brad Simpson said. “[Malik] got them off to a great start and then they just kept control of the game. They were just better than us.”

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

With the win Stoughton advances to play Brighton for the Eastern Mass title on Monday at the TD Garden. The trip to the Garden is the first for the boys in the school's history.

The win was extra sweet for Stoughton because it avenged a loss to the Hillers in the quarterfinals last season.

“It was a great basketball game,” said Stoughton coach John Gallivan. “Two really good teams and you knew no one was going to quit. They’re not a team that you dislike, they’re just a solid team and we just wanted another chance to play against them and we’re glad got it.”

The game pitted two of the top guards in Eastern Massachusetts against each other, in Calixte and Hopkinton’s Barrett Hanlon, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tri-Valley League this season.

Neither disappointed as Hanlon filled the stat book with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Both guards drew the opposing team’s best defender, with Hank Rudden (6 points) charged with tailing Calixte, who reached the 1,000-point mark as a junior this season for the Black Knights, and Marcus Middleton (9 points) on Hanlon.

“Marcus is a defensive animal and he’s been that guy for us every night this year,” said Gallivan, whose team led 29-21 at the half. “Whoever that guy is, he’s going to play him and he’s going to give him everything he’s got. I thought he was awesome tonight.”

Senior center, Antonio Ferreira was huge down low for Stoughton, scoring 16 points and hauling in 15 rebounds.

The Hiller’s Jason Dlugolecki led all scorers with 22 points. Dlugolecki was a consistent scoring threat, netting at least five points in each quarter.

Stoughton led most of the game, but allowed the Hillers to stick around and with 5:40 to play in the fourth quarter, it almost caught up to them as a Dlugolecki layup gave Hopkinton its first lead of the game, 43-42.

But Calixte responded with a pull up 3-pointer to give Stoughton back the lead for good.

“[Calixte] was very emotional in the huddle all game,” Gallivan said. “He wanted this one really badly, not that the other guys on the team didn’t, but he went out there and got it.”

By Emily Wright, Globe Correspondent

The No. 4 Sailors take on No. 2 Reading at the TD Garden on Tuesday.

Scituate (24-0) faltered in the first quarter, trailing 15-10 at the buzzer, but coach Brian Buckley knew they had it in them to make a comeback later in the game.

“I thought [Natick] dominated in the first quarter with their physical toughness inside,” Buckley said. “They got all the loose balls.”

Natick senior guard Lexi Gifford (28 points) took advantage of the scoring opportunities, shooting 3 for 4 from deep in the first quarter alone. She added another trey in the second quarter and finished with 20 points in the first half.

“Lexi was hot early and I think she lost her legs in the second half a little bit,” Buckley said. “That was kind of our gameplan, to wear her down. She played so well in the first half I said I don’t know if we’re going to be able to wear her down.”

The Red and Blue held onto a dominant lead in the second quarter, going up by 8 with 2:45 left until halftime (23-15), but Scituate went on a 7-2 run to tighten it up.

Coach Buckleyn made sure his team knew that they were going to have to play tough, fundamental basketball in the second half if they wanted to advance to the Div. 2 State semifinals.

“I said ‘If you want to win this, you’ve got to do what you’ve been doing all year, which is be aggressive’,” Buckley said. “I think they had their legs under them at that point and they really played up to their potential.”

The pep talk worked. Scituate came out and blazed a trail to the top, taking its first lead of the game just under a minute into the third quarter, 28-26 after Shannon Brady (14 points) and Megan Otto (14 points, five rebounds) hit back to back jumpers.

It was back and forth for the next two minutes, but Scituate went on a 11-0 run to end the quarter and had a 43-32 advantage going into the fourth. Natick went 3 for 11 in the third quarter, compared to 9 for 14 from the Sailors.

Defense, which coach Buckley believes won the game, was key in the fourth quarter. Neither team scored more than 10 points but Scituate outrebounded Natick 5-1 to clinch the win.

“The defense really won the game for us, although I thought our offense clicked in the second half a little bit better,” Buckley said. “The kids took pride in the defense.”

By Phil Perry, Globe Correspondent

LOWELL -- The Division 1 North final between Lexington and Charlestown was a traditional clash of styles: size versus speed.

In the end, the smaller, quicker boys from Charlestown won out. Their timely outside shooting and fast-paced game proved to be too much for the Minutemen as Charlestown won, 48-44, to advance to the Division 1 Eastern Mass final at TD Garden Tuesday.

Charlestown senior Rony Fernandez put Lexington away in what was a back-and-forth contest until the final seconds. His three-point basket with less than 10 seconds remaining gave the Townies a 46-42 lead. After a Lexington basket by Chris O'Keefe, Fernandez was fouled with 2.8 seconds remaining. He hit both free throws to effectively end the game and waved goodbye to the sizable Lexington student section in attendance.

"I dream to make those type of shots," said Fernandez, relishing his team’s win in the belly of the Tsongas Center.

Fernandez's three-pointer from about 25 feet away with just over a minute left in the game gave Charlestown a 42-40 lead.

"We weren't really getting out to their shooters out at the top of the key," said Lexington senior captain Pat Burns (11 points, six rebounds). "They were hitting tough shots and they seemed to come at the worst times."

Charlestown appeared to wear down their bigger Lexington opponents in the third quarter. Back-to-back threes by Fernandez and senior Omar Orriols gave the Townies a 33-28 lead. Fernandez’s trey handed Charlestown its first lead of the game since leading 4-2 in the first quarter. The Townies went on to finish the third quarter on a 16-4 run that gave them a 35-30 lead.

Lexington was able to take advantage of its size in the first half, winning with their defense in the paint. The Minutemen, the No. 11 seed in the North, featured a front court trio of players 6-foot-5 and taller for the majority of the game, fortifying their 2-3 zone defense down low. Burns (6-6), senior Chris Lee (6-5), senior Miles Penniman (6-8), senior Caleb Lenderking-Brill (6-6) and sophomore Josh Sharma (6-9) all did their best to frustrate the fast-paced No. 5 Townies.

Unable to score inside, Charlestown struggled as it couldn't find its touch from the outside in the first half, either. Behind six points and four rebounds from Lexington forward Chris Lee (12 points, 7 rebounds in the game), Lexington was able to take a 20-16 lead into the locker room at halftime.

"We came in here, big arena ... jitters came out," said Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso. "I said, 'Guys, calm down. We've been here before. Let's take it one play at a time, and remember Charlestown plays defense first.' "

The Townies were a different team in the second half. They held Lexington to just 10 points in the third quarter and appeared to find their shooting range. After not making a single trey in the first half, they made six in the second, including four from Fernandez (19 points, two assists).

When the last of his long-distance shots fell through the net, Fernandez couldn't help but look ahead to Tuesday.

"We to the Garden, baby," he told himself. "We to the Garden."

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Brockton big man Sayvonn Houston (13 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 blocks) continued his run of strong tournament performances on Saturday, just missing a triple-double, as the Boxers walked away with a 57-48 win over Madison Park in the Division 1 South finals at UMass-Boston’s Clark Athletic Center.

The fourth-ranked Boxers (22-2) were treated to a chorus of “Boston Garden” chants from their fans as they made their way to the locker room after holding the seventh-ranked Cardinals to just 14 field goals in the game.

Brockton will face off against Charlestown in the Division 1 state semifinals at TD Garden on Monday.

“It’s real nice [to be heading to the TD Garden],” said Brockton coach Robert Boen. “I have one guy who has been there before – Jahleel Moise – he made it with us as a freshman, so he’s been on the garden floor before. But the kids are really very excited about getting to play there.”

Houston, who stands 6-foot-6, entered the game coming off a 20 point, 21 rebound performance in a 49-44 win over Newton North in the South semifinals this past Wednesday. He battled with Madison Park big man Dakim Murray (8 points, 10 rebounds) all game.

Although the Boxers had several double-digit leads in the game, they didn’t put it away until Houston grabbed his 11th board of the night and hit a streaking Jahleel Moise (eight points) for an emphatic two-handed jam to put Brockton up 50-39 with 2:26 to left to play in the game.

“A play like that was what we needed,” Boen said. “We had tightened up a little bit after getting that big lead and [Madison Park] came back and the game had become grinding. Then Jahleel does that and it’s like, that’s right we can do stuff like this, OK lets get back to being aggressive.”

Brockton scored the first 6 points of the game, forcing Madison Park coach Dennis Wilson to call a timeout. The Cardinals took 3 minutes and 30 seconds to score their first points, but once they did they rallied to tie the score at 6 with 2:30 to play in the first.

A Jaylen Blakely 3-pointer as time expired, gave the Boxers a 14-10 lead after one.

Brockton outscored the Cardinals, 19-13, in the second to enter the half leading by 10, 33-23.

The Cardinals defense went to work in the third quarter, holding the Boxers to just 6 points in the quarter while David Stewart netted 10 of his team-high 17 points to send Madison Park into the fourth quarter trailing 39-33.

Brockton bounced back to score 18 in the fourth quarter, highlighted by Moise’s dunk, eventually pulling away for the nine-point victory.

“It’s a wonderful group [I’ve got],” Boen said. “At the start of the year, I wouldn’t have thought we were going to win the South sectionals. They’ve done more than I thought they could and they get better every day.

“Once you get this far, I think everyone’s feeling a ton of pressure,” added Boen. “We’ve been to the Garden before, four years ago, but we lost there, so we need to get one step further.”

By Andrew MacDougall, Globe Correspondent

Freshman forward Molly Reagan hit two late free throws and sophomore guard Jenn Guen had seven points off the bench as second-seeded Braintree defeated top-seeded Franklin, 51-46, for the Division 1 South girls’ title at UMass-Boston Saturday.

‘‘This is unbelievable,’’ said Braintree coach Kristen McDonnell. ‘‘I have personally dreamt about [reaching TD Garden] for a long time, and I think these kids, they’re absolutely riding this crazy high that they’re on right now, and I’m so happy they get to experience it.’’

Braintree advances to the Division 1 Eastern Mass final where the Wamps will face Andover, the two-time defending state champion Tuesday.

Franklin jumped out to a 38-34 lead late in the third, but a 3-pointer and a late layup by Annie Kate Joycecq put the Wamps up, 39-38, entering the the final period.

With seven seconds remaining in the game, and Franklin down 47-44, Franklin’s Catie Phelan took a potential game-tying three from the left corner, but hit the side of the rim.

Franklin finished 4 of 13 from both 3-point range and the free throw line. Senior Alicia Wilde led the Panthers with 11 points.

‘‘Sometimes it comes down to who’s on and who’s off, and the ball fell for us when it needed to,’’ McDonnell said. ‘‘These kids really dug deep. I’m so proud of them.’’

After trailing 16-11 early in the first, Franklin went on a 13-2 run to start the second quarter. The Wamps came back a bit, late in the second quarter, but went to the locker room trailing, 29-28.

‘‘We came into the halftime really excited, really happy with where we were,’’ McDonnell said. ‘‘I thought we had a good battle in the first half. So to come out with it, our momentum, we hit a couple shots and I thought we would be OK.’’

The momentum seemed to sway in favor of the Wamps midway through the third quarter when Guen took a hard charge that sent her to the floor.

Following the charge, Guen received the ball at the top of the key and made an outlet pass to senior guard Paige Marshall (game-high 15 points) in the left corner, who drained the three to tie the game at 34.

‘‘We’re a really physical team, and we get energized when anybody either goes at us or we go at them,’’ McDonnell said. ‘‘I think we needed it to get to that level and to get a little emotion into us. We came out to the to start the second half a little flat to start, and I thought once that [charge] happened, we really picked it up.’’

By Ryan MacInnis, Globe Correspondent

After defeating Acton-Boxboro, 52-37, and edging Central Catholic by 20, Andover continued its hot streak behind Boston College bound senior Nicole Boudreau who finished with 29 points.

The Golden Warriors will face Braintree Tuesday night to decide the Division 1 Eastern Mass championship.

“[Masconomet] is a really good team and that’s why they’re here, everyone’s good from here on in,” said Andover coach Jim Tildsley. “They came out tough defensively and we had to work really hard to get every point we got, but that’s what we did.”

Andover (25-0) came out strong draining six threes to put Masconomet in a nine-point deficit after one quarter.

“They came in a zone to start and we capitalized on the space,” Tildsley said. “Nicole wanted to cover [Brooke] and they screened for her a lot, but we jumped the screens and she had 18, but they were a quiet 18.”

Boudreau continued her hot streak dropping 21 of her 29 points in the first half including four buckets from beyond the arc.

“She’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen,” Tildsley said. “What makes her so good is the fact that she’s always two or three steps ahead of you and can really make you pay. She’s a special player.”

The Chieftains were held to under 54 points for only the fifth time this season as Brooke Stewart’s 18 points couldn’t carry her squad past Andover’s tight defense.

“I wanted to try and slow her down and I tried to give her a little bit of space so she didn’t go by me,” said Boudreau of Stewart. “I tried to pressure her into doing things she doesn’t usually do and make her uncomfortable. So I think we did a pretty good job on her.”

Masconomet chipped away at a 13-point deficit at the beginning of the fourth quarter to pull within six with less than a minute and a half remaining in the game.

“We started off with a zone to try and give them shots, but they made them all, so when we switched to man in the second half, we really put the pressure on to limit those opportunities,” said Masconomet coach Bob Romeo. “But there’s a reason why [Nicole] is Gatorade Player of the Year and both teams played their hearts out, but they capitalized when they needed to and that’s why they’re so good.”

Andover’s Tuesday night meeting with Braintree will be about defense, said Boudreau.

“It’s always defense with us and Tuesday will be a tough game,” Boudreau said. “But if we get stops, we usually get points off those stops, so we need to come back out Tuesday and play with a defense-first mentality if we want to win.”

By Mike Grossi, Globe Staff

An 18-point lead was flipped on its head Saturday as the Division 3 South final between Wareham and Martha’s Vineyard ended as a barnburner.

The Vikings sprinted out to a 21-3 lead half way through the first quarter only to see Martha’s Vineyard battle to within three points with three minutes left in the game.

Leading 59-56, Wareham’s Darien Fernandez converted a 3-point play to give the Vikings some cushion.

After the teams traded baskets, the Vineyarders were forced to foul and Wareham shut the door on the comeback, hitting 6-of-11 free throws en route to a 70-65 victory.

“Hopefully [a 21-3 start] is a knockout punch,” said Wareham coach Kevin Bregoli. “But we just stunned them and they came back and matched us the rest of the way. The game got close a few times, but we were able to answer [Martha’s Vineyard’s] runs.”

The Vikings will play Danvers in the Division 3 Eastern Mass. final on Monday at the TD Garden.

“That game was hard work,” Fernandez said. “When we got that lead we sort of stopped playing and they made some runs.”

Fernandez did everything in his power to lift the Vikings to victory. The junior guard scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out eight assists and had seven steals.

“When push comes to shove, I tell Darien to make something happen and he has a knack for doing just that,” Bregoli said. “He is a competitor.”

Said Martha’s Vineyard coach Michael Joyce, “Fernandez’s steals and rebounds were a huge part of their victory because they gave them second chances.”

After getting out to the early lead, the Wareham offense hit a doldrum. Martha’s Vineyard seized the opportunity to get back in the game, going on a 15-2 run and cutting the deficit to 23-18 early in the second quarter.

The spark that lit the Vineyarders’ comeback was the insertion of 6-foot-5 senior Charlie Everett into the game. Everett provided dominant post offense and defense, finishing the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

“Charlie played out of his mind,” said Martha’s Vineyard coach Michael Joyce. “He is a leader and was really aggressive taking the ball to the hoop. He brought energy and tried to get everyone playing on his level.”

Wareham got its lead back into double digits at times in the second quarter but was never able to pull away, holding a 41-32 lead at the half.

The Vineyarders started the third quarter with a 14-7 run that cut Wareham’s lead to just two points, 48-46. But Wareham scored two quick buckets to make it a two-possession game going into the fourth.

Both teams played to a stalemate in the fourth quarter. Whenever Martha’s Vineyard inched closer, Wareham always had a response.

“In the end, they played all 32 minutes and we took the first four off,” Joyce said.

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

“I’m proud of the kids. They’re great,” Reading coach Kim Penney said. “I think they are so pumped up right now. They are so locked in on everything we are doing, they are just great kids and they really earned their right to be here.”

Reading (23-0) went on a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter, giving them a 10-point lead. But the 21-3 Cougars battled back to within three points after senior guard Emma Roberson (27 points) netted a 3-pointer with 11.6 seconds remaining.

“Emma Roberson though, what a player," Penney said. "She hit that three at the end and kept them in it.”

Both teams came out slow with unforced turnovers abundant on both ends of the floor. The game was tied 2-2 through the first five minutes of action before either team got an offensive rhythm going. The game was tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Reading began to pull away in the second with a balanced offensive attack. Five different Rockets scored in the quarter with junior forward Meghan Stanford leading the way with four points in the frame. She saw extended playing time with senior forward Melissa DelPozzo on the bench with two early fouls.

“We rebounded well, DelPozzo was all over the place. They did a great job defending (Healy and DelPozzo), but we knew that,” Penney said. “Meghan Stanford coming in the first half was huge, she was awesome.”

With a trip to the state semifinals on the line, both teams played with emotion and aggression, leading to a whistle heavy game. The Rockets took a 21-16 lead into the half.

Arlington Catholic chipped away at Reading’s lead throughout the third quarter. Roberson was on fire offensively, netting eight points in the third and another 13 in the fourth. The Cougars sliced the Rockets’ lead to three points, 32-29 after three quarters of action.

But it was the Reading’s balanced offensive attack that put them in the drivers seat to TD Garden where they’ll face the winner of Saturday night’s game between Scituate and Natick on Tuesday.

By Zac Vierra, Globe Correspondent

Danvers (19-4) held Saugus (14-10) to 15 points in the second half and only three points in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons did not allow a point in the final 5:17 of the game, securing a trip to TD Garden to face South champions Wareham on Monday in the Eastern Mass Division 3 title after the Vikings beat Martha's Vineyard 70-65.

With 3:10 left in the second quarter, junior Nick McKenna drained a 3-pointer to give Danvers a 23-21 advantage. The Falcons would not trail again in the game.

“That three was enormous,” said Danvers head coach John Walsh.

Along with McKenna's three, the Falcons were fueled in the second quarter by 6-foot-7-inch center George Merry who scored 11 points in the quarter including going 7 of 8 at the free throw line. Merry finished with a game-high 22 points and added 11 rebounds for a double-double.

“Anytime the ball goes into [Merry] it can always come out and when they are collapsing on him we can swing it around a little bit and get some open looks,” Walsh said. “I think that is a big part of everything for us.”

Danvers led at half 30-25 and pulled away after the break going on a 9-0 run early in the third quarter taking the 39-29 edge with 4:15 left in the third. The defense, helped in part by some huge boards by junior guard Nick Bates (12 rebounds), held the lead for the Falcons.

“[Bates] really played well defensively and especially getting rebounds. He seemed like an animal on the boards,” Merry said.

