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WORCESTER, Mass. — Sue Downer waited 13 years to hear that buzzer. As the final seconds ticked away in last night’s surprisingly tight Division 1 state championship game, it was mission complete for Central Catholic as the Raiders beat the Shepherd Hill Fighting Rams 67-62 in come-from-behind fashion.  It was 60-60 in the final minute before Central took over to capture its first state title in the 13-year history of the program. Downer has been at the helm since day one.  “Unbelievable,” Downer said of her initial feeling after time expired. “This is what we fought for all yea. It’s a great feeling, and at the same time quite a relief because (Shepherd Hill) gave us quite a fight, they’re a good basketball team. Watching our girls run on the floor at the end of the game and raise the trophy like that, it feels unbelievable.” No surprise that Katie Zenevitch was again the hero with four late free throws (two with 7.7 seconds left to put the game out of teach). The title helped ease the pain of many of the girls from the 2007 state title loss here to Springfield Central.  “I wish some of the girls from that team could be here to experience this, too,” said Downer. “Katie was here on that team, and you could tell in the second half that she just wanted it.” Zenevitch led the Raiders, and all scorers, with 28 points and pulled down an implausible 26 rebounds. The Raiders led 20-10 midway through the second quarter before Shepherd Hill, a heavy underdog, closed the half on a 17-6 run to take a one-point lead at the intermission, 27-26. Shepherd Hill’s Casey Glynn nailed a three 3-pointers late in the second quarter to cap the Rams’ run. “We changed into a 1-3-1, and that’s when they started hitting some threes,” said Downer. “We were changing a lot on defense; we went from a man to a zone, and just kept trying things until something worked.”  The Rams then opened the third quarter with four points in the first 30 seconds to make the Central deficit five points. “We started to hit some shots and we thought, ‘Hey, this might be real,’” said Shepherd Hill head coach James Hackenson. The Fighting Rams beat up Central in the paint, throwing a kink in the Raiders’ game plan. Zenevitch, who stands at 6-foot-3, was hammered by 5-foot-10 Rachael Montville every time she entered the paint. But the Raiders adjusted, running some plays where Zenevitch rolled to the top of the key, where she hit a pair of 3-pointers. “In the paint, they made it really tough for me to get the ball inside to Katie,” said sophomore guard Gabie Polce. “They were really physical. We were trying a few different things to get the ball to Katie and it seemed like every time we made a change, they changed something to counter it. In the end, we were finally able to break it through.” Late in the game, the Raiders were able to penetrate the ferocious Ram pressure and get the ball inside to Zenevitch and Melissa Miller. “I told (Zenevitch) at halftime to just take over,” said Downer, whose club held a 22-12 advantage from the line. “She needed to play with confidence. She obviously has the ability and the skill to do it.” The junior center responded with 17 second-half points, but she wasn’t alone in carrying the load. Ashley Evangelista had a colossal steal in the final minute and Gia O’Connor had a block on Ali Tyburski with just seconds left to seal the deal. “Gia’s block was incredible,” Zenevitch said. “That’s a huge play.” O’Connor’s block magnified Downer’s speech to her team before the game. “I told them that we would win this game with our defensive pressure,” she said. “That’s how we were going to get it done. She continued, “To win a championship, you don’t do it with one player, you don’t get this far with one player,” Downer said. “Katie, I’ll say it, she’s the best big player in the state. But Gia’s block and Ashley’s steal, those plays go a long way in winning a championship, too. “Of course, Katie at the line towards the end of the game is just huge. If she doesn’t hit those foul shots, it’s a different game.”

HOOKSETT — Like a stubborn boxer, Pinkerton refused to go down.

“We wanted to win it,” junior guard AJ Guidi said.

The Astros trailed by nine points in the fourth quarter. They still fought back to force overtime.

BOSTON — When Central Catholic girls basketball coach Sue Downer talks, you can be certain that All-Scholastic junior Katie Zenevitch and the rest of the Raiders listen.

Central’s 75-45 romp over Brockton in last night’s Division 1 state semifinal at TD Banknorth Garden is proof positive of that.

BOSTON – The Georgetown express chugged into North Station yesterday at full speed. Unfortunately for the Royals, they didn’t quite have enough power to keep the wheels rolling.

Millis prevailed 60-43 in the Division 4 state championship game at TD Banknorth Garden. Molly Breen scored 28 points for the Mohawks, who limited Bates College-bound Georgetown center Taryn O’Connell to 12 points.  

After dropping Phillips Exeter then New Hampton in the New England Prep Class A tournament, Phillips Andover fell to Kent, 49-29, in yesterday’s finals at Loomis Chaffee.

The Kent defense smothered Phillips in the first half, limiting the Big Blue to just 7 points while scoring 26 of its own. The Lions were especially effective containing Laura Amorosa (2 points), who scored 21 points in both the quarterfinal and semifinal games.

Londonderry fell to Manchester Central, 46-34, in the Class L quarterfinals. Lindsay Willis and Savanna Butterfield tied for the team-high in points with 7. The Lancers had a tough day at the charity stripe and were also unable to grab defensive rebounds.

Laura Pierce was a fantastic 9-of-10 from the line as she racked up a team-high 13 points in Pinkerton's 43-34 win over Exeter in the Class L quarterfinals. A.J. Guidi was close behind with 10 points, and Jill Johnston, who held Exeter's leading scorer Maddy Blais to just 8 points, chipped in 9 of her own. 

BOSTON – As the ball rattled in, Katie Zenevitch pumped her fist and screamed.

The shot, a 3-pointer at the first half buzzer, might've seemed innocuous at the time. The Central Catholic junior, however, knew otherwise.

BOSTON – Taryn O’Connell was in the stands the last time the Georgetown girls basketball team played at TD Banknorth Garden. In March 2004, the future Royals watched with stars in their eyes.

BOSTON – Pentucket senior Kirsten Daamen couldn’t help but shed a few tears.

Second-seeded Swampscott had just defeated the top-seeded Sachems 61-46 in yesterday’s Division 3 North final. Her high school career ended here at Emmanuel College’s Yawkey Center, not at TD Banknorth Garden, where her team played in the state semifinals in both 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Laura Amorosa racked up a game-high 21 points as Phillips topped New Hampton, 58-49, in the New England Prep Class A semifinals. Ansley White and Megan Robertson joined Amorosa in double digits with 10 points apiece.

SALEM — The ball hit the rim, bounced straight up, then dropped through the net. Out came the cellophane-wrapped bouquet. Katie Zenevitch, who’d just scored her 1,000th career point, smiled, gave Central Catholic coach Sue Downer a hug, and moved on.

DERRY, N.H. — If defense wins championships, Pinkerton may well be on its way to its first Class L title since 2006.

The No. 2 Astros blanked sixteenth-seeded Goffstown in the opening frame and allowed just seven first-half points in yesterday’s 55-33 victory in the first round of the Class L tournament at the Hackler Gymnasium.

Phillips Academy turned a two-point halftime lead into an 18-point pounding, downing rival Phillips Exeter 78-60 in the first round of the New England Prep Tournament. Kourtney DiPerno led all scorers with 25 points, and Laura Amorosa added 21 points. Jasmine Hardy added four three pointers.

ARLINGTON —  All Sue Breen could do was rub her temples. Her head hurt. And for good reason.

“We ran into a buzzsaw,” the North Andover coach said after her team fell to Arlington Catholic, 56-32, in the Division 2 North quarterfinals at Arlington High School.