Walsh talked about how the defense improved in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter.

“We just tried to defend and tried to keep the ball away from some of their big scoring options and we did a better job of that in the fourth quarter and only held them to three points,” he said.

By Michelle Fenelon, Globe Correspondent

Kara Charette scored 23 points to lead Fairhaven in the Division 3 South girls’ basketball tile, spurring the Blue Devils to a 62-59 win over Archbishop Williams Saturday at UMass-Boston.

Charette, the 6-foot senior captain, walked to the charity stripe and sank two free throws to put her team up by three points with 7.7 seconds remaining in the game.

“I couldn’t think ahead to the garden,” she said, “I took it one at a time like it was any day at practice.”

It was an aggressive game from the start. Both teams stormed out with extreme defensive pressure, forcing an excessive amount of turnovers. The two teams battled to a 10-10 tie after one quarter of play, but the Bishops edged Fairhaven at the end of the half 26-25.

Despite 11 second-half turnovers, Fairhaven (21-3) broke the game open 52-47 lead with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter after a foul and free throw attempt by Charette. The five-point lead with the Blue Devils' largest lead of the game.

The Bishops (20-6) did not let up. After forcing back-to-back turnovers, junior guard Sara Ryan nailed a 3-pointer with 1:16 remaining to tie the game.

Jeff Perry, the fourth-year coach for Fairhaven, gathered his team at a timeout.

“I told them that I was proud of them and I thought they were the better basketball team," Perry said. "We just had to be mentally better than them.”

As the buzzer sound, an emotional coach Perry was handed the game ball before reminiscing about the journey he has had with his team.

“We’ve had this goal from Nov. 28, the first day of practice, first Monday after Thanksgiving.

“I’m feeling it for the seniors, the emotion comes for the seniors,” Perry continued. “I know how hard they have worked for four years.”

Four years ago, seniors Charette and Kelsey Perron-Sovik were on a team that did not qualify for the state tournament. In their second year, they were eliminated in the first round and in 2011 they were bounced in the South quarterfinals.

On Tuesday, the Blue Devils will take on Pentucket at the TD Garden in the Division 3 Eastern Mass championship.

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

Pentucket claimed a spot in Tuesday’s TD Garden action as they dominated Ipswich with a 49-30 victory Saturday morning at the Tsongas Center for the the Division 3 North title.

“This is their legacy," Pentucket coach John McNamara said. "[This group] has taken a team to the Garden and I think it’s really important to them.

Ispwich controlled the opening tip, but Pentucket was in charge from the beginning. They opened the game on a 5-0 run and never looked back. The Sachems doubled Ipswich’s point production in the first quarter, leading 10-5 after eight minutes. Strong inside play from senior forward Sarah Higgins gave Pentucket the offensive momentum, as she netted four of her game-high 13 points in the first quarter.

Defensively the Sachems limited the Tigers to five points in each of the first two quarters.

“We just have smart kids who like to run and jump and pressure the ball and we all have that help rotation to jump passing lanes and that puts pressure on teams,” McNamara said.

With the Sachems up 20-10 with 2:42 remaining in the first half, Ipswich called a timeout. Unfortunately, the break in action helped Pentucket more than the Tigers as they went on a 10-0 run to close the half, capping it off with a buzzer beating three-pointer from junior guard Alex Moore. The Sachems took the momentum and a 20-point lead, 30-10 into the break.

“We needed our defense to create turnovers. It’s a lot easier to score on the fast break than setting up a zone offense,” McNamara said. “The basket at the half was a nice psychological dagger. A lot of good things happened at the end of the half.”

Ipswich managed 19 points in the second half to cut Pentucket’s lead to 19.

Pentucket will face Fairhaven on Tuesday after the Blue Devils beat Archbishop Williams 62-59 Saturday at UMass Boston.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

David Stewart (25 points, 10 rebounds) and Dakim Murray (23 points, 11 rebounds) helped Madison Park advance to the Division 1 South finals with a 63-60 win over Franklin Wednesday at UMass-Boston.

The Panthers (19-4) rallied from being down, 35-19, to start the third period to give the Cardinals (19-2) a real scare at the end.

Trailing by 3 with 1.3 seconds to play, the Panthers' Russ Haddad threw an inbounds pass from under his basket to a streaking Brendan Skidmore just outside the 3-point line. Skidmore turned and launched a shot that looked to be on target before catching the front of the rim and bouncing away.

“Oh man it hit the rim,” said Madison Park coach Dennis Wilson, “You know me, after that city championship loss [when East Boston hit a three at the buzzer to send the game into overtime], my heart was pumping ... and I’m looking, and I said, ‘No, you’ve got to be kidding me,’ then boom, off the front rim. Wow.''

Sam Bohmiller led the Panthers with 19 points and five assists, while Matt Pellegri added 15 points.

“All credit to Franklin,” said Wilson. “They weren’t as big as us, but they were tough, they were scrappy, and they’re well-coached.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of this team,” said Franklin coach Dean O’Connor. “We lost our first three games then we won 19 out of our last 20, with a team that only had three guys that played varsity last year.

“Nobody thought we were going to be anything, but these seniors came together and they played with heart and chemistry. This team gets it the most out of any team I’ve ever coached. I think once the hurt goes away they’re going to be proud of the way they fought, how couldn’t they.”

The Cardinals will take on Brockton, which knocked off Newton North earlier Wednesday, in the South finals Saturday at UMass-Boston.

In the latest episode of High School Weekly, the crew takes a look at two-time state champion and Boston College girls basketball recruit Nicole Boudreau. The Andover guard scored her 2,000th point this season and leads the No. 1 Golden Warriors in the tournament right now.

High School Sports Weekly profiles the student-athletes from around the region who make high school athletics so compelling. Check out High School Weekly on Facebook.

By Ryan MacInnis, Globe Correspondent

"I made up my mind at the beginning of the year, but I made sure I told the kids first before anyone else," said Scollan. "But it has been a great run at Westford and I look forward to focusing my energy on something new."

Scollan has won 333 games at Westford Academy, including three Dual County League championships in 20 postseason appearances.

"I had some rough years, as every coach does, but when you have those 6-14 teams, that's what made you want to come back, and in my years here what I learned most was how to be consistent, both personally and in coaching," he said.

Scollan says he will always be a Grey Ghost fan, but he's looking forward to the change.

"I'm looking forward to a different pace," said Scollan. "I liked being so involved, but it's time to move forward to a different pace of things."

Tyrik Jackson’s 20-point, 10-rebound effort led Charlestown over Boston City League rival, East Boston, 61-58, in the quarterfinals of the Division 1 North Tournament at East Boston High School Saturday afternoon.

Jackson netted 13 of his team-high 20 points in the second half, as the Townies (18-4) rallied to defeat a Jets (18-5) team fresh off winning the Boston City League championship.

“I thought Jackson played with confidence today,” said Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso. “Ever since we played Brockton High School [in the Comcast Basketball Classic] and [Jackson] went against Brockton's 6-foot-8 kid (Sayvonn Houston). He’s become more confident with his offensive moves and being more aggressive. I think Jackson really helped us get this victory tonight.

“The game was up and down,” continued Cardoso. “Nobody had a big lead. I think that our guys just continued to stay with their game. It was a tough environment, but I told my guys that this was a winnable game if we played together as a team.”

Omar Orriols chipped in with 17 points and nine rebounds of his own for the Townies, who trailed 14-11 after the first quarter.

Orriols connected on the Townies only 3-pointer of the game with 30 seconds remaining in the second half to send Charlestown into the half trailing by just one, 30-29.

Tyrik Jackson’s dunk set up by a nice pass from Rony Fernandez (9 points, five assists) with 1:25 remaining in the third tied the game at 40. However, the Jets, led by Kyle Fox (20 points, including five 3-pointers) refused to allow the Townies to take the lead, as the teams entered the fourth tied at 46.

Orriols finally gave the Townies a lead on the opening play of the fourth quarter, driving the lane, getting fouled, and hitting the shot to put Charlestown up 49-46.

With the score tied at 44 and 1:45 to play, Jackson grabbed his ninth rebound of the game and put it back to give the Townies a 57-55 edge. Charlestown then went up 59-55 on two Tyrese Hoxter (7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) free throws with 40 seconds to play.

“[Eastie] wasn’t boxing out, so I tried to crash and be aggressive and I got my chance at the end of the game,” said Jackson. “It was the perfect moment."

Zack Gattereau (10 points) connected on a three with 2.5 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 59-58, however Hoxter made on two more free throws and the Jets couldn't convert a desperation three at the buzzer.

The Townies will take on the winner to Sunday’s game between Lowell and top-ranked Central Catholic in the North semifinals.

“We’re coming together as a team, we’re coming together as a family and we’re playing hard and good basketball, said Cardoso of the Townies, who have now won four straight.

"We’re confident, our defense is clicking, and we’re trying to win a championship,” added Jackson.

By Andrew MacDougall, Globe Correspondent

Junior forward Chris Baker scored 15 points and senior guard Tommy Harkey scored 12 points off four 3-pointers as Millis stormed back from a 17-point deficit late in the first quarter to defeat Holbrook, the No. 1 seed in Division 4 South, 49-42.

“I’m just so proud of these guys,” said Millis coach Tom Ingraham. “To be able to not pack it in and keep playing, to not look at the scoreboard and just keep playing.”

After the Bulldogs jumped out to a 23-6 lead in the first, thanks in large part to 10 points from sophomore center Alijiah Robinson, Baker hit three free throws at the end of the quarter to bring the score to 23-9 after one.

From there, the second and third quarters were all Millis. The Bulldogs were held to one field goal in the second quarter as Millis outscored them 14-2 in the period to close the gap to 25-23 at halftime. Millis picked it up again in the third, as the Mohawks’ man-to-man defense flustered the Bulldogs to the tune of a 16-1 Mohawk run at the start of the third.

“We thought we could maybe get up and pressure them a little bit, pressure their ball handlers, and I think we got them to turn over a little bit just playing good, strong man-to-man,” Ingraham said. “I think that was maybe the biggest thing. They had a hard time with some up-top pressure, and we were able to turn those into some decent points.”

Holbrook had plenty of chances to break the scoreless streak, but countless shots would not fall, and three layups from under the basket rimmed out. Senior center Anthony Bolliter hit a shot with two minutes remaining in the third, breaking up a streak of nearly eight minutes in which the Bulldogs did not score from the field.

“A big part of basketball is who hits shots and they hit shots in the first period and we hit shots in the second and third, and I think that was one of the big things,” Ingraham said.

The Bulldogs made a game of it late. With Millis leading 45-35 with five minutes left, Holbrook senior guard Anthony Bittle scored seven consecutive points to close the gap to three with 3:19 left, but two costly turnovers late sealed the Mohawks victory.

Bittle finished his final varsity game with a game-high 20 points. Robinson, after his explosive first quarter, finished the night with 12 points.

Millis moves on to the Division 4 South quarterfinals, where they will face Cathedral High School at Cathedral this Friday at 7 p.m.

Ingraham hopes this come-from-behind victory will serve as a confidence boost as the team continues on into the tournament.

“I think it gives us confidence to play a team, get down like that and play a good offensive team with a good big guy and a really good guard and other guys who can do things and to be able to hold them in the 40s after scoring 23 in the first period,” Ingraham said.

“That’s a confidence builder right there.”

Avon's Saleek Marshall is 16 points away
from 2,000. (Barry Chin / Globe Staff)

By Andrew MacDougall, Globe Correspondent

Heading into Wednesday’s Division 4 South first round match up against South Shore Voc. Tech, Avon senior guard Saleek Marshall sits 16 points away from reaching the elite 2,000-point club.

Marshall, a six-year member of the varsity squad and four-year captain, is averaging well over 20 points per game after a junior campaign in which he averaged 22.1 points per game.

If Marshall does eclipse the 2,000-point mark, Avon will join Catholic Memorial as the only school in the state with three 2,000-point scorers. The most recent Panther to reach 2,000 points was Shante Dezrick in 2010.

The following is an updated list of Massachusetts players who have scored 2,000 or more points during their high school careers:

1. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, New Leadership; 2005-09; 3,061
2. Rebecca Lobo, Southwick; 1987-91; 2,710
3. Jermaine Watson, L-Sud/Tabor/Thayer; 1997-01; 2,665
4. Kristin Feldman, The Learning Center; 1993-00; 2,659
5. Kelsey O’Keefe, Quaboag; 2000-06 ;2,650
6. Bryan Edwards, Cohasset; 1983-88; 2,563
7. Sarah Behn, Foxboro; 1985-90; 2,562
8. Wayne Turner, Beaver Country Day; 1991-95; 2,542
9. Ronnie Perry, Catholic Memorial; 1972-76; 2,481
10. Sean Connolly, Bishop Fenwick; 1995-98; 2,473
11. Mike Bradley, Worcester Burncoat; 1992-97; 2,444
12. Keri Flynn, Rockland; 1996-00; 2,405
13. Ayla Brown, Nobles; 2000-06; 2,358
14. Katie Kerr, Marian; 1992-96; 2,352
15. Adam Harrington, Pioneer Valley; 1994-98; 2,347
16. Robin Christian, Jamaica Plain; 1981-85; 2,332
17. Marvin Safford, Holy Name (Worcester); 1969-73; 2,289
18. Ron Teixeira, Catholic Memorial; 1962-65; 2,250
19. Matt Palazzi, St. John’s (Shrewsbury); 1980-84; 2,239
20. Lekia Cowen, Hopedale; 2005-08; 2,219
21. Jessalyn Deveny, Westford Academy; 1997-01; 2,195
22. Carla Berube, Oxford; 1989-93; 2,190
23. Scoonie Penn, Salem; 1991-95; 2,189
24. Jillian Danker, Minnechaug; 1994-98; 2,179
25. Casey Arena, Bishop Fenwick; 1988-92; 2,166
26. Nicole Wolff, Walpole; 1999-02; 2,164
27. Shaquana McDonough, Learning Center;2006-09; 2,163
28. Jon Garrity, Duxbury; 1968-72; 2,156
29. Gerry Corcoran, Norwell; 1999-03; 2,155
30. Brianne Stepherson, Masconomet; 1992-98; 2,139
31. Naomi Graves, Hampshire Regional; 1975-78; 2,137
32. Lynne-Ann Kokoski, Smith Academy; 2000-04; 2,124
33. Michelle Edwards, Cathedral; 1979-83; 2,121
34. Kevin Miranda, Avon; 2004-07; 2,116
35. Nicole Boudreau, Andover; 2009-12; 2111*
36. Colleen Hession, Williston N’hampton; 1996-02; 2,096
37. Lenworth Williamson, Pingree; 2006-09; 2,096
38. Jen Moussette, Hampshire; 2001-05; 2,094
39. Chris Vetrano, Andover; 2001-04; 2,090
40. Anthony Taylor, North Cambridge; 1990-94; 2,089
41. Duane Anderson, Worcester Vocational; 1987-90; 2,086
42. Jimmy Sullivan, Dom Savio; 1974-78; 2,081
43. Chris Herren, Durfee; 1990-94; 2,073
44. Glenn Gariepy, Bellingham; 1963-66; 2,070
45. Jes Hambley, South Hadley; 1995-99; 2,069
46. Heman Honore, St. Clement; 2003-2006; 2,066
47. Samantha Herrick, Lenox; 1988-92; 2,055
48. Justin Bennett, Learning Center; 1993-98; 2,047
49. Paul Moran, Swampscott; 1982-85; 2,043
50. Shaleyse Smallwood, O’Bryant; 2001-04; 2,037
51. Deric McCottrell, St. Sebastian’s; 2,035
52. Steve Zieja, Hopkins Academy; 1995-99; 2,033
53. Tom Donahue, St. Mary’s (Brookline); 1971-75; 2,031
54. Caitlin Fisher, Beaver Country Day; 1996-00; 2,024
55. Keri Downs, Everett; 1995-99; 2,019
56. Shante Dezrick, Avon; 2005-2010; 2,013
57. Karen Walsh, Old Colony; 1992-96; 2,009
58. Thad Broughton, St. Mary’s; 1998-02; 2,005
59. Bruce Seals, Natick/Ashland; 1994-98; 2,001
60. King Gaskins, Catholic Memorial; 1969-72; 2,000

* = Currently still playing.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The MIAA has postponed all Western and Central Massachusetts boys and girls basketball games, as well as games in the Eastern Mass North bracket, due to the snowfall in the region.

Snowfall is expected to steadily fall over the region through the evening.

As of 1 p.m., games in the South region are still expected to be played.

A few ice hockey games have been postponed as well. In the North, Woburn vs. St. Peter-Marian boys hockey, Austin Prep vs. Winchester boys hockey, as well as Barnstable vs. Shrewsbury girls hockey have been postponed.

Update

As of 3 p.m., the following games have also been postponed:

- Arlington Catholic vs. Chelmsford, boys ice hockey in the North
- Acton-Boxboro vs. Reading, boys hockey in the North
- Hingham vs. Medfield, girls basketball in the South
- Hull vs. Marian, girls basketball in the South
- Sacred Heart vs. Westport, girls basketball in the South
- Marian vs. Westport, boys basketball in the South

By Ryan MacInnis, Globe Correspondent

The Lynn Classical boys basketball team fought its way back from a 26-22 halftime deficit to come back and defeat host Masconomet in the first round of the Division 2 North tournament, 49-46.

Lynn Classical was led by senior guard Moise Builou who tallied 13 points.

Masconomet 6-foot-1 senior captain and 1,000-point scorer Adam Bramanti was held to 13 points after scoring a combined 60 in two games at the Masconomet tournament last week.

"We played a triangle defense to shut him down," said Lynn Classical coach Tom Grassa. "They have a very high structured offense and when you make a kid work that hard on offense it takes away from his defense."

After suffering a shoulder injury in the third quarter, Bramanti wasn’t able to help his Chieftains regain the lead as he was almost non existent on the floor from that point forward going 1-6 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Classical's Derrick Edmonds' fast break layup with two minutes left helped Classical pull away 43-41 and establish a lead that they would never give up.

"Trailing at the half, we knew we had to keep coming at him (Bramanti) with fresh legs," Grassa said. "Our boys played tough tonight, never gave up and the low-scoring game really showed that."

But, as the tournament continues, Grassa knows his players need to get ready for their next opponent.

"Our next game will be much different as we struggle more with teams that have a high structured, low tempo defense," Grassa said. "So if it's Brighton, then it'll be a shootout.

"Our focus all year has been to let our defense dictate the tempo and make that the main focus point," Grassa continued. "We have to work our tails off and keep our turnovers under 25 because that’s how you win games down the stretch."

Scores and summaries from Monday's basketball tournament games:

Medford 49, Peabody 48 — The Medford boys' basketball team muscled its way into the first round of the Division 1 North tournament last night after junior center James Hawkins blocked a layup attempt by Peabody in the final seconds to secure a 49-48 home victory.

The 6-foot-4-inch center finished with a season-high 15 blocks to go along with four points and eight rebounds as the Mustangs earned their first tournament win since 1999.

‘‘He really swallowed up the paint and anchored our defense early in the second half when we failed to produce offensively,'' said Medford coach Anthony Faradie.

The Tanners jumped out to a 10-2 lead to start the game when Faradie called a timeout to let his team settle down.

‘‘They [Peabody] are a good shooting team from outside and we had a couple of mental lapses and we gave them a couple of easy layups to start the game,'' Faradie said. ‘‘We used a timeout after Peabody's run and we got our guys to focus on their key shooters.''

Point guard Sean Doncaster took control of the Mustangs' offense, scoring 9 of his 23 points in the second half as Medford clawed back to take a 21-18 halftime lead.

‘‘We were fortunate to be up 3,'' Faradie said. ‘‘It was back and forth and we were able to get some key stops and score on the offensive end. I thought we needed to execute better and we needed to penetrate the zone a little bit more and improve our transition defense because [Peabody] continued to beat us on the break.''

The teams traded baskets early in the second half, with Peabody clinging to a 39-38 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

‘‘We struggled to score the entire half,'' Faradie said.

The biggest lead for either team in the second half was 3 points. The Mustangs continued to press the Tanners on defense and deny the passing lanes. Shooting guard Maurice Magras (10 points) sparked the Pioneers' offense with three long 3-pointers. Doncaster also continued to get to the basket and finished 7 of 9 from the free throw line.

‘‘We dug in on the defensive end and it was a great home game,'' Faradie said. ‘‘We have Central Catholic coming up. We have our hands full but we have an opportunity to shock everybody.''

Marlborough 57, North Middlesex 56 (OT) — Conner O'Leary hit the winning shot as time expired in overtime to lift the visiting No. 10 Panthers (12-9) in a Division 1 first-round game. Spencer Little scored 19 points, Mike Tirpak had 13 and Little finished with 8 for Marlboro, which advances to play No. 2 St. Peter-Marian at 7 p.m. Thursday at Assumption. Kyle McDermott had 14 points, and Kevin Marciano scored 13 for the No. 7 Patriots (13-8).

Salem 73, Malden Catholic 68 — After being down by 12 at the half, the Witches made a comeback led by junior guard Marvin Baez (25 points). Christian Dunston added 21.

Marblehead 46, Tewksbury 43 (OT) — Jeff Peras had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Phil Coughlin hit the winning 3-pointer with 1:50 to play in overtime as the Magicians (11-10) held the Redmen scoreless for the final two minutes of overtime.

Dedham 66, O'Bryant 43 — The Marauders were led by junior point guard Jeremy Clifford and senior center Vinny Iarrobino. Clifford scored 21 points and Iarrobino scored 16.

Millis 67, CASH 46 — Senior guard Derek Latosek led the Mohawks with 22 ponits.

Girls’ basketball

Hingham 69, Sandwich 59 — Freshman Sierra Irvin scored 28 points, going 11 of 12 from the free throw line and 3 of 6 from behind the 3-point arc, and senior co-captain Katharine Alger added 11 points for the Harbormen (12-11).

Sharon 50, Silver Lake 28 — Sophomore guard Karlie O'Driscoll powered the Eagles with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 steals.

The MIAA has announced the fields for this year?s boys and girls basketball tournaments.

The roads to the TD Garden and DCU Center begin with preliminary round action tipping off on Monday and the first round starting up on Tuesday.

The following is a listing of the top seeds in each sectional with links to the brackets.

BOYS

• Division 1 North: Central Catholic (20-1). Bracket.
• Division 2 North: North Andover (19-1). Bracket.
• Division 3 North: Whittier (18-1). Bracket.
• Division 4 North: Manchester-Essex (18-2). Bracket.

• Division 1 South: Brockton (18-2). Bracket.
• Division 2 South: Falmouth (18-2). Bracket.
• Division 3 South: Wareham (20-0). Bracket.
• Division 4 South: Holbrook (16-2). Bracket.

GIRLS

• Division 1 North: Andover (22-0). Bracket.
• Division 2 North: Reading (20-0). Bracket.
• Division 3 North: Bedford (18-2). Bracket.
• Division 4 North: Shawsheen (18-2). Bracket.

• Division 1 South: Franklin (18-2). Bracket.
• Division 2 South: Scituate (20-0). Bracket.
• Division 3 South: Coyle & Cassidy (18-1). Bracket.
• Division 4 South: West Bridgewater (18-2). Bracket.

The MIAA will release the pairings for the boys and girls hockey tournaments on Saturday.

By Seth Lakso

O'Shea Joy scored 22 points to lead No. 7 Madison Park over No. 15 Brighton, 67-64, in the first game of the Boston City League playoffs last night in Roxbury. East Boston took home the nightcap, 62-43, over New Mission.

Both winners advance to todays's final scheduled for 6:30 pm at Madison Park High School.

The Cardinals (16-2) defense held the Bengals (16-4) without a point in the final 1:31 to hang on for the 3 point win.

The Bengals jumped out to an early lead, sparked by the hot shooting of Davion Edwards, who finished with 20 points, including six threes.

Brighton point guard Malik James (12 points, eight assists) shredded the Cardinal defense in the first half, despite playing on a sprained ankle.

The Bengals took a 34-28 lead into the half.

To start the third the Cardinals went box-and-one on James in an effort take the point guard out of the game.

The tactic worked, as Madison Park took a 46-45 lead late in the third on a Dakim Murray (8 points, nine rebounds) lay-in.

"James is a special player," said Madison Park coach Dennis Wilson. "He's the kind of player who can dominate a game. He kept getting into our paint and scoring and dishing. So I took him out of the game with the box-and-one."

Brighton reclaimed the lead with 1:01 remaining in the period, when Jarard Mayers finished an alley-oop from Theo Oribhabor (16 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists).

The Bengals lead wouldn't last, as Madison Park's size and defense proved too much in the final frame, holding Brighton to 10 points.

The Cardinals out rebounded the Bengals 41-24 for the game.

Despite the rebounding margin, Brighton had a chance, trailing 67-64 with just under five seconds remaining, but a three by Oribhabor clanked off the back rim.

"It's about getting stops," said Wilson. "I wasn't sure if I should foul and give up the two or not, but I decided to make them take a guarded desperation three and oh it was close (laughing), but I'll take it."

No. 6 East Boston dominated No 10 New Mission from the opening tip in the second game of the night.

The Jets (15-4) defense, led by Patrick Santos (10 steals), set the tone early, holding the Titans (12-5) to just 6 points in the first quarter.

"We started off very good on the defensive end," said East Boston coach Malcolm Smith. "Then once again, it's a turbulent ride in the Jet and we let them sneak back in the game, but I thought in the second half we were much more solid and played excellent defense."

East Boston was led in scoring by Kyle Fox (17 points), but spread the wealth around, with five different players scoring 7 points or more.

The Jets pulled away in the third, stretching a 5 point lead at the half to 12 by the end of the third.

Kenny Ramos (8 points, 10 rebounds) and Will March (10 points, nine rebounds) dominated the paint, as Eastie finished a plus-5 on the glass.

The Cardinals are 0-2 in two matchups with Eastie this season, but that didn't dampen coach Wilson's excitement for today's championship game.

"It's funny," said the Madison Park coach. "In 2007 we beat them twice during the regular season and then they beat us for the championship. I told my guys that we can beat them in something more meaningful than either of those two regular season games this season -- it's called the City championship."

By Cat Calsolaro
Globe Correspondent

Somerville handed fifth-ranked Arlington Catholic its second straight loss, knocking off the visiting Cougars, 61-50, last night.

After losing to Arlington Catholic, 60-50, two weeks ago, the Highlanders (10-10) came out firing, leading, 35-23, at halftime. Sophomore forward Melissa Baptista scored 14 of her 15 points in the first half and junior guard Indira Evora exploded for 30 points.

But the Highlanders’ all-around defensive effort made the biggest difference. Baptista pulled down 14 rebounds and Evora had 10 steals.

‘‘Ten steals is a tremendous number against as good a team as AC,’’ said first-year coach John DePasquale. ‘‘Defense was the biggest factor, our defense was outstanding.’’

AC (19-3) didn't go down without a fight.

Led by Emma Roberson's 30 points, the Cougars clawed back to within 4 points. Then Evora intercepted a cross-court pass and went coast-to-coast for a layup that gave the Highlanders breathing room.

By Alex Prewitt, Globe Correspondent

Senior Night came with a little bonus for Gracie Harrigan.

Taunton's forward entered Wednesday's nonleague game against Brockton just 8 points from becoming the fifth Tiger to reach 1,000 career points. After eclipsing the milestone on a corner 3-pointer, Harrigan finished with 16 points to lead Taunton (11-9) to a 49-35 victory at home.

But individual recognition took a back seat for Harrigan, who only discovered during the last game that she was in range of the milestone. This night was about the team.

Harrigan, Taylah Pelote, and Erica McGreevy were all honored before the game as the Tigers' senior tri-captains. The three have played together for nearly eight years, dating to AAU, travel squads, and numerous all-star teams in the area.

Pelote finished with 13 points, and McGreevy chipped in 9.

By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent

Buckingham Browne & Nichols letterman Eric Olson clinched his 1,000th career point Saturday against St. Paul's, despite a 58-55 loss. The senior center's milestone came after a game-high 25 points, which makes him the fourth boys' basketball player to reach 1,000 points in Knights' history.

Olson has committed to the Division 1 football program at Northwestern.

By Ryan MacInnis, Globe Correspondent

In the Grey Ghost Classic championship bout Tuesday night, the Andover girls' basketball team got its first taste of a state tournament battle, routing powerhouse Acton-Boxboro 63-50, behind Boston College commit Nicole Boudreau's 21 points.

Trailing 22-19 at the half, Andover found themselves stripped of motivation and physically spent.

"They physically out played us, they pushed us around pretty good so i got on them a bit at halftime" said Andover coach Jim Tildsley. "We stepped up in the second half, Ally Fazio hit some big threes and Angelice (Gonzalez) had her best game of the year."

A three by senior point guard Ally Fazio started Andover's 19-8 third quarter run to help the Golden Warriors regain the lead, 40-36 going into the fourth quarter.

Boudreau's 17-point second half surge led the Golden Warriors as they finished the season perfect at 22-0 claiming first place at the Grey Ghost Classic ousting A-B led by senior captain Elizabeth Belanger with 25 points.

"In the first half they outplayed us and we needed to have a lot of heart to win this game because we didn't have as much size" said tournament MVP Boudreau. "As a team we aren't always going to be up 20, so we need to learn to play in those close games and be able to score when the pressure is on come tournament time but I think we're ready."

With the win, Tildsley and the two-time defending state champions know that it won't be easy completing the three-peat.

"We've won 22 straight, great season, but now everyone is 0-0, so we need to come back focused and ready to go because any given night you can get beat."

By Andrew MacDougall, Globe Correspondent

BRIDGEWATER -- Junior point guard Kelly Martin scored 17 points and senior center Shannon Brady netted 18 of her 22 points in the second half and overtime as the Scituate High girls' basketball team stormed back from a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter to defeat Braintree, 57-51, Monday night in the final of the Harry A. Lehmann tournament at Bridgewater State University.

“I’ve been involved in a lot of good wins,” said Scituate coach Brian Buckley after his team capped a 20-0 regular season.

“We didn’t handle the ball as well as we wanted to and we didn’t shoot as well as we wanted to, but in terms of guts, that was as good a comeback as we’ve ever had. My kids just showed they had great fortitude to hang in there against a very, very good team.”

Braintree(18-2), the Bay State Carey champ, controlled the game for most of the first half. After being down early, the Wamps went on a 15-2 run to end the first quarter to lead, 22-10. With 2:58 left in the half, the Wamps surged ahead, 29-14, on Rachel Norton’s third 3-pointer of the first half.

Even after a 6-0 run to finish the second quarter, the Sailors trailed, 29-20, heading into the break.

“We played some zone, which was my fault. We shouldn’t have been playing zone against that team,” said Buckley.

“I felt if their shots aren’t going down it’ll give us a breather because they have more depth than we do. Once our kids made a few shots and made a few stops they started to believe, and I told them to keep chipping away, chipping away, chipping away.”

The Sailors found their groove in the second half . After falling behind, 40-26, with 3:06 to go in the third, Scituate went on a 7-0 run, with senior guard Kate Lemire hitting a 3-pointer and Brady tossing in timely hook shots down low.

In the fourth, solid defense by Martin, Brady, and senior forward Megan Otto held Braintree to 6 total points. Meanwhile, Brady and Martin chipped away at the lead, combining for 9 of the 13 Sailor points in the final frame.

After Scituate went ahead, 44-43, with under five minutes to go the team traded buckets the last five minutes before moving to overtime tied at 48.

In OT, Brady scored 6 of Scituate's 9 points, including clutch free throws and hook shots down the stretch to secure the victory.

Martin, for her stellar play on both ends of the court, was named tourney MVP.

“We all deserved [the MVP award],” said Martin. “It was a great team effort. I’m not taking the credit and I’m not saying I did everything. It was just a whole team effort. If I could give it to the whole team I would.”

The Sailors will earn the first or second seed in the Division 2 bracket, which will be released on Friday. Medfield is also 20-0.

Norton led Braintree with 16 points, including four 3-pointers.

With 32 points Friday night against Merrimack Valley rival Central Catholic, Andover's Nicole Boudreau crossed the 2,000-point threshold. She's the 60th player in state history to have done so.

Boudreau, who has signed to play for Boston College next year, now has 2,019 points in her career.

Andover went on to beat Central Catholic 63-47. The Golden Warriors are 20-0.

The following is an updated list of Massachusetts players who have scored 2,000 or more points during their high school careers:

1. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, New Leadership; 2005-09; 3,061
2. Rebecca Lobo, Southwick; 1987-91; 2,710
3. Jermaine Watson, L-Sud/Tabor/Thayer; 1997-01; 2,665
4. Kristin Feldman, The Learning Center; 1993-00; 2,659
5. Kelsey O’Keefe, Quaboag; 2000-06 ;2,650
6. Bryan Edwards, Cohasset; 1983-88; 2,563
7. Sarah Behn, Foxboro; 1985-90; 2,562
8. Wayne Turner, Beaver Country Day; 1991-95; 2,542
9. Ronnie Perry, Catholic Memorial; 1972-76; 2,481
10. Sean Connolly, Bishop Fenwick; 1995-98; 2,473
11. Mike Bradley, Worcester Burncoat; 1992-97; 2,444
12. Keri Flynn, Rockland; 1996-00; 2,405
13. Ayla Brown, Nobles; 2000-06; 2,358
14. Katie Kerr, Marian; 1992-96; 2,352
15. Adam Harrington, Pioneer Valley; 1994-98; 2,347
16. Robin Christian, Jamaica Plain; 1981-85; 2,332
17. Marvin Safford, Holy Name (Worcester); 1969-73; 2,289
18. Ron Teixeira, Catholic Memorial; 1962-65; 2,250
19. Matt Palazzi, St. John’s (Shrewsbury); 1980-84; 2,239
20. Lekia Cowen, Hopedale; 2005-08; 2,219
21. Jessalyn Deveny, Westford Academy; 1997-01; 2,195
22. Carla Berube, Oxford; 1989-93; 2,190
23. Scoonie Penn, Salem; 1991-95; 2,189
24. Jillian Danker, Minnechaug; 1994-98; 2,179
25. Casey Arena, Bishop Fenwick; 1988-92; 2,166
26. Nicole Wolff, Walpole; 1999-02; 2,164
27. Shaquana McDonough, Learning Center;2006-09; 2,163
28. Jon Garrity, Duxbury; 1968-72; 2,156
29. Gerry Corcoran, Norwell; 1999-03; 2,155
30. Brianne Stepherson, Masconomet; 1992-98; 2,139
31. Naomi Graves, Hampshire Regional; 1975-78; 2,137
32. Lynne-Ann Kokoski, Smith Academy; 2000-04; 2,124
33. Michelle Edwards, Cathedral; 1979-83; 2,121
34. Kevin Miranda, Avon; 2004-07; 2,116
35. Colleen Hession, Williston N’hampton; 1996-02; 2,096
35. Lenworth Williamson, Pingree; 2006-09; 2,096
37. Jen Moussette, Hampshire; 2001-05; 2,094
38. Chris Vetrano, Andover; 2001-04; 2,090
39. Anthony Taylor, North Cambridge; 1990-94; 2,089
40. Duane Anderson, Worcester Vocational; 1987-90; 2,086
41. Jimmy Sullivan, Dom Savio; 1974-78; 2,081
42. Chris Herren, Durfee; 1990-94; 2,073
43. Glenn Gariepy, Bellingham; 1963-66; 2,070
44. Jes Hambley, South Hadley; 1995-99; 2,069
45. Heman Honore, St. Clement; 2003-2006; 2,066
46. Samantha Herrick, Lenox; 1988-92; 2,055
47. Justin Bennett, Learning Center; 1993-98; 2,047
48. Paul Moran, Swampscott; 1982-85; 2,043
49. Shaleyse Smallwood, O’Bryant; 2001-04; 2,037
50. Deric McCottrell, St. Sebastian’s; 2,035
51. Steve Zieja, Hopkins Academy; 1995-99; 2,033
52. Tom Donahue, St. Mary’s (Brookline); 1971-75; 2,031
53. Caitlin Fisher, Beaver Country Day; 1996-00; 2,024
54. Keri Downs, Everett; 1995-99; 2,019
55. Nicole Boudreau, Andover; 2009-12; 2019
56. Shante Dezrick, Avon; 2005-2010; 2,013
57. Karen Walsh, Old Colony; 1992-96; 2,009
58. Thad Broughton, St. Mary’s; 1998-02; 2,005
59. Bruce Seals, Natick/Ashland; 1994-98; 2,001
60. King Gaskins, Catholic Memorial; 1969-72; 2,000

By Ayoub Kourikchi, Globe Correspondent

Plymouth South boys’ basketball secured their first state tournament berth in 12 years after squeezing out a 46-44 win over visiting Bishop Stang during the Panthers’ senior night, Thursday.

The Panthers (10-6) have held nine teams to less than 50 points this season and tightened up their defense in the second half to gain momentum.

“After the first half we talked about knowing our matches and our responsibly on defense. And in the second half we tried to take away their [Bishop Stang] drives and try to deny them [Bishop Stang] in the paint,” said second year coach David Costa. “The biggest thing the kids did was move their feet and grind. We are a blue collar team and we buy into defense and that’s what we practice.”

The Panthers tightened up their man defense and applied consistent full court pressure to hold the Warriors to a single field goal in the third quarter. On the offensive end they turned to senior 6 foot 3 forward Andrew Bochman’s interior post game. Bochman notched five of his six points in the second half and collected eight key rebounds down the stretch. Senior guard Dan West (nine points) drilled three 3-pointers in the second half to provide a spark of the bench.

Both teams traded baskets in the fourth quarter and the Panthers held onto a slim 40-38 lead with four minutes in regulation. Sophomore guard Mike Mele (three points) was fouled with 10.8 seconds left to go, and made one of two free throws to put the Panthers up 46-44.

After the botched free throw, the Spartans quickly inbounded the ball and reached the foul line with a second left on the clock, only to miss the ensuing free throws and ensure the Panthers a place in the state tournament.

“This game was a gut check and we did a really good job of staying mentally tough and only giving up 28 points in the second half,” said Costa. “It was our motto the whole game to keep fighting and usually good things happen when you keep on fighting.”

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

With their 58-26 road victory over Middleborough on Thursday night, the ninth-ranked Scituate girls’ basketball team finished their Patriot League schedule at an undefeated 13-0.

“Winning the league was very important to our team,” coach Brian Buckley said. “But we don’t even talk about the undefeated thing. We are very proud of the way our team has played.”

Both teams came out strong, and Middleborough, which hasn’t won a game this season, played the Sailors tough in the first half. The teams went to the break with Scituate up by six points, 24-16.

“Middleborough played a very good first half,” Buckley said. “We didn’t shoot well. In the second half we got our game together and executed.

“[At halftime] I told them to do what we do all year long and do that and we will be successful.

What the Sailors have done all year long, and continued in the second half tonight, is play a team-minded game.

Junior point guard Kelly Martin led the offense, dishing out 12 assists as Scituate took control of the game in the second half.

“She is totally unselfish. She had a lot of opportunities where she could have scored, but it’s her attitude that makes her such a good passer,” said Buckley.

Senior forward Megan Otto led the Sailors with 22 points and eight rebounds.

“Megan is really becoming more efficient, she is taking better shots,” Buckley said. “Her
inside game and midrange shooting is strong.”

Senior Shannon Brady contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds. Buckley said junior Annie Miller played one of her best games of the year, netting four points with a strong eight rebounds.

After finishing league play undefeated, Scituate heads to the Bridgewater Tournament, where they hope to close out their season with two more wins and a tournament championship.

“It has been a total team effort to get where we have so far,” Buckley said. “So many girls understand their roles and because of that we have been able to succeed.”

By Andrew MacDougall, Globe Correspondent

Last night was a night to remember for a pair of Southern Massachusetts communities as Duxbury’s Michela North and Stoughton’s Aaron Calixte joined the 1,000-point club in historic fashion.

By hitting a free throw with 6:36 remaining in the second, North became the first Duxbury girl to reach 1,000 points in over a decade. By reaching the milestone in the 17th game of her junior season, North became the fastest girl in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

Not to be outdone, Calixte buried a pull-up three-pointer from the top of the key to eclipse the 1,000-point mark, and send Black Knight fans into a frenzy. Calixte became the first junior in program history to reach the milestone.

North finished the evening with 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in a 50-48 victory over Hingham, while Calixte poured in 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a 72-52 blowout of Hockomock rival Canton.

The 22d Annual IAABO427/Comcast Basketball Classic is set to tip off on Saturday at Reading Memorial High School.

Here are the pairings:

Girls

Saturday, 1:00 -- No. 3 Arlington Catholic (17-1) vs. No. 13 Masconoment (14-2)
Saturday, 2:30 -- No. 2 Reading (16-0) vs. Bishop Feehan (12-4)

Sunday, 1:00 -- Consolation game
Sunday, 2:30 -- Championship

Boys

Saturday, 5:00 -- No. 1 Brockton (14-1) vs. Cambridge Rindge & Latin (7-5)
Saturday, 6:30 -- No. 8 BC High (13-4) vs. No. 13 Charlestown (14-3)

Sunday, 5:00 -- Consolation game
Sunday, 6:30 -- Championship

"The goal of this tournament is to showcase Eastern Massachusetts basketball and raise money to help put needy high school athletes through college," said Tournament Director Frank Beebe. "There's not a tournament, in my estimation, that has put together the best possible teams for everyone to come out and see like the Comcast Tournament has."

It's worth noting that the boys' Comcast Basketball Classic champion has gone on to win the Division 1 State title in each of the last 10 years.

One senior will be selected from each of the eight teams participating in the tournament this weekend to receive a $300 scholarship.

By Bridget Shannon, Globe Correspondent

Senior captain Tyra Melendez scored her 1,000th career point on Monday night, leading the Rivers girls’ basketball team over St. George’s, 52-32, in Weston. The best part about her record breaking performance was that the point guard had no idea it was coming.

“We kept it a secret from her," said Rivers coach Bob Pipe. "During the half I told the team that she only needed two more points.”

The Red Wings came out looking for Melendez in the second and when the 12 minute mark hit she connected on a jumper to reach her milestone.

“We stopped the game and the girls just attacked her," said Pipe. "She didn’t even know why and after we told her, she just started crying, It was great. The girls on the team love her. I think they were more excited than she was.”

Unfortunately, Melendez’s parents couldn’t attend her historic night because they are currently visiting a sick family member in Puerto Rico. In their absence, Melendez has been pulling double-duty, taking care of her little brother every day after school and playing basketball.

Melendez, who has committed to play for the University of Rhode Island, had another big supporter in the stands. After URI coach Cathy Inglese heard that Melendez’s parents couldn't make the big game, she made sure to be there for her future point guard.

Melendez has always had basketball in mind. She grew up in Mattapan and played basketball at all the local playgrounds, joining an AAU team in the fifth grade. Melendez was also part of the "Stepping Stones Program" in Boston, where Pipe first noticed her talent.

After meeting with the coach, Melendez enrolled at Rivers and by the time she made it up to the ninth grade she was already a shoe in for the varsity team.

With the win, the Red Wings are now 16-2 on the season under Melendez’s leadership.

“She’s a great leader on and off the court,” said Pipe. “She’s a great fit and we are very fortunate to have her.”

Melendez, who played for the U18 Puerto Rican National team her sophomore year, has been unstoppable since returning.

Melendez has averaged 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists a game and was the NEPSAC League (Class B) MVP last season.

“She’s a special kid,” said Pipe. “It’s not just about basketball. She’s a better kid than she is a basketball player and that’s how schools will remember her.”

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Brockton won the game of the year this past Friday, knocking off last week's No. 1, Catholic Memorial, 88-87, with a last-second three by William Baker.

The win jumped the Boxers (13-1) from No. 4 all the way to No. 1 in this week's boys' Top 20. The loss dropped the Knights (14-3), who only spent one week in the top spot, back to No. 2.

Acton-Boxboro also picked up a big win on Friday over Westford Academy to claim the Dual County League (Large) title. The win pushed them from No. 6 to Brockton's old spot at No. 4.

Charlestown has strung eight wins in a row and moved up to No. 13. The Townies (14-3) are finally healthy and looking more like the team we picked this preseason to contend for a Division 1 title.

Lowell fell out of the Top 20 in favor of Franklin, who will play No. 14 Mansfield for bragging rights in the Kelley-Rex Division of the Hockomock League on Tuesday.

Make sure to check out this week's notebook on Mystic Valley's rise from small charter school to Commonwealth Athletic Conference (Small) champs for the first time in school history.

Click here for the Players of the Week and here for a complete list of this week's boy's basketball Top 20.

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

The top eight teams swept the week with wins, while only two Globe girls basketball Top 20 teams lost this week, leaving the poll largely unchanged.

The Andover Golden Warriors remain undefeated in the No. 1 slot, while also undefeated Reading holds put at No. 2. One-loss teams, Arlington Catholic (No.3), Lynn English (No.4), and Braintree (No. 5) round out the top five.

Previously No. 9 Westford lost to Acton-Boxborough 44-41, dropping them to the No. 15 seed. Last week's No. 10, Franklin, lost big to North Attleborough, 68-52, sliding them down to No. 18 in this week's poll.

Moving up this week is Scituate, which won three games in a busy week, also clinching the Patriot League regular season championship with a win over Quincy on Tuesday. Previously No. 11, the Sailors slide up two spots to No. 9.

The biggest jump this week was made by Masconomet, which has won its last five games, including three contests this past week. Wins over Taunton, Triton, and Cambridge catapult the Chieftains to No. 13.

The final team to make any significant movement is Wellesley, which also won three games this week, sliding them up the rankings three spots to No. 10.

See the full Globe girls basketball Top 20 here.

Andover's Nicole Boudreau.
(Winslow Townson / For the Globe)

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Andover girls basketball player Nicole Boudreau is 44 points away from crossing the 2,000-point threshold, something only 59 players in Massachusetts have done before her.

Boudreau, who has led the Golden Warriors to an 18-0 record this season thus far and two straight Division 1 state championships, has average 20.9 points per game in her season year. She scored a season high 32 points against Notre Dame Academy Saturday.

Boudreau and her Andover teammates will visit Billerica Tuesday before hosting Central Catholic on Friday. She has verbally committed to Boston College.

The 2,000-point Club
-- The following are the Massachusetts players who have scored 2,000 or more points during their high school careers.

1. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, New Leadership; 2005-09; 3,061
2. Rebecca Lobo, Southwick; 1987-91; 2,710
3. Jermaine Watson, L-Sud/Tabor/Thayer; 1997-01; 2,665
4. Kristin Feldman, The Learning Center; 1993-00; 2,659
5. Kelsey O’Keefe, Quaboag; 2000-06 ;2,650
6. Bryan Edwards, Cohasset; 1983-88; 2,563
7. Sarah Behn, Foxboro; 1985-90; 2,562
8. Wayne Turner, Beaver Country Day; 1991-95; 2,542
9. Ronnie Perry, Catholic Memorial; 1972-76; 2,481
10. Sean Connolly, Bishop Fenwick; 1995-98; 2,473
11. Mike Bradley, Worcester Burncoat; 1992-97; 2,444
12. Keri Flynn, Rockland; 1996-00; 2,405
13. Ayla Brown, Nobles; 2000-06; 2,358
14. Katie Kerr, Marian; 1992-96; 2,352
15. Adam Harrington, Pioneer Valley; 1994-98; 2,347
16. Robin Christian, Jamaica Plain; 1981-85; 2,332
17. Marvin Safford, Holy Name (Worcester); 1969-73; 2,289
18. Ron Teixeira, Catholic Memorial; 1962-65; 2,250
19. Matt Palazzi, St. John’s (Shrewsbury); 1980-84; 2,239
20. Lekia Cowen, Hopedale; 2005-08; 2,219
21. Jessalyn Deveny, Westford Academy; 1997-01; 2,195
22. Carla Berube, Oxford; 1989-93; 2,190
23. Scoonie Penn, Salem; 1991-95; 2,189
24. Jillian Danker, Minnechaug; 1994-98; 2,179
25. Casey Arena, Bishop Fenwick; 1988-92; 2,166
26. Nicole Wolff, Walpole; 1999-02; 2,164
27. Shaquana McDonough, Learning Center;2006-09; 2,163
28. Jon Garrity, Duxbury; 1968-72; 2,156
29. Gerry Corcoran, Norwell; 1999-03; 2,155
30. Brianne Stepherson, Masconomet; 1992-98; 2,139
31. Naomi Graves, Hampshire Regional; 1975-78; 2,137
32. Lynne-Ann Kokoski, Smith Academy; 2000-04; 2,124
33. Michelle Edwards, Cathedral; 1979-83; 2,121
34. Kevin Miranda, Avon; 2004-07; 2,116
35. Colleen Hession, Williston N’hampton; 1996-02; 2,096
35. Lenworth Williamson, Pingree; 2006-09; 2,096
37. Jen Moussette, Hampshire; 2001-05; 2,094
38. Chris Vetrano, Andover; 2001-04; 2,090
39. Anthony Taylor, North Cambridge; 1990-94; 2,089
40. Duane Anderson, Worcester Vocational; 1987-90; 2,086
41. Jimmy Sullivan, Dom Savio; 1974-78; 2,081
42. Chris Herren, Durfee; 1990-94; 2,073
43. Glenn Gariepy, Bellingham; 1963-66; 2,070
44. Jes Hambley, South Hadley; 1995-99; 2,069
45. Heman Honore, St. Clement; 2003-2006; 2,066
46. Samantha Herrick, Lenox; 1988-92; 2,055
47. Justin Bennett, Learning Center; 1993-98; 2,047
48. Paul Moran, Swampscott; 1982-85; 2,043
49. Shaleyse Smallwood, O’Bryant; 2001-04; 2,037
50. Deric McCottrell, St. Sebastian’s; 2,035
51. Steve Zieja, Hopkins Academy; 1995-99; 2,033
52. Tom Donahue, St. Mary’s (Brookline); 1971-75; 2,031
53. Caitlin Fisher, Beaver Country Day; 1996-00; 2,024
54. Keri Downs, Everett; 1995-99; 2,019
55. Shante Dezrick, Avon; 2005-2010; 2,013
56. Karen Walsh, Old Colony; 1992-96; 2,009
57. Thad Broughton, St. Mary’s; 1998-02; 2,005
58. Bruce Seals, Natick/Ashland; 1994-98; 2,001
59. King Gaskins, Catholic Memorial; 1969-72; 2,000

By Andrew MacDougall, Globe Correspondent

Cardinal Spellman senior Joey Glynn has verbally committed to play basketball at Bentley University this fall.

“I’m very excited this whole process is over,” said Glynn. “[This is] definitely very exciting to me.”

According to Spellman head coach Mike Perry, Bentley offered Glynn a full, four-year scholarship to continue his basketball career with the Falcons.

The 6-foot-5 forward is averaging more than 21 points per game this season for the Cardinals, who are currently 14-4 and third in the Catholic Central League with a 7-3 record.

Last year, Glynn averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game while leading the Cardinals to a 20-5 record and the Division 3 South Sectional title.

Perry thinks that the style of game Glynn likes to play will complement the style of play implemented by Bentley head coach Jay Lawson and the Falcon offense.

“I think it’s a win-win situation for him and for Bentley,” said Perry, “especially considering the type of game they like to play. He’s perfect for them. He’s so unselfish, he’s a very good rebounder, and he can run the floor. At 6-foot-5, he can play numerous positions.

“It’s nice [to coach him] with his size and quickness, and he reacts so well that it's a bonus for us because it’s tough for small guard to guard him. I think for both it’s a win-win.”

Perry stated that Glynn is also excited about the business program that Bentley offers, saying it's "a perfect fit as far as he’s concerned.”

Bentley came out on top over Stonehill, Annapolis, Worcester Poly Tech, and Saint Anselm.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Super Bowl Sunday is a day plenty of New Englanders would like to forget. For friends and family of Mystic Valley Regional's Greg Statho, who became the first player in school history to reach the 1,000 point mark, Sunday was, well, pretty okay.

Statho, a Melrose native, entered Sunday's home game against Notre Dame (Lawrence) needing 10 points to reach the milestone. He finished with 12, hitting his goal with a fast break layup late in the fourth quarter of a 64-40 Eagle victory.

"We stopped the game and had a little ceremony where we gave Greg the ball," said Mystic Valley coach Tony Ferullo, whose team (15-3, 8-1) has already clinched the Commonwealth Athletic Conference (Small) title.

"The first thing [Statho] did was go over to his mother and father (who is blind, but was there at the game) and give them a hug. It was a nice moment," said Ferullo.

“Greg is really a success story," Ferullo continued. "He's come up through the ranks since the fifth grade and although he's not a big player, he's played big. In my nine years at Mystic Valley he's been one of the most productive players we've ever had. When you start naming the best players to attend the school, Greg's name will be right up there."

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

Hebron, ME -- After breaking the Berwick Academy all-time scoring record just weeks ago, Harry Rafferty has hit another milestone, dropping a career-high 47 points against Hebron Academy (ME). His previous career-high was 36, a mark he has hit three times in his four-year career.

The 5-foot-7 co-captain hit six 3-pointers and was 15-for-16 from the charity stripe, while accounting for more than half of the Bulldogs offensive output in the 82-68 win.

Coach Rory Early described it as “just another day at the office” for the three-year Berwick MVP and reigning Eastern Independent League MVP.

“He’s an incredible scorer, he’s been asked to carry the load for the last three years,” Early said of his prized guard. “Great kid and tremendous talent.”

Early contends that if Rafferty were taller he would be a Division 1 scholarship athlete.

Rafferty became the Bulldogs all-time leading scorer in the second half of 60-32 win over Landmark on Jan., 11.

By Colleen Casey, Globe Correspondent

Defense has been key for the Braintree girls' basketball team this season, and last night was no exception. The host Wamps plowed through Bay State Conference foe Brookline, 46-26, improving to 14-1.

“Our defensive intensity was key,” said coach Kristen McDonnell. “By the third and fourth quarter we were just able to wear them down.”

The Wamps stellar defense held the Warriors to only 8 points at the end of the half. Freshman Bridget Herlihy (8 points), a 6-foot-2-inch forward, led the attack with nine rebounds.

“Bridget got the game ball tonight. She had a great well-rounded game,” said McDonnell.

Freshman forward Ashley Russell fueled the Wamps on the other end of the court, scoring 11 points. Senior captain Paige Marshall chipped in 9 points and six assists.

The Wamps have been working hard the past week to bounce back from their only loss of the season to Wellesley, 48-35. They beat Natick by 27 and now Brookline by 20.

“Since our loss last week we’re focusing more on going at it little by little. Possession by possession,” said McDonnell. “I like how we’re playing right now. We’re getting back to just playing basketball. The kids aren’t over thinking about things they’re just going with it.”

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

The Knights (13-2) clinched the Catholic Conference title and the top spot in the new Top 20 this week, with a, 74-57, win over BC High on Friday night, in a game that will be remembered as much for the fight that occurred in the third quarter, as the final.

Central Catholic (13-1) fell out of the top for the first time in five weeks, as No. 15 Lowell handed the Raiders their first home loss in five years.

The loss was Central Catholic's first MVC mishap in its last 53 conference games. Lowell was actually the last conference team to take them down, back in 2008.

Brockton (11-1) handed Newton North its first loss of the season on Sunday and vaulted up to No. 4 as a result. The Tigers (14-1) dropped to No. 5

Stoughton's impressive, 81-60, win over Franklin on Thursday night earned it the No. 3 spot in this weeks rankings. Stoughton was led by Marcus Middleton, who scored 26 points and earned Player of the Week honors for his effort.

At 15-0, No. 16 Wareham is the lone remaining unbeaten.

Franklin, Weymouth, Boston Latin, Lynn English, and Danvers were all tough to leave off this week.

Click here to see the full boys' Top 20.

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

For the second week in a row a Top 5 team has seen their undefeated season come to an end as Braintree lost to Wellesley, falling to 13-1 on the season and to the fifth spot on this week's poll.

With the upset and a win over Newton North, Wellesley moved up two spots to No. 13.

Archbishop Williams had a rough week, dropping four spots to No. 12 after back-to-back losses on Friday and Saturday. Masconomet also feel this week. Despite picking up two wins, they lost to Pentucket, forcing them down to the No. 18 spot.

Scituate continues to climb the standings as their perfect season remains intact (13-0) after they picked up three wins during a busy week.

Slight changes in the bottom 10 round out this week's Top 20 as the 12-20 teams all swept the week with wins.

This week's High School Weekly video profile focuses on Emma Roberson of Arlington Catholic High. It was created by Element Productions and is hosted by Jon Meterparel and Kelly Emerson.

High School Sports Weekly profiles the student-athletes from around the region who make high school athletics so compelling. Check out High School Weekly on Facebook.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

The Minuteman boys' basketball team won a thriller Tuesday night in Lexington, defeating Greater Lowell, 69-64, in an overtime game that featured an improbable comeback and a half-court buzzer-beater.

Senior guard Troy Newton finished with a game-high 23 points for the Mustangs (7-8), 17 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Trailing by 12 points with 5:30 remaining, the Mustangs went on an 8-0 run to cut the Greater Lowell lead to 4.

"The key to our comeback was our defensive pressure," said second year Minuteman coach John Fusco. "We were making them take tough shots, and were solid on the boards, only allowing them one chance a possession."

With under a minute remaining Dylan Caples picked a nice spot for his only 5 points of the game, nailing a game-tying layup and a go-ahead three pointer with only seconds on the clock.

Dominick Dar responded in the final seconds of regulation for the Gryphons (8-7), connecting on a fall-a-way half-court three at the buzzer to send the game into over time at 60 apiece.

"That shot was incredible," said Fusco. "Nothing but net."

Dar led Greater Lowell with 21 points on the night.

"On the first possession of overtime one of our best players (Brendan Kingston, who finished with 14 points) fouled out and I remember thinking that Greater Lowell had all the momentum," said Fusco. "But my guys stepped up."

The Mustangs seized back the momentum in overtime, holding the Gryphons to just 4 points in the extra frame, to pick up their fourth win in the last five games.

"This was just a great basketball game," said Fusco. "My guys refused to lose this one. They just wanted this game and it showed in the way they played."

By Ayoub Kourikchi, Globe Correspondent

The St. Mary’s boys’ basketball team erupted for 60 second-half points, erasing a 17-point halftime deficit (35-18) to sink host Arlington Catholic, 78-63, and take over first place in the Catholic Central Large Monday night.

St. Mary’s (13-3, 7-1) was led by senior captain Nick Gagliolo, who netted 20 of his game-high 29 points in the second half. The talented 6-foot-1 guard also scored his 1,000th career point, in dramatic fashion, drilling a third-quarter buzzer beater on a fallaway jumper in the lane to even the game at 46-all.

“Nick is a three-year starter and it’s a luxury as a coach to have a player like this at this level. He is a leader and has all of the intangibles that make him a special player,” said St. Mary’s coach Kevin Moran. “After he scored his 1,000th point he turned around and said, "Let's take of business and see if we can finish.”

The Spartans matched Gagliolo’s intensity throughout the second half and exploded with 28 third-quarter points after they struggled in the first 16 minutes.

“The match was clearly a game of two halves," said Moran. "We took too many 3-pointers and we didn’t get any offensive rebounds and we didn’t execute offensively in the first half.

“I expected them to go out in the second half with more intensity and they took it upon themselves and convinced each other to start compete at a high level.”

The Spartan’s carried their momentum into the fourth quarter where they outscored the Cougars (10-3, 6-2), 32-17.

“We got the ball moving and a lot of our points came off transition,” said Moran. “Our defensive pressure got better. We stayed in man-to-man defense, and we were more aggressive and we rotated and defended them much better and that created a lot of our offense and it helped us push the ball up and get better looks.”

Senior captain and guard Devin Thomas finished with 15 points and sophomore point guard Randolph Thurman collected 9 points, 9 assists, and 7 steals.

“The kids knocked down the shots and they ran the show tonight and they picked up the momentum,” said Moran.

“I have been coaching at St. Mary’s for eight years and [the team has] never scored 60 in a half and all things considering it’s probably one of the best games we have played in a long time.”

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

With a 52-50 loss to Medford on Wednesday, Lynn English lost its perfect record and its No. 2 seat in the Globe girls' basketball Top 20 this week.

The Bulldogs slip to fourth in the rankings while Medford won its way back into the poll, rounding out the group at No. 20.

Andover's girls escaped a close game with a 53-52 win over Billerica to keep them in the top spot. Despite the loss, the Indians proved they can play with the best teams vaulting them to No. 6 in this week's poll.

The New Bedford Whalers picked up two wins this week, including a 42-41 victory over ranked Fairhaven, moving them up to No. 10.

With the loss, Fairhaven dropped out of this week's rankings, as did Central Catholic, which has lost three of their last four games.

New to the rankings is Bishop Feehan (8-4) at the No. 18 spot.

See the full Globe girls basketball Top 20.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

The boys' basketball Top 20 has been a bit volatile as of late, with the Catholic Conference and Boston City League teams beating up on each other left and right, but here's how things have shaken out this week:

Newton North (12-0) is the new No. 2, followed by two Catholic Conference teams, in Catholic Memorial (11-2) and BC High (11-3), with Acton-Boxboro (13-1) rounding out the top five.

Stoughton's (11-1) impressive win over King Philip (11-2) last week elevated the Black Knights from No. 10 to No. 6.

At 12-1, we've crowned No. 7 Brighton king of the Boston City League, followed by No. 10 Madison Park (12-1), No. 11 New Mission (7-3), No. 18 Charlestown (9-3).

Two undefeateds make their first appearances in the Top 20 this week, in No. 17 Wareham (14-0) and No. 19 Danvers (8-0).

Make sure to check out this week's notebook team, No. 13 Brockton (9-1). It'll be interesting to see if they can avoid the cure of the notebook, as both Boston Latin and Reading have fallen out of the Top 20 since being featured.

Click here to see the complete boys' basketball Top 20

In the latest episode of High School Weekly, meet King Philip's Jake Layman, who is averaging 24 points per game for the 11-2 Warriors.

High School Sports Weekly profiles the student-athletes from around the region who make high school athletics so compelling. Check out High School Weekly on Facebook.

By Kendall Salter, Globe correspondent

It all starts with the bricks.

At the start of every season, players on the boys’ basketball team at Mystic Valley Regional Charter school brings two bricks to practice. They are instructed to bind those bricks with electrical tape, to make them easier to carry.

Then they run. Then some basketball drills. Then more running, bricks and all.

Tony Ferullo is an old school coach. He stresses conditioning, tempo, traps and maximum effort. His players practice as hard as they play, one cohesive unit spurred on by a consistent rallying cry:

Play hard. Play smart. Play together.

Brick by brick, Ferullo built a championship contender.

On Friday night, the Eagles (10-2) clinched their first Commonwealth Athletic Conference small school division title with a 70-53 road win over Minuteman Tech. After a tight opening three quarters, Mystic Valley pulled away in the final frame.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Ferullo said. “I’m very proud of my players. Seeing them come off the court tonight, you see that hard work really pays off.”

The Eagles’ rise to the top was an unusual one. Ferullo started working at Mystic Valley, a small K-12 charter school in Malden, nine years ago. He was charged with the task of building the school’s basketball program from scratch. Ferullo began working with fifth and sixth graders and starting on the ground floor has paid off for the long-time varsity coach.

The school joined the Commonwealth Athletic Conference seven years ago, but Mystic Valley competes against many larger schools, and the team struggled to win in past seasons. Eventually results started to go the Eagles’ way.

“I’ve built this program up for the past nine years,” Ferullo said. “Last season was our best season.”

Until now.

Mystic Valley’s squad has seven seniors, an experienced group that includes some who have played for Ferullo for four years. Each player fills a role in the coach’s system. Senior Greg Statho is a prolific scorer and is just 26 points away from topping 1,000 for his career. Forward Ben Bottrell averages almost 20 points a game. Senior Joey Foley and junior Hari Perisic are a pair of all-purpose guards. They all play a ferocious brand of press-and-trap defense. That balanced formula paid remarkable dividends.

As Friday’s game ended, Ferullo recalled the years of hard work that he and long-time assistant Don Breault have put into the program, and the players who put in so much work.

“What I remembered most was that we built this thing the right way from the ground up,” Ferullo said. “The nice thing is that we like to build a family atmosphere. This senior group is the best group I’ve ever had.”

Now they will be able to raise a championship banner in their brand new gymnasium.

“This was our first year with a home gym,” said Ferullo. “After nine years of waiting, they get to put a basketball banner up there. A lot of the kids were telling us tonight that next year they are going to come in and take a look at that banner.”

Despite clinching the division, the Eagles don’t plan to coast through the remainder of the season. That’s not Ferullo’s way. Just hours after winning the first title in school history, he was already looking ahead at the possibility of postseason play.

“We don’t rest on our laurels,” Ferullo said. “Let’s try to get as many wins as we can. The goal is to get better every day.”

But no matter how this season ends, Ferullo will continue to be proud of his team. At the annual season-ending banquet, the longtime coach buys a brick for each senior as a parting gift. He considers it a token of his appreciation. That way, his players will always be able to carry Ferullo’s advice with them, engraved on a small plaque attached to each brick:

Play hard. Play smart. Stay together.

By Ryan Mooney, Globe correspondent

The Lady Bulldogs will almost certainly be falling in the rankings after this one.

Senior captain Tania Holmes scored a career-high 37 points and the Medford girls' basketball team stunned second-ranked Lynn English, 52-50, at Cooper Gymnasium.

"It was back and forth," Medford coach Leo Burke said. "It was a game of runs and we survived their runs and held on down the stretch."

Junior forward Aleah McAusland-Ace chipped in eight points, six of them in the fourth quarter, and senior captain Emily Welch pulled down 10 rebounds for the Mustangs (8-5) in dealing the Bulldogs their first loss of the season.

"They missed a few shots, we rebounded at crucial times down the stretch and got the ball to Tania who's our best foul shooter," Burke said.

English (11-1) went on a run late in the second quarter and hit a shot at the buzzer to take a 26-25 lead into halftime, but could not finish the job.

"I told them they were coming to Medford undefeated, they are very well coached and a very talented team, but if we play as a team we have a chance to win," Burke said. "It was a total team effort tonight."

By Zac Vierra, Globe correspondent

When Malden Catholic and St. John's Prep played in Danvers Jan. 6, the No. 5 Eagles won in a rout, 90-49.

Last night Tuesday night in Malden it was a completely different story. The Lancers upset the Eagles, 72-71, on a last-second shot by junior Kyle Sangster, who scored all of his 16 points in the second half.

The Lancers trailed all game until Sangster's leaner in the lane with four seconds remaining.

"It was not the play we designed," said Malden Catholic coach Jim McCune. "Kyle got the ball at the key and worked his way into the lane and rolled one in. He made a great play and came up big."

Junior center John Mastascusa had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 blocks as he anchored the defense for the Lancers.

"John is very active getting to the ball," said McCune. "He has great timing and did a great job on help defense as most of his blocks came on help defense."

Twin brothers Jared Lewis and Jordan Lewis also chipped in for MC with 11 and 12 points, respectively. McCune praised Jordan's night running the point for the Lancers.

"Jordan did a tremendous job getting the ball up the floor against mostly man-to-man press all night," said McCune.

Senior guard Steve Haladyna had 32 points for the Eagles.

By Seth Lakso, Globe correspondent

Stoughton's Aaron Calixte and King Philip's Jake Layman put on a show last night in front of a capacity crowd at King Philip High School in Wrentham.

Calixte, a point guard, finished with 29 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead the 10th-ranked Black Knights to a 73-69 victory over the 15th-ranked Warriors.

"This was a huge win for us," said Stoughton coach John Gallivan. "Everybody knows that these are two teams that hope to be around deep in the Division 2 South tournament. If that game goes on another two minutes, I don't know if we're coming out of there with a win."

Layman, who has committed to the University of Maryland, finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks for the Warriors, going basket-for-basket with Calixte.

"Defensively, our plan going in was to just throw everything we had at [Layman] and see what would stick," said Gallivan, whose team switched from man to zone in the third quarter to try to slow down Layman.

Calixte came out aggressive, scoring 13 first-quarter points, as Stoughton jumped to a 19-11 lead. However, the Warriors closed on a 7-2 run, highlighted by a Layman dunk and a Christian Fair 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Black Knights, who committed just three turnovers in the first half, closed the second quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 44-36 lead into the half.

The Warriors came out on a mission in the second half, with the 6-foot-8-inch Layman knocking down a 3-pointer on the opening possession. Fair's second three tied the score at 47 with 3:40 to play in the third.

In the final second of the third, Layman hit his second triple of the quarter to bring the Warriors within 53-52.

The final frame belonged to Calixte (10 points) and teammate Marcus Middleton (8 points, 20 overall), who combined to score 18 of the Black Knights' 20 points.

With the Warriors forced to foul, Stoughton went 14 for 18 from the line in the final quarter.

"Aaron's a gutsy player," said Gallivan. "He was cramping up for the last half of the fourth quarter, but he wouldn't let us take him out. He looks like he's been playing here for about 10 years, it's hard to believe he's only halfway through his junior year.

"If Jake [Layman] is '1A' in this league, then Aaron's probably '1B,'" said Gallivan.

Boys basketball

Norwell 60...Rockland 53
Captains Peter Marchetti (20 points) and Nick Volpe (19 points) led the Clippers (11-0) over the Bulldogs (11-2) in a battle of the top two teams in the South Shore League.

Chelsea 74...Revere 64

Sean Quiroz scored a season-high 27 points and Sammy Mojica added 23 and nine rebounds as the Red Devils beat the rival Patriots.

Boys hockey

Central Catholic 5...Austin Prep 2

Zach Cote's two goals helped the eight-ranked Raiders (6-2-2) rally from down 2-1 entering the third period to defeat the 13th-ranked Cougars. Jake Donahue netted the eventual game winner midway through the third and Ryan Daigle added three assists.

Catholic Memorial 3...Weymouth 0

Junior forward Jack O'Hear netted two goals to lead the 12th-ranked Knights (4-5, 1-1).

Girls hockey

Norwood 6...Scituate 1

Sophomore Emily Kelly scored three goals to lead the 11th-ranked Mustangs.

Belmont 5...Needham 1

Senior captain Shannon Reynolds had a goal as the seventh-ranked Marauders improved to 10-2.

For a look at all the scores from Monday, click here, and make sure to weigh in on the new Globe Top 20's.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Central Catholic further solidified its spot atop the Globe boys basketball Top 20 this week after a convincing, 80-56, win over No. 5 St. John's Prep on Sunday.

Lawrence and Newton North round out the top three after a turbulent week of play. (Update) Hours after the Lancers earned their No. 2 ranking they fell to Cathedral, 73-69.

Catholic Memorial dropped a spot to No. 4 after losing on Tuesday to BC High (now No. 6). BC High then lost to St. John's Prep on Friday, proving just how tight things are in the Catholic Conference.

The Boston City League had plenty of movement as well, with Madison Park continuing its rise up the rankings. The Cardinals, who defeated a banged up No. 17 Charlestown team, 81-69, on Thursday, now sit at No. 7. East Boston's loss to No. 8 North Andover, caused them to slide from No. 4 last week to No. 12.

No. 18 Mansfield saw its 27-game winning streak in the Hockomock League come to an end at the hands of Franklin on Friday.

Last week's notebook team, Boston Latin, faced its first real test in Catholic Memorial on Saturday and lost by 20. However they'll have another chance to show they belong when they travel to No. 9 Acton-Boxboro this Friday.

After winning their last 10 games the Rockets of Reading earned a promotion to No. 19 and a spot in this week's notebook.

Be sure to check out the Players of the Week as well.

See the full Globe boys basketball Top 20 here.

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

After finding themselves ranked second in the first Globe girls basketball Top 20 of the season, New Bedford picked up two quick losses to drop themselves out of the standings the following week.

But the Whalers have gone on a winning streak to improve to 10-2 and have climbed back into the rankings, sitting at No. 14 in this week's Top 20.

The top five saw a shakeup this week with No. 5 Archbishop Williams falling to Archbishop Malloy, sliding them down to No. 8 in this week's poll. After picking up two more wins this week, Arlington Catholic has moved into the top five.

The bottom of the rankings saw some shifting as well. Central Catholic (No. 18), Falmouth (No. 20), Medford (unranked) and Woburn (No. 16) all dropped games this week.

See the full Globe girls basketball Top 20 here.

By Hannah Becker, Globe correspondent

The Coyle & Cassidy boys' basketball team picked up its first victory of the season Wednesday night with an overtime win at Bristol-Plymouth, 62-61.

With six seconds left in extra time, senior forward Matt Perkins (5 points, eight rebounds) picked up a loose ball in the Warriors end, then sank a layup to give Coyle & Cassidy the 1-point lead. Perkins was fouled on the play but missed the free throw.

“He’s a great hustler, an undersized power forward who plays hard every minute,” Coyle & Cassidy coach Carl Boen said.

The Warriors (1-10) found themselves in an early deficit, trailing the Craftsmen, 27-22, at the half.

But adjustments from the coaches and a stellar second half from senior point guard Keoghan Austin (13 points) put Coyle & Cassidy within reach of victory as the game wound down.

“(Austin) took over the game,” Boen said.

Coyle & Cassidy switched its defense up in the second half, moving into a 3-2 matchup zone, to slow the pace.

“We’re a little bigger team,” Boen said. “A bit slower. So slowing down the pace definitely helped us.”

The Warriors missed key shots at the end of regulation, a 3-pointer from Austin that would have put them up by 5 and a free throw with five seconds left that would have given Coyle & Cassidy the lead by a point.

“The kids were confident going into overtime,” Boen said. “(Austin) is just a confident player, that’s just his style. If he misses a shot, he’s going to go make the next one.”

The Warriors found themselves down by 5 early in the four-minute OT, but they once again were able to climb back, hitting two key 3-point field goals.

“It wasn’t a real high-scoring game, but it certainly picked up in the overtime,” Boen said.

Coyle & Cassidy netted a 3-pointer with 1:30 remaining and hit another shot with 40 seconds left to get within 1 point of the win.

But it was Perkins's late layup that gave the Warriors that coveted first victory.

“We’ve lost a lot of close games, so it was a good win," Boen said. "Losing is one thing, but losing a lot of close ones is tough. So it was definitely a big win.”

In the latest episode of High School Weekly, field reporter Brooke Knowlton profiles Catholic Memorial's Matt Droney, the second two-time captain for the Knights' program.

High School Sports Weekly profiles the student-athletes from around the region who make high school athletics so compelling. Check out High School Weekly on Facebook.

Today, McDonald's announced its list of nominees for the 2012 McDonald's All-American Basketball Games. Five of the 600 announced nominees are from Massachusetts schools.

Among the list are four males and one female from the area.

Boys

Jake Layman, King Philip; Ricardo Ledo, Notre Dame Prep; Nik Stauskas, St. Mark's; Kaleb Tarczewski, St. Mark's.

Girls

Lexi Sells, Bishop Feehan.

The final 24 boys and girls selected to play in the 2012 Games will be announced during McDonald's All-American Games Selection Show on ESPNU, airing Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. The girls will play Mar. 28 at 7 p.m. at Chicago's United Center and will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The boys will play at the same venue and will start at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Central Catholic remains atop the Globe boys basketball Top 20 this week, after pulling out an overtime win against cross-town rival No. 8 Lawrence on Friday.

There are three new editions to this week's top 5 (BC High, Catholic Memorial, and East Boston). After a slow start to the season, the Eagles have won six in a row, holding all six opponents (including No. 9 St. John's Prep and Fitchburg) to under 55 points.

Catholic Memorial checks in at No. 3. after becoming the latest team to beat up on a St. John's Prep team that's quickly falling out of the Catholic Conference title race. Tuesday's game at BC High should have a big impact on next week's Top 20.

East Boston checks in at No. 4, and could easily be higher, just don't tell Jet's coach Malcolm Smith. They'll drop in the rankings if an Eastern Massachusetts team ever beats them.

At 11-1 on the season, Boston Latin made this week's notebook, as well as, No. 15.

King Philip, led by EMass's second leading scorer, Jake Layman, is back in the Top 20, at No. 18, after being the last team out last week.

No. 17 Mansfield may very well be the team to beat in the Hockomock after handling No. 10 Stoughton, 73-66, last Tuesday.

See the full Globe boys basketball Top 20 here.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Some of the best high school basketball players in the country will be in Boston this weekend, playing in the 2012 BABC Prep School Classic. Six games will be held in total, two Saturday, and all at the Kroc Salvation Army Community Center on Dudley Street in Boston.

Fans won't have to wait long to see two of the best in action.

In the first game Saturday Tilton will face Notre Dame Prep at 3 p.m. Tilton is led by 6-11 center and Everett-native Nerlens Noel. Noel is ranked second in ESPN's class of 2013. Notre Dame Prep also has a presence in the middle in 7-foot center and New Zealand native Steve Adams. Adams has already signed with the University of Pittsburgh and will be making his playing debut with Notre Dame.

The complete schedule:

Saturday, January 14
3:00 PM Tilton School (NH) vs. Notre Dame Prep (MA)
4:45 PM Wilbraham & Monson (MA) vs. Marianapolis Prep (CT)

Sunday, January 15
1:00 PM Brimmer & May (MA) vs. Putnam Science Academy (CT)
2:30 PM Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) vs. Worcester Academy (MA)
4:00 PM Rivers School (MA) vs. Boston Trinity Academy (MA)
5:30 PM Marianapolis Prep (CT) vs. Winchendon School (MA)

And the BABC's Jay Demings supplied this list of the top players competing:

Myles Davis - ND Prep - Xavier
Adonis Filer - ND Prep - Clemson
Mandell Thomas - ND Prep - Fordham
Georges Niang - Tilton - Iowa State
Dominique Bull - Tilton - Missouri
Kevin Crescenzi - Tilton - Dartmouth
Evan Cummins - NMH - Harvard
Tommy Carpenter - NMH - Dartmouth
Sam Cassell, Jr. - NMH - Undecided
Ethan O’Day - NMH - Vermont
Nick Lund - Rivers School - Claremont McKenna
Akosa Maduegbunam - Winchendon - Penn State
Tevin Falzon - Winchendon - Sacred Heart
Jake Fay - Brimmer & May - Fordham

Tickets to the event are $10 per day for adults, $5 per day for students and senior citizens. For the schedule and directions to the BABC Prep Classic, visit thebabc.com.

By Hannah Becker, Globe Correspondent

With his 24-point effort in Berwick Academy’s 60-32 win over Landmark on Wednesday night, senior guard Harry Rafferty became the school’s all-time leading scorer.

Rafferty broke the record of 1,394, set by John Fagan in 2003, at the 13:35 mark of the second half with his 15th and 16th points of the night. The school record now is 1,404 points, which Rafferty will look to increase as the season progresses.

Rafferty knew the record was in reach for the road game and had his parents, brother, sister, aunt, and grandmother in attendance, according to Berwick Academy coach Rory Early.

“It was no surprise,” Early said.

The school will recognize Rafferty’s achievement by having his name added to a plaque with the school’s other 1,000-point scorers, according to Early.

“Harry is just a tremendous competitor, he has worked his behind off,” Early said. “I have watched him mature from a young boy to a young man.”

Rafferty is the reigning Eastern Independent League MVP.

“He has been nothing short (of an MVP),” Early said. “He represents the league with class and character.”

Early is in his second season guiding the Bulldogs and credits Rafferty with making his transition to head coach seamless.

“He’s a tremendous student of the game,” Early said. “I’m a fortunate coach to be able to have someone like that who makes my job so much easier.”

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

The Hoophall Classic, which ranks among the premier high school and prep basketball events in the country each year, is set to tip off at Springfield College on Thursday Jan. 12 and run through Jan. 16.

Six of the top eight teams in the country will be in attendance, highlighted by top-ranked Neal F. Simeon of Chicago, No. 2 Oak Hill Academy of Virginia, and No. 4 St. Anthony of New Jersey, which blew out New Mission, 68-25, in the Shooting Touch Shootout back in December.

Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, led by Shabazz Muhammad, who's ranked No. 1 in the class of 2012 will also be in attendance.

ESPN plans to air seven games, as well as the skills competition, set for Sunday at 8:30.

Sunday's 4 p.m. game between Brewster Academy and the Tilton School, both of New Hampshire, which will be on ESPN, will include Nerlens Noel, the No. 2 ranked player in the class of 2013.

There's also a dose of local talent, with the Globe's No. 1 team Central Catholic scheduled to play on Thursday, and St. Mark’s and Notre Dame Prep lacing up on Sunday.

Click here for the complete schedule

Here’s some highlights and interviews from last year’s Hoophall Classic:

2011 Spalding Hoophall Classic Recap from Basketball Hall of Fame on Vimeo.

In the latest episode of High School Weekly, get to know Wayland's dynamic guard Jaleel Bell who has helped lead the Warriors to a 5-2 record.

High School Sports Weekly profiles the student-athletes from around the region who make high school athletics so compelling. Check out High School Weekly on Facebook.

By Craig Forde, Globe Correspondent

In leading the Burke girls’ basketball team to 13 Boston City League championships, John Rice has seen plenty of milestones, but in his first year of coaching the girls at Fenway High School, he got a taste of something new.

Senior guard Kayla Cox, who collected 13 points and seven steals in a 69-40 victory at Madison Park Tuesday, became the second Fenway player this season to surpass the 1,000-point mark for her career.

“It’s such an honor for a student-athlete to get this far,” said Rice. “It’s a tremendous milestone.”

Junior guard Taj Veiga, who hit the 1,000-point mark back December 20 against Latin Academy, had a game-high 25 points and 11 assists to lead Fenway (4-2, 4-0), which remains undefeated in City League play.

“It’s nice to have a backcourt like this,” said Rice. “They work well together. [Veiga] is our quarterback and directs the team well. [Cox] really has no weaknesses to speak of.”

Rice is looking to repeat the success he had while with Burke and he intends to lean on his high scoring backcourt to bring Fenway their first city title.

“We’ve been running a lot more sets and trying to really elevate the system,” said Rice. “Before they were more of a free-flowing team, but we’ve been pulling in the reigns and getting geared up with the city teams to prepare ourselves for the tournament.”

Cox and Veiga are also highly skilled on the defense end of the court, helping Fenway force 34 turnovers against Madison Park.

“Taj plays awesome D and does what she has to for Fenway to win,” said Rice. “Kayla has so much energy and is an excellent defender.”

In all four of their victories, Fenway has held its opponent to 40 points or fewer and its average margin of victory is a whopping 44 points.

Their only two losses have come at the hands of the third-ranked Arlington Catholic (7-0) squad.

In this YouTube video, Wareham's Darien Fernandez chucks up a halfcourt 3-pointer against Cardinal Spellman. The video made ESPN's top plays. Check it out.

By Ryan MacInnis, Globe Correspondent

Entering Monday night's Cape Ann matchup against visiting Amesbury, Masconomet Regional senior guard Brooke Steward was 23 points shy of 1,000 career points.

The Chieftains’ 6-foot-1 captain scored her 23rd point on a made free throw with 1:41 left in the second quarter.

“I basically shut my life off from March to August and traveled with the Lawrence Rivals to play in tournaments all over the U.S and it made my game so much better” said Stewart.

The William and Mary commit finished the night with 26 points and 15 rebounds without stepping on the floor in the second half in their 63-46 victory over Amesbury.

“I am so thrilled for Brooke” said 10-year coach Bob Romeo.
“The way she did it was probably the best way to do it. She rebounded, ran the floor and made crucial free throws. She’s the type of girl I can push hard that knows there’s always room for improvement.”

The win puts the Chieftains at 4-1 with Stewart averaging 24.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

In attendance was her older sister, Caroline, a member of the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound club at Masconomet who is a senior forward on the women's team at Boston University.

“It’s a special time for us” said the elder Stewart. “I try to get to every game I can and I always tell her to keep rebounding.”

With an ultimate goal of going to the Garden, Brooke has another goal for the 2011-2012 season.

“I want to beat my sister in points” said Stewart who is chasing an impressive 1,329 points, 1,089 rebounds. “I’ve already done the math and I know I can beat her.”

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Stop if you’ve heard this one before, but Central Catholic has claimed the top spot in the first Top 20 of the new year for boys’ basketball. The Raiders are off to a 7-0 start, and coming off a 10 point win over rival Andover this past Friday.

Charlestown (4-1) falls to No. 2 after a loss to defensive-minded East Boston team on Dec. 20.

The defending Division 1 state champion Eagles (6-1) anchor the No. 3 spot, but after a 53-47 loss to BC High on Jan. 3, St. John’s Prep certainly has much to prove.

Two unbeatens in Stoughton (6-0) and Newton North (6-0) round out the top 5. The Globe North’s feature on the Tigers is a must read.

Acton-Boxboro jumps up eight spots to No. 7, and would have been higher if it weren’t for the clunker they put up against No. 18 Westford on Friday.

At No. 13 it’s safe to say we believe in Madison Park, which was previously unranked. The Cardinals (6-1) ability to play defense and bang down low make then a team no one should be exited to play.

In total, there are seven newcomers to this week’s Top 20 (Weymouth 6-0, Madison Park 6-1, Oliver Ames 5-1, Boston Latin 8-1, Westford 8-2, North Andover 4-1, and Reading 6-1).

Teams to watch out for in next week's poll include: Andover, King Philip, and Danvers, which smoked a Keandre Stanton-less Lynn English by 30 on Friday.

See the full Globe boys’ basketball Top 20 here.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Nine undefeated teams and 10 newcomers mark the first Top 20 of the new year for girls' basketball. But with all the changes in the rankings, one team remained constant, Andover.

The defending Division 1 state champion Golden Warriors remain unbeaten at 8-0. Andover is 35-1 over the past two seasons. The next three teams are also unbeaten with Lynn English moving up from No. 15 to take the No. 2 spot at 8-0. These two schools could meet in the Division 1 North sectional finals if they remain unbeaten.

Arlington Catholic, last year's Division 2 state champion, is No. 3 with a 7-0 mark. AC knocked off St. Mary's last Friday in a matchup of MIAA state champions (St. Mary's won Division 3).

At No. 4 is Middlesex League Large power Reading (6-0). The Rockets and AC appear headed to a showdown in the Division 2 North tourney.

Westford is the only member of the preseason Top 20 to hold its place, taking the No. 5 spot at 9-1. Other undefeated teams in the Top 20 include Oliver Ames, Braintree, Medfield, Scituate, and Franklin.

See the full Globe girls basketball Top 20 here.

The Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) has released the schedule for the fourth annual Prep School Classic. There are six games in total, scheduled to be played on Jan. 14 and 15 at the Kroc Center in Dorchester.

Saturday, January 14

3:00 PM Tilton School (NH) vs. Notre Dame Prep (MA)
4:45 PM Wilbraham & Monson (MA) vs. Marianapolis Prep (CT)

Sunday, January 15

1:00 PM Brimmer & May (MA) vs. Putnam Science Academy (CT)
2:30 PM Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) vs. Worcester Academy (MA)
4:00 PM Rivers School (MA) vs. Boston Trinity Academy (MA)
5:30 PM Marianapolis Prep (CT) vs. Winchendon School (MA)

By Kendall Salter, Globe Correspondent

It wasn't the final score that made Falmouth girls basketball's 60-44 win over Bourne special.

The Clippers notched another important road win to increase their record to 8-1 and Falmouth is well on its way to defending its title as Atlantic Coast League co-champions. That was all well and good.

What really impressed head coach Bob Buscher was the individual performance of sophomore guard Grace Geary. She put on a dazzling display against the host Canalmen in Saturday's nonleague matchup, scoring 32 points in the convincing win.

Buscher was effusive in his praise of Falmouth's star-in-the-making.

"This young lady is one of the top players around," Buscher said. "In crucial moments, we set everything for her to get the ball."

Geary, who also started as a freshman on last year's championship-winning squad—has been a consistent producer for the Clippers, tallying 25, 19 and now 32 points in her last three games. Scorching the nets is far from her only skill.

"She is the best passer that I have ever seen," said Buscher, who has been involved in coaching since 1993. "She puts the ball where you want it. She understands how to play."

Geary also contributed four steals and eight assists.

Along with center Elizabeth Knox, the Clippers' second high scorer, the duo create what Buscher hopes will be a tandem that is tough to tackle. Buscher said that Knox has developed a move that he likens to one of Kevin McHale's trademark post tactics.

The rest of the Clippers' rotation coalesces into cohesive unit that creates defensive pressure through quickness while also contributing in other crucial aspects of the game.

Having two players carry a large portion of the scoring load helps, too.

"Everyone fell into their roles," Buscher said. "They can do their thing. There isn't as much pressure to do too much. "

Falmouth currently sits atop the Atlantic Coast League. Buscher sounded confident in his team's chances to stay there.

"I like what we do. We are so small, but we are quick," Buscher said.

By Colleen Casey, Globe Correspondent

After trailing Winthrop 47-42 late in the fourth quarter, the Peabody girl’s basketball team made a spectacular comeback to defeat the Vikings, 52-51. Senior forward Katie Burnelle swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer to secure the Tanners' thrilling victory.

Burnelle (11 points) is no stranger to pressure shots. She scored the winning goal in the Division 1 state soccer finals with 3:26 remaining against Longmeadow. Junior Victoria Digiacomo, also a member of the championship soccer team, dove on the loose ball under the basket and kicked it out to Burnelle for the winning shot.

“Those two were stars on the soccer teams. They know what it’s like to be in clutch situations,” said coach Jane Heil. “We rely on them in key situations. The last minute and a half you need people to step up. Diving on the ball and kicking it out like that is athleticism, smarts and part good luck.”

The Tanners (4-3) latest victory puts them in the middle of the pack of the Northeastern North Division. The Vikings (4-4) sit in the center of the South Division.

“(The win) puts us above .500,” said Heil. “Tonight showed we don’t give up. When you’re down five points at the end of the game it’s pretty tough. You just have to keep playing hard and that’s what we did.”

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

East Boston epitomized winning ugly last night, going 3-of-27 from the free throw line in the second half before eking out a 61-59 win at Madison Park in a Boston City League showdown.

“I’m disappointed in my team because of those free throws right there,” said East Boston coach Malcolm Smith. “We’ll never shoot that bad again. It’s not about me keeping them in the gym for six straight hours shooting free throws. It’s about checking yourself as a young man.”

Patrick Santos's steal and ensuing layup in the opening seconds of play set the tone for the No. 19 Jets (5-2), whose swarming defense was the difference in the game.

The loss was the first of the season for the Cardinals (6-1), who committed 31 turnovers, playing without starters Joy O’Shea and Dane Lawladownie.

“Anytime you’re missing two starters it’s going to be tough,” said Madison Park Coach Dennis Wilson. “[Joy] O’Shea is my leading scorer and Dane [Lawiadownie] is one of my best defenders. That’s like [Brandon] Bass and Ray Allen to me, so you do the math.”

Travon Moore led the Jets with 12 points, followed by Algeno Jean, who netted nine off the bench.

Eastie carried a 40-27 lead into halftime, despite being out rebounded by a 22-11 margin.

Madison Park made a concerted effort to work the ball down low and play physical in the second half, forcing East Boston over the foul limit with 2:01 to play in the third quarter.

Rayshaw Matthews led the Cardinals with a game-high 19 points, but it was forwards Dakim Murray (18 points, 16 rebounds) and David Stewart (12 rebounds, 7 points) that keyed the comeback attempt.

“Our strength is Dakim Murray,” said Wilson. “Our strength is down low, where people can make plays, and we looked for that in the second half.”

East Boston’s dismal shooting from the line allowed the Cardinals to climb within four points after Shaquille Leather’s put-back with 4:55 remaining in the third made the score 40-36.

Momentum swung back and forth for the remainder of the third, with East Boston entering the fourth up 51-41.

Madison Park cut the Jet's lead to three, 60-57, with 50 seconds remaining, but failed to convert on a desperation three in the final seconds.

“We only have ourselves to blame,” Wilson said. “We missed too many foul shots and [committed] too many turnovers and that’s what happens with a young team, but we’ll be back.

“I’m proud of my kids,” added Wilson. “They’ve got to grow up. They’re cubs right now, they’ll be lions one day.”

Smith downplayed the win, but was happy to have it.

“With East Boston it’s a turbulent ride in the jet all the time, OK, and we’re up and down and everything else,” he said. “I knew that [comeback] was going to happen, I just didn’t know it was going to happen that ugly.

“We played a terrible game,” continued Smith, “but that’s a testament to Madison Park. We’ll work on our mistakes. I’ll always take a win. I’m happy about the win, I’m not happy how we got it, but hey, when it comes down to it, there’s a win, there’s a loss, we got the ‘W’.”

The Jets are quietly building an impressive resume of wins this season with victories over No. 1 Charlestown, Archbishop Carroll (PA), and now Madison Park.

By Ryan MacInnis, Globe Correspondent

LAWRENCE -- In a packed home bout, Central Catholic's girls basketball team looked to snap Andover’s undefeated streak going into Thursday night’s game. Instead, they were felled for the second time this season against the Golden Warriors, 53-42.

Andover (7-0) was slow to start, giving up turnovers and missing open layups, but still leading Central Catholic by four points going into the half.

As Andover walked into the locker room, coach Jim Tildsley knew he had to light a fire under his No. 1 ranked Golden Warriors if they wanted to win. Senior captain and Boston College commit Nicole Boudreau was held to only eight points the first two quarters, with Andover up 29-25.

In the second half, Andover looked like a new team, allowing only seven points in the third quarter as Central Catholic (3-2) struggled to beat the Golden Warriors' press.

Central Catholic's Casey McLaughlin scored 16 points to lead her team while Boudreau led Andover with 23 points, including five 3-pointers in the second half.

In this edition of High School Weekly, a look at the ultra fast Rivers point guard Carlon Haymon.

High School Sports Weekly profiles the student-athletes from around the region who make high school athletics so compelling. Check out High School Weekly on Facebook.

By Zac Vierra, Globe correspondent

The final 2 of Brenna Diggins's career-high 31 points proved to be the difference as the junior scored a layup as time expired to propel No. 16 Norwell (7-1) over 18th-ranked Harwich, 63-62, Tuesday.

Clipper coach Matt Marani described the 31-point, 13-rebound performance by Diggins the best game of her three-year varsity career.

“Every time we got her the ball she finished,” said Marani. “She played a complete game.”

Although the monster game by Diggins helped set the pace for Norwell, it was a little play by senior captain Darci Vierra that got them the win.

With the Clippers trailing by 1 with five seconds remaining and inbounding the ball under their own basket, Marani called for a play that would throw the ball to the other end of the court. When the pass was overthrown it looked like it would go out of bounds but Vierra hustled down the court, saved the ball from going out and found Diggins, who was trailing the play, for the winning basket.

“Darci beat everyone down the court and for her to get her hand on the ball was outstanding,” said Marani.

The Rough Riders played Norwell tough all game and scored 62 points against a Clipper defense that had not allowed more than 38 points before this contest.

Jen Gonsalves led Harwich with 21 points including a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left to tie the game and a go-ahead trey with five seconds remaining.

“Everyone knew she was taking that shot at the end of the game,” said Marani. “We double teamed her and she still made the shot over a 6-footer.”

Even with Gonsalves’s clutch threes, the Clippers came away victorious thanks to Diggins, Vierra, and senior Ryanne Williams who added 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists for the victors.

“This win gives us life,” said Marani. “It is a reminder to give effort going into a tough game with Abington on Friday.”

By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent

In one of its best performances of the season, Medway pinned a 52-45 loss Tri-Valley League foe Dover-Sherborn Tuesday behind junior point guard Matt Ozzella’s 22 points and 20 rebounds.

“In the league, every game’s a rock fight,” said Mustangs coach Jay Rojee. “But this game was definitely one of our better top-to-bottom performances from everyone."

With the victory, the Mustangs stand atop the Tri-Valley League at 4-1. Dover-Sherborn drops to 3-2.

The Mustangs led, 29-27, at the end of the half then pulled to 37-37 at the end of the third quarter. Mike Barry's defense on D-S leading scorer, Ned Linehan, was a key according to the coach.

The Mustangs sealed the game on sophomore Andrew Henry's 3-pointer.

The 6-foot-3-inch collected seven offensive rebounds in the fourth.

“Matt is tall and quick and gets to the basket. He’s one of the quickest point guards I’ve ever seen,” said Rojee.

Ozzella averages 16 points and 12 rebounds per game.

“He has the whole package,” he said.

By Kendall Salter, Globe Correspondent

Winthrop girls' basketball coach Ignacio Oyola ended up working late Friday night. Unlike most, he didn't mind.

The Vikings rallied to beat the visiting Warriors of Wayland, 57-51, in triple overtime, sending Oyola's squad to 4-3. For the second-year coach, this victory was a special one, given the unusual circumstances.

"This was my first triple-overtime game," an enthusiastic Oyola said. "What I liked was the spirit of my basketball team to come back."

The Vikings trailed by 7 points at halftime, but were able to tie the game before the end of regulation.

There was still plenty of work left to do.

"I told them we came this far. Stay confident," Oyola said. "We wanted to make sure we played defense."

The encouragement paid off. The Vikings allowed 7 points in the first overtime, and just 2 in the second. Then, the Vikings' offense finally picked up. Freshman center Kristin Siscamanis made two free throws to tie the game at the end of the second overtime.

It was just one moment in a big night for Siscamanis, who was just inserted into the starting lineup three games ago. The first-year standout notched 12 points and 14 rebounds.

"She has really stood out for us on offense," Oyola said of his new starter.

Three-pointers from Ashelyne Babb and Angelina Favaloro in the third extra period accounted for the winning margin, allowing Winthrop to finish off their long night with a crucial victory.

"I think this was big," Oyola said."Hopefully it will help us to continue on and give us confidence."

This week's High School Weekly features Weston girls basketball player Saliah Serrette, the Dual County League's co-MVP last season. Host Jon Meterparel and reporter Kelly Emerson have the story.

By Andrew Macdougall, Globe Correspondent

Outstanding performances by Archbishop Williams senior forwards Brian Sullivan and Tim Andrea helped catapult the Bishops to a 63-37 win over Cristo Rey Thursday night.

Sullivan finished with a game-high 28 points, while Andrea added a triple-double of 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists in addition to drawing five charging calls.

“[Sullivan and Andrea] are our two captains and our two best players,” said Archbishop Williams coach Ged Phelan. “They really are the leaders of this team.”

The Bishops (3-1) are a fairly young team, boasting four sophomores and four juniors on their varsity roster. The experiences of Sullivan and Andrea have been a huge part of the Bishops’ early success.

“Sully is a scoring machine,” said Phelan. “He is a fantastic 3-point shooter, and Tim is tremendous on defense and rebounding.”

A good portion of Andrea’s 12 assists came in the second half. Andrea would press the zone, penetrate the defense, and draw the coverage before kicking it out to Sullivan on the perimeter, who hit several threes.

“[Andrea's] really the key [to this offense], but he can shoot it, too,” said Phelan. "He’s really good at distributing the ball. When he’s balancing his attack by shooting and passing, we’re tough to defend.”

Neither of the players have been afraid to help carry the team this season. The 6-foot-1-inch Andrea put up 20 points against a very strong Cathedral defense in the Bishops’ only loss of the season, and scored 26 points in a 68-42 victory over Bishop Fenwick Tuesday. Sullivan, who is 6-2, scored 17 points against Fenwick, and also scored 16 points in a 48-21 win at Austin Prep.

All three victories have come in conference play for the Bishops, but they know they have a long way to go to take the Catholic Central Large title.

“We’ve had a nice stretch of winning games, and that’s helping us gain confidence,” said Phelan. “When we hit our stride and we play against the big teams like Cathedral, St. Mary’s, and Cardinal Spellman, hopefully we can play a little bit better to play with those guys. We know we can do it, we just want to keep getting better every day.”

The Bishops next game is Dec. 27 at Coyle & Cassidy. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.

By Bridget Shannon, Globe Correspondent

The heated rivalry between Marshfield and Duxbury is in full swing. The last five times these teams have met, the game has been decided by 4 points or fewer.

Last night was no exception.

Marshfield tipped host Duxbury, 50-47, for its third victory in the past four meetings.

Ryan Lataglia made a layup with 20 seconds left to put Marshfield up 48-47, after failing to convert on their ensuing possession the Green Dragons were forced to foul Marshfield senior forward Erik Whitaker with three seconds left.

Whitaker, who sat out the second period because of fouls, made both shots to seal the victory for the Rams.

‘‘The rivalry is so intense, it goes back and forth between us,’’ said Marshfield coach Bob Fisher. ‘‘It’s a hard-fought rivalry, where the game becomes about the kids and not the coaches.’’

Whitaker and junior guard Alex White each scored 12 of their 15 points in the second half.

‘‘They’re my only two players with experience back so we looked to them,’’ said Fisher.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The Boston Amateur Basketball Club has announced its holiday tournament schedule at Chelsea high school, featuring a number of prominent teams in the region, including schools from Connecticut and New Hampshire.

In all, 11 teams will compete in what has become one of the area's top high school basketball tournaments of the season, the 2011 Holiday Classic.

Proceeds from the tournament will go to scholarships for Chelsea students, donated by the BABC. According to the BABC, the tournament has raised nearly $70,000 since its inception in 1996.

Here is the schedule for the tournament as it currently stands:

Tuesday, Dec. 27
4 p.m. - Gm 1 - Malden Catholic vs Everett
5:30 p.m. - Gm 2 - Cambride vs Bishop Guertin (NH)
7 p.m. - Gm 3 - New Mission vs St. John’s Prep

Wednesday, Dec. 28
4 p.m. - Gm 4 - West Roxbury vs Capital Prep (CT)
5:30 p.m. - Gm 5 - New Bedford vs Windsor (CT)
7 p.m. - Gm 6 - Reading vs Loser Gm 1

Thursday, Dec. 29
2:30 p.m. - Gm 7 - Winner Gm 1 vs Reading
4 p.m. - Gm 8 - New Bedford vs West Roxbury
5:30 p.m. - Gm 9 - Loser Gm 2 vs Loser Gm 3 (Class A Consolation)
7 p.m. - Gm 10 - Winner Gm 2 vs Winner Gm 3 (Class A Final)

For more information, visit www.thebabc.com.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Reading senior Jerry Ellis-Williams notched his 1,000th point on Tuesday in a 64-44 win over Burlington for the Rockets (1-1).

The 6-4 forward entered the game needing just 12 points.

Ellis-Williams reached the mark in the second quarter when he knocked down a three-pointer from the wing. He finished the game tied for the team high with Kenny Reed, with 20 points.

"We stopped the game and Jerry’s mom came out to center court and everyone gave him a standing ovation," Reading coach Paul Morrissey said.

According to Morrissey, Reading Athletic Director Phil Vaccaro is in the process of having the game ball painted with the game date and 1,000 points. He plans to present it to Ellis-Williams once the process is complete.

Reed is likely to eclipse the 1,000 point mark this season as well. After his 20 points Tuesday night, he is 98 points away.

"This team has potential," Morrissey said. "They worked hard tonight and I'm proud of them."

By Seth Lakso and Eric Russo, Globe Correspondents

Tuesday night was a busy one in boy's hoops. Here’s a look at some of the highlights.

No. 19 East Boston knocks off top-ranked Charlestown, 68-58

East Boston point guard Patrick Santos gave the Townies fits with his ability to penetrate and dish, finishing with 14 points, seven assists, and six rebounds for the Jets, who walked away 10-point winners.

“We just couldn’t keep [Santos] from penetrating on us,” said Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso. “We didn’t do a good job protecting the paint tonight.”

On the receiving end of a fair share of Santos’ passes was senior shooting guard Zack Gattereau, who finished with a team-high 24 points.

Gattereau played with edge after coming off the East Boston bench for the first time this season.

“I benched [Gattereau] for the start of the game for his lack of effort on defense lately," said East Boson coach Malcolm Smith. “We’re not the most talented team but when we play hard we can stay with anyone. Gattereau can coast from time-to-time, I just wanted to keep him motivated.”

Tyrese Hoxter, who coach Smith called the most talented player in the state after the matchup, scored a game-high 25 points in a losing effort for the Townies, who went a combined 0-for-13 from behind the arc.

After trailing 34-21 at the half, Charlestown cut the lead to eight in the third quarter, but the team's continued poor shooting killed any chance of a fourth quarter comeback.

“We just had one of those off nights,” Cardoso said. “There’s a real rivalry between our programs. We don’t like to lose to Eastie, some of our guys took it pretty hard, but in the end will learn from this and move forward.

“No loss is good, but overall we’re going to be stronger because of this,” Cardoso continue.

“This is one of the fiercest rivalries around,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re ranked first or 20th, you can throw all that stuff out when these two teams play each other.”

Charlestown, which won't play another game until Jan. 7, should have plenty of time to right the ship. East Boston will try to stay hot against Bishop Loughlin (N.Y.) in the Reebok Tournament next Wednesday.

“Our plan is to sit down and watch the game film and go over what we need to do to get back on track,” Cardoso said.

Beverley stuns No. 5 Lynn English, 51-49

The NEC is shaping up to be a tough conference this season with Beverley, Peabody, and now Lynn English all tied at 2-1.

Chris Keaton finished with 17 points and six steals – three of which came in the fourth quarter -- for the Panthers.

Six-foot-seven Beverly center Zach Zigelbaum did an admirable job defending the Bulldog’s six-foot-eight All-State big man Keandre Stanton who finished with a game-high 21 points.

No. 10 Mansfield upsets Jake Layman and King Philip, 59-50

Coming into its game against No. 8-ranked King Phillip, Mansfield, at No. 10, knew it was going to be perceived as the underdog. But Hornets’ coach Mike Vaughan told his team as long as they were confident they would have chance.

In the end, Mansfield had more than a chance, defeating King Philip 59-50 in Wrentham, even with one of the best players in the state, Jake Layman, at the other end of the court.

“We made it difficult for [Layman],” Vaughan said. “He’s a special player, but we changed matchups on him to wear him out a little bit.”

After winning the rebound battle in the first two quarters, the Hornets went into the half up, 28-21. Vaughan praised his team during the break and told them that if they continued to play the way they were playing they could make a statement to the rest of the Hockomock League.

“I told them, ‘We’re here as the underdog and we just beat them in the first two quarters. We’ll be taken more serious in the league [if we win],' ” Vaughan said.

Coming out of the half, Layman started to get hot, so Vaughan decided to put junior forward Greg Lomanko on him to try and cool him off.

“He did a good job of containing him once he heated up,” Vaughan said.

While Lomanko was one of the stars on defense, forward and senior captain Terry O’Mara (12 points, 11 rebounds) led the way on offense.

Vaughan was quick to spread the credit around.

“We got contributions from a lot of guys and kind of proved to everyone that we were a pretty good team ourselves,” he said.

As for how far Vaughan thinks his team can go this season, he referred to what he termed “one of those clichés.”

“We play one game at a time,” he said. “Coming into the year we had a young team and I wasn’t sure how they would hold up and respond. But we’re pretty talented and as long as we focus and play well on defense, I like where we can go.”

By Ryan MacInnis, Globe Correspondent

Fenway junior Tajanay Veiga-Lee reached her 1,000th point Tuesday night as she led the Panthers to a 67-17 victory over Boston Latin Academy.

Veiga-Lee completed the feat in only 46 games. She also racked up an impressive 24 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and five steals in passing the milestone.

First-year coach John Rice said he was impressed with his team so far, adding that the Panthers have a real chance to go far.

Fenway will play Arlington Catholic Friday night.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Senior guard Jen Gonsalves became the girls’ all-time leading scorer at Harwich High School Thursday night, scoring 27 points, as the Rough Riders cruised past Plymouth North 68-53.

The Harwich captain entered the game unaware she needed just 10-points to tie the all-time mark of 1,312 held by Sharee DaLuze since 2004.

With the first quarter winding down, Gonsalves drove the lane, making a layup and getting fouled in the process. The two points tied DaLuze’s mark and the ensuing free throw broke it.

“We stopped the game and she received a standing ovation and we presented her with the game ball,” said Harwich coach Alik Taylor. “It was a special night for Jen. She knew she was close but had no idea just how close. You could see how excited she was.”

With 1,329 points for her career, Gonsalves needs just 266 to break the school’s all-time mark held by Glen Rose since 1974.

By Cat Calsolaro, Globe Correspondent

Andover, the two-time defending Division 1 girls' basketball state champion, defeated host Chelmsford, 81-57, Wednesday night. It was the Golden Warriors’ first test without All-Scholastic guard Natalie Gomez-Martinez, now at Marist College.

“First game, first win,” said coach Jim Tildsley. “The first game is always tough, everyone is kind of nervous."

Playing without her former backcourt mate, Boston College-bound Nicole Boudreau didn’t appear nervous at all, putting her team on her back with a 30-point performance.

Chelmsford looked up to the challenge, trailing 18-16 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Lions found senior captain Jen Janiak (20 points) who drained three open 3-pointers to keep her team in the game.

“Chelmsford came out and shot the ball very, very well, and our defense wasn't any good at all,” said Tildsley. “I think the last minute-and-a half of the first half that was our team.”

By the end of the half, Andover's full-court press began to wear on the Lions. Boudreau hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 41-32 going into the locker room.

In the third, Andover dominated the boards and forced multiple turnovers.

Chelmsford couldn’t find a clear shot and Andover had a solid 62-45 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

“We have to be good defensively in order to win. We can get in shootouts, but we have to stop people,” said Tildsley. I was happy with how we played in the third quarter, we put the game away.”

By Bridget Shannon, Globe Correspondent

Cardinal Spellman senior Joe Glynn scored his 1,000th career point in a win 64-35 win over Bishop Fenwick Wednesday night in Brockton.

Only nine points shy entering the game, Glynn reached the milestone five minutes into the first quarter. In honor of his achievement, the game was put on hold and Glynn was presented the game ball and took pictures with his parents.

“It was a really special moment for him,” said coach Mike Perry. “You have to know Joey, he has zero for an ego and is one of the easiest kids to coach. He’s the whole package.”

Glynn has been on the varsity since he was a freshman and has been a starter since his sophomore year. This 6-foot-5-inch center/forward is one of the fastest players on the team and last season averaged 21 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Glynn is not only a basketball player but also a football player, and a member of the National Honor Society.

“He is very well-rounded. It’s been absolutely wonderful coaching him. He’s been a great teammate too and his teammates have a lot of respect for him. He shows up for practice every day, works hard, and leads by example. I’m the lucky one,” said coach Perry.

According to Perry, a number of colleges, including WPI, Stonehill, Annapolis, and St. Anselm’s have inquiring about Glynn.

Andover coach David Fazio, center, speaks with his team before their season-opening game against Methuen Tuesday night.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

ANDOVER -- On the sideline, cheering, directing and otherwise focusing on managing Andover's boys basketball team, David Fazio is a happy man. He has moved on from the sexual hazing debacle that has enraptured his school.

In the boys basketball team's first game of the season on Tuesday night, the Golden Warriors beat visiting Methuen 63-49 with Fazio peppering his players with instructions on the sideline, as he has done for the last 23 years he’s been with the school.

"You have no idea how good it feels to be out here," Fazio said before the game.

Fazio was reinstated as coach after being placed on paid administrative leave following the fallout of the hazing scandal. Seven members of the Andover basketball team were disciplined for engaging in a sexual hazing act at a basketball camp at Stonehill College in Easton. Two of the team's members, the alleged ringleaders, were expelled, according to a report in the Eagle-Tribune, which first reported the story.

The players reportedly pressured two of their younger teammates into a sexual hazing game called "wet biscuit," in which the loser was forced to eat a cookie with bodily fluids on it. One victim has since left the school district and Stonehill College has cut ties with the camp, Hoop Mountain, after being notified by Easton police of the incident.

Andover senior captain James Costello, who was named the team's captain this summer, powered his team with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the win. He said the hazing incident was a one-time affair.

"We just have to, all together, be cognizant of our actions and be real role models going forward," Costello said.

The Golden Warriors have moved on without the players involved in the incident.

"That was my only five," said Fazio of the players in the starting lineup when asked about the team's dismissed players.

"Everybody who came out on the first day of practice, we brought them back,” Fazio said before the game. "We had to make some adjustments, but everybody who came out to that first practice got an opportunity.”

For Fazio, watching this crop of basketball players, including starters Sam Dowden (13 points, seven rebounds), Chris Dunn (12 points) and Greg Dreyfus (eight points), has been the greatest reward so far.

“These guys, they understand,” Fazio said after the game. “It’s kind of difficult situation. Everybody knows that. What we’ve asked them to do is [deal with] some adversity. You can judge character by how well you handle adversity.

“At the end of the day, they just want to play basketball,” Fazio continued. “They love basketball, I think they’re happy to have their coach with them, and I love these kids. We’ve always had great kids. It’s just been an unfortunate situation.”

Methuen was led by Kyle Mansour who tallied 18 points on the night.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Defending Division 1 state champion St. John’s Prep received a wake-up call to open its season last night, surviving a strong challenge from St. Mary’s before posting a 78-76 overtime win in Danvers.

“We told the kids before the game that they’re going to get everyone’s best shot,” said Eagles assistant coach John Dullea. “It’s going to be like this every game. Hopefully it’s a wake-up call that things aren’t going to be as easy for us this year.”

It took 38 points -- including 20 in the second half -- and 20 rebounds from senior Steve Haladyna for Eagles, who finished last season 25-1, to walk away winners.

Haladyna, who is just 41 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career, has taken over the scoring load with the school's all-time leading scorer, Pat Connaughton, now playing at Notre Dame.

“It’s tough to replace a talent like Pat, but [Haladyna] can fill it up,” said Dullea. “He’s taken up the leadership role on this team and become more vocal. He did a lot to pump our guys up.”

The Spartans came out playing a two-three zone that gave the Eagles, who are used to seeing man defense, trouble early on.

St. Mary’s took a surprising 36-31 lead at halftime.

The Eagles, playing without starters Isaiah Robinson (torn meniscus), Owen Marchettie (sprained ankle), and Drex Costello (knee), settled down in the second half and carried a 5-point lead heading into the final three minutes.

“The injuries certainly aren’t helping us,'' said Dullea. "Once they get back we’ll have more scoring options.”

The Spartans rallied in the final minutes. Senior shooting guard Devin Thompson knocked down a deep three with just seconds remaining to send the game into overtime tied at 68.

Thompson finished with a team-high 28 points.

“St. Mary’s made some big plays,” said Dullea. “They came out intense and played like they had nothing to lose and whenever they needed a big shot it seemed like they hit it.”

In overtime the lead see-sawed, with both teams tiring in their first contest of the season.

With under a minute remaining, St. John’s Prep’s Mike Carbone connected on a three to put the Eagles up 2. The Spartans never recovered missing a contested three at the buzzer.

Senior Fred Shove was impressive for the Eagles, collecting 16 points and 16 rebounds in the place of Robinson.

Haladyna will continue his run toward 1,000 on Thursday when the Eagles host Lynn Classical.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

The 6-foot-10-inch Everett native blocked 55 shots in 11 games at the Nike EYBL tournament, and in the title game of the Peach Jam, Noel had 10 rebounds, six blocks and four steals in a 84-67 win over Memphis. In the 16-and-under AAU National Championship game in Orlando, he blocked a shot against Team Takeover that led BABC to the title. Noel, who will be a junior at the Tilton School this fall, is ranked the No. 1 center in the country for the class of 2013.

In a release from Five-Star, BABC director Leo Papile said, "No one has ever been compared to Bill Russell, but I said that about this kid when he was in the eighth grade. He has a basketball brain like no other player that I have ever coached. He's a special kid."

By Lorenzo Recupero, Globe Correspondent

Former Wellesley High basketball standout and assistant coach Adam Cluff was named as Tarlin's replacement.

Tarlin, who also coached seven seasons as a junior varsity assistant at Needham High, had his best season in 2008, when the Flyers made the semifinals of the Division 1 South sectionals before being ousted by Brockton. Framingham was 16-7 that year.

Cluff, a three-time Bay State league all-star while at Wellesley High, is excited to take on the task as he gets set to started on the first head coaching position of his career. He spent nine seasons as an assistant.

"I've been working toward this for some time, and I know there's a great deal of potential at Framingham," Cluff said. "Framingham has had a few tough seasons of late, but the infastructure is in place to turn things around".

Cluff's outlook on the season is promising.

"I just think any time there's a coaching change there's going to be a lot of optimism," Cluff said. "I'm going to build off that."

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Trinity Catholic has named Nicole Turick as its girls varsity basketball coach while Peter Gobiel has been named the director of athletics at Winthrop.

Turick served as the junior varsity coach for the past three seasons at Trinity Catholic and as the freshman coach for the two years prior.

Trinity Catholic is coming off an 11-8 season.

“We were blessed to meet with a tremendous number of quality candidates for this position," said athletic director Craig Gnualdo in a press release. "Though they were all spectacular, Nicole rose above the rest.

“Her knowledge of our program, our girls, and her willingness to take this program to the next level over the next several years won over the search committee. We’re all excited for Nicole and our players. We can’t wait to see the team perform in the upcoming season.”

Gobiel, who has taught at Winthrop for 31 years and is a graduate of Boston State College, previously served as athletic director in 2002-03. The Winthrop native has coached Winthrop gymnastics for the past 20 years. Current Winthrop co-coach Melissa Wiles will take over as head coach of the program.

“Mr. Gobiel has the physical education and wellness background that I think will be very beneficial to all of our students,” superintendent of schools John Macero told the Winthrop Transcript. “His 31 years of experience in the district will also be very valuable to the teachers in being able to provide knowledge for those areas.”

Special to the Globe

The West scholastic 11-12 boys' basketball team beat Southeast in a nail-biting 91-89 overtime thriller on Friday afternoon at Wentworth.

The game was close throughout with West holding a slim 15-11 lead after the first quarter and an even slimmer 35-34 lead at the half. However, at the end of the fourth quarter West found itself down by one with just a few second left on the clock. With one shot left, Jose Allen (Amherst, Amherst HS) drilled a shot at the buzzer to tie the game at 74-74 and send them into overtime. Allen, who led West with 15 points, added another six points in overtime to seal the win. Southeast’s Sayvonn Houston (Brockton, Brockton HS) led all scorers with 25 points.

Coastal 100, Metro 91
Coastal drained nine 3-pointers in a defeat of Metro.

Coastal jumped out to an early 30-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. By halftime Metro had cut the lead down to 54-47. However, Coastal regained a nine point lead going into the fourth quarter and never looked back. Leading the charge for Coastal was guard Chris Green (Taunton, Taunton HS) who scored 22 points, 18 of which were in the first half while Andrew Kenyon (Swansea, Case HS) added another 20 points.

West 124, Northeast 85
West had seven players score in double digits as they demolished Northeast, 124-85. Northeast kept the game close in the beginning, and were within three points, 50-47, at the half. However, in the third quarter West erupted for 41 points. West’s Phil DePhilips (Orange, Mahar HS) led the team with 21 points, 10 of which came during the second half explosion. Jose Allen (Amherst, Amherst HS) added 19 points for the winners.

BOYS' SCHOLASTIC 9/10
at Reggie Lewis Center
Metro 77, Northeast 48
Metro sailed past Northeast Friday morning. Northeast’s Jordan Mendez (Salem, North Shore Tech) netted a game-high 20 points in the loss. His teammate, Jack Jimenez (Salem, Salem Academy Charter), contributed 11 points. Metro’s leading scorer was Tyler Sullivan with 16 points, though Matt Woods was close behind, scoring 15.

Coastal 83, Southeast 76
In one of the tightest games so far in the tournament, Coastal sophomore guard Ryan St. Clair (Easton, Oliver Ames) put up a team-high 22 points. His teammate sophomore guard Tony Pires (Carver, Carver) scored 16 points. Despite being on the losing squad, freshman forward Dave Harrison (Weymouth, Weymouth HS) netted a game-high 22 points. His teammate sophomore forward Paul Preziosi (Abington/Hull, Cardinal Spellman HS) contributed 15 points.

West 65, Central 62
West snuck past Central on Friday by a narrow three-point margin, 65-62. Sophomore forward Justin Crosby (Westfield, Westfield HS) posted 13 points toward his West squad’s win, while his teammates, freshman Corey Baker (Granby, Granby HS) and sophomore Andy Gifford (Granby, Granby HS) each scored 11 points. Central’s sophomore guard Colin Richey (Upton, Whitinsville Christian) netted a game-high 16 points. His teammate, sophomore guard Mark Deuris (Uxbridge, Uxbridge) contributed 11 points.

Southeast 72, Northeast 48
Southeast defeated Northeast Friday afternoon. Southeast freshman guard Dave Harrison (Weymouth, Weymouth HS) led the charge, notching 16 points. His teammate, sophomore Ridge Francisque (Brockton, Brockton HS), was close behind with 13 points. Northeast sophomore Jordan Mendez (Salem, North Shore Tech) managed to net a game-high 18 and his teammate, sophomore Jack Jimenez (Salem, Salem Academy Charter), scored 13 points.

GIRLS' SCHOLASTIC BASKETBALL
at Emmanuel College
Southeast 66, Metro 52
Southeast got 15 points from sophomore center Ashley Snyder (Foxboro, Foxboro HS) in a win over Metro. Senior guard Katelyn Sousa (Hopkinton, Hopkinton HS) contributed 11 points to the offensive effort. Despite the loss, both sophomore Gena Restiano (Revere, Revere HS) and junior Colleen Kane (Arlington, Arlington HS) managed to put up 11 points each for their Metro squad.

Northeast 68, Central 37
Northeast put on an offensive showcase as it defeated Central. They came out hard, outscoring Central 22-8 in the first quarter alone. Senior Amy Pelletier (Beverly, Bishop Fenwick HS) scored a game-high 11 points to propel her team to victory. Her teammate, Nicole Catizone (Woburn, Arlington Catholic HS), contributed nine points to the effort. Central’s leading scorer was Sammie Battaini (Leominster, St. Bernard’s Central Catholic), with seven points.

West 58, Coastal 43
Junior Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, Pittsfield HS) contributed a game-high 12 points to the win. West sophomore Alyssa Darling (Palmer, Palmer HS) scored 10 points. The leading scorer for the Coastal squad was sophomore Angelique Martinez (Taunton, Taunton HS), who netted 10 points. Her teammate senior Jennifer Rock (Byfield, Triton), scored eight.

Northeast 73, Coastal 36
Northeast was too strong for an undermanned Coastal squad as they walked away with the win. Kaitlyn Lipka (Peabody, Bishop Fenwick HS) led all scorers with 15 and Carlene Kluge (Reading, Reading HS) added 12 points for the winners. Coastal’s Rachel Camara (Fall River, Durfee) gave strong effort, collecting 13 points.

FIELD HOCKEY
at Waltham High
Metro/Northeast 2, West 1
Whitney Jones (Sudbury, Brooks School) and Erika Kelly (Watertown, Watertown HS) each scored a goal to help Metro/Northeast edge West. Morgan Mazanec (Selburne, Mohawk Trail Reg. HS) collected the lone tally for West.

Southeast 6, Coastal 1
Southeast got goals from six different players to blow past Coastal, 6-1. Katy Cronin (Franklin, Franklin HS), Kayla Garczynski (Norwood, Norwood HS), Meghan Pini (Natick, Natick HS), Meghan Murphy (Walpole, Walpole HS), Emily McColgan (Walpole, Southfield HS), and Mackenzie Hudson (Stoughton, Stoughton HS) each found the net. Meghan Carroll (Mansfield, Mansfield HS) broke up the shutout with a goal for Coastal.

BOYS' SCHOLASTIC LACROSSE
at Wentworth
Northeast 14, Metro/Southeast 3
West 10, Coastal 8
Northeast 16, Central 4
Metro/Southeast 11, West 10

GIRLS' SCHOLASTIC LACROSSE
at Waltham High
West 14, Northeast/Central 6
Nicole Beliveau (Westfield, Westfield HS) notched four goals, Alicia Busco (Agawam, Agawam HS) potted three and Emily Allcroft (Northampton, Northampton HS) tallied a pair to pace the West offense. Northeast/Central’s Isabella Gitto (Leominster, Leominster HS) netted three goals in a losing effort.

Southeast/Coastal 15, Metro 10
After a slow start, Metro pulled within a goal midway through the second half before Southeast/Coastal scored four unanswered goals to come out on top. Natalie Devine (East Walpole, Fontbonne Academy) led her team with three goals, and four others chipped in with a pair of markers. Freshman Shannon Fitzgerald (Newton, Newton North) was terrific for Metro with six goals.

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

Amy Pelletier and Tori Faieta will be teammates the next four seasons at Stonehill College. The former Catholic Central Large rivals gave the folks at Lynn Classical a little preview of their prowess Monday night in the 7th annual Agganis Women's Basketball Classic.

Pelletier, the former Bishop Fenwick graduate, tossed in 18 points and Faieta (St. Mary's of Lynn) added 11 to power the South All-Stars to a 48-45 win over the North squad.

Revers's Morgan Jenkins (12 points), who will play against Pelletier (South MVP) and Faieta for Northeast-10 rival St. Michael's, earned MVP honors for the North.

McMillen, Campbell power South boys
The South All-Stars routed the North 92-76 in the 7th Agganis Men’s Basketball Classic Monday night behind 18 points from team MVP Corey McMillen of Lynn English and 17 from Ronsanto Campbell of St. Mary’s-Lynn.

Team MVP Alex Morsey of Bishop Fenwick led the North in scoring with 18 points; Adam Philpott of Gloucester and Antonio Reyes of Salem chipped in with 12 points each.

The Agganis All-Star Women's and Men's Soccer Classics will be played at Manning Field in Lynn Tuesday night, at 5:30 and 7:30, respectively.

By Mike Carraggi, Globe Correspondent

Dan Giovacchini’s star has always shone bright on the local and regional level. But now, the Globe All-Scholastic and Brown University-commit from Lawrence Academy is getting his due nationally.

Giovacchini is one of eight finalists in consideration for the first ever AAU High School Sullivan Award. The award is meant to recognize the country’s premier high school athlete, with an eye towards academics and character.

Last season in football, the 6-foot-3-inch linebacker/running back stood out even among several of his Division 1-bound teammates, winning the Independent Schools League MVP award en route to a second-straight undefeated regular season and league title. He also was a league all-star as a guard/forward in basketball, where the Spartans are a year removed from a flawless season and championship. Giovacchini completed the trifecta by being given Honorable Mention in each of the last two baseball seasons as a center fielder and catcher. Lawrence Academy baseball took the ISL championship in the spring.

Save the quartet of championships, this honor is as high as any he has received.

‘‘My favorite memories are probably winning the titles,’’ he said. ‘‘But this is up there, it’s pretty awesome. It’s a great way to end my high school career.’’

At Brown, Giovacchini will focus on football and play as much basketball as he can.

By Bob Hohler, Globe Staff

One of the top high school basketball players in Boston announced his intentions yesterday to accept a Division 1 scholarship from Penn State University. Akosa Maduegbunam, a 6-foot-3 All-Scholastic guard at Charlestown High School, verbally committed to begin playing for the Nittany Lions in the 2012-13 season. He will play next year for the Winchendon School. As a junior, Maduegbunam averaged 22.3 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals a game last season in leading Charlestown to a 22-3 record, a city championship, and a berth in the Division 1 North quarterfinals.

"He’s a very good shooting guard who can play defense and rebound," according to Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso. "His long arms and quickness allows him to stop guys that come in the paint."

Maduegbunam transferred to Charlestown from Cushing Academy in 2009 and finished his career at Charlestown as an honor roll student. He's transferring to Winchendon School next year for his senior season.

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

Charlestown junior guard Akosa Maduegbunam has decided to complete his senior year at Winchendon School next year, despite receiving an athletic scholarship to Boston University.

Maduegbunam, who repeated his sophomore year at Charlestown after transferring from Cushing Academy halfway through the year, was eligible to graduate from Charlestown after his junior year.

"Akosa is a very competitive player, he likes to win," Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso said. "He likes to bring the best out of his teammates. At Winchendon, he''ll get to play against the top guards in the region and improve himself to play at the next level."

Despite losing Maduegbunam, Charlestown will still compete as one of the top teams in the state next season.

Cardoso will have a strong lineup with returning seniors Tyrik Jackson, Rony Fernandes and Iser Barnes. Juniors Tyrese Hoxter and Omar Orriols also bring a strong skill set to the back court.

Sophomore Jon Grullon, who transferred to Charlestown from Brooklyn, N.Y., is a 6-9 post player that Cardoso said will be a strong defensive addition.

"I think he’s a raw basketball player that's still learning the game," Cardoso said. "He can grab rebounds and block shots. He's not an offensive threat yet, but we can work with him and make him an offensive presence."

Former Globe All-Scholastic Katelyn Leonard has been named the new girls' basketball head coach at Revere High School.

Leonard was the girls' coach at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School.
Leonard was a two-time Northeastern Conference MVP and scored 1,325 points during her career at Swampscott High School. She played college basketball at Stonehill.

Up the road in Peabody, Bishop Fenwick also named a new head girls' basketball coach. His name is Adam DeBaggis and he's Fenwick's volleyball coach, asst. baseball coach and an English teacher at Bishop Fenwick.

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

Anxious moviegoers packed not one, but two street corners waiting for the long, anticipated Boston debut of the documentary, “Push: Madison versus Madison” at the Somerville Theater Saturday night.
 
The documentary, directed by Rudy Hypolite, captured the 2007 Madison Park basketball season as coach Dennis Wilson and the Cardinals chased a state championship while battling the interior problems of living in the inner city.
 
“To have a packed theater like we had and to see the reaction of the crowd, that gave me a thrill,” Wilson said. “Seeing everybody on the edge of their seats like they don’t want to blink, that was special. It means all the hard work we put into it paid off.”
 
Raheem “Radio” Singleton, an instrumental player from the 2007 team was in attendance for the showing, as well as teammates Jakeen Cobb and David Daniels, who both played active roles in the film.
 
“After you see it on the big screen, it was so powerful just to look back and see how far I’ve come since then,” Singleton said, who is now the starting point guard at the University of Maine. “It molded me into who I am today.”
 
The documentary strongly focuses on the breakdown between the chemistry of Singleton and teammate Malik Smith, who represented rivalry neighborhoods and tried to outshine each other.
 
Wilson and Hypolite hoped the documentary would send a message to struggling children growing up in inner city environments, preaching that they can overcome adversity and succeed.
 
“Coach Wilson always told us, ‘Stay humble, stay hungry, stay focused,’” Singleton said. “Just because of the unfortunate situations all in my life, I’m not going to take the situation and feel sorry for myself. You need to move on and improve to prevent those situations.”
 
After successful showings at the Cinequest Film Festival and the Boston Independent Film Festival, Wilson and Hypolite will continue to promote the film on the independent circuit.
 
The documentary will next appear in the International Film Festival of Roxbury in July. For more information, visit pushmadison.com.

By Mike Carraggi, Globe Correspondent

The Everett High athletic department, in conjunction with various alumni, will be hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament Saturday at the high school to raise money for an Everett family which lost its home in a March 17 fire.

Moise ‘Mo’ St. Fleur and his family lost everything they own when their Maine Street home burned to the ground nine days ago. St. Fleur has been a volunteer assistant to many of the Everett teams since 2003 and the community has rallied around him.

‘‘He was always such a great kid to us that doing this was a no-brainer type situation,’’ said Frankie Nuzzo, the former Everett High player who has led the efforts. ‘‘This has been one of the most effortless fundraisers I’ve ever been involved in. Everyone wants to help.’’

Nuzzo hopes the event, which has a $60 per-team entry fee, will raise enough money to help the family back on its feet.

The tournament will start at 2 p.m. and feature the Celtics Dancers, as well as provide food and entertainment.