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Salem sharpshooter Josh Jones wasn't expecting a cakewalk yesterday afternoon and Pinkerton made sure the Blue Devils didn't get one.

The No. 1-seed Blue Devils (22-1, 20-0 in Class L) struggled until the final two minutes before pulling away for a 56-47 victory over the stubborn No. 8-seed Astros. They'll face No. 4 Manchester Central in the Class L semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at UNH's Lundholm Gym.

Right man, right place, right time.

Pinkerton Academy's Beau Cassidy had the weight of the season dumped on his shoulders, going to the foul line twice in the final minute of last night's Class L tourney first-rounder against Winnacunnet Regional.

Despite sparkling outside shooting from Beau Cassidy, Pinkerton saw a third quarter comeback go for naught as Spaulding held on for a 67-60 victory. Cassidy drilled seven 3-pointers for a game-high 23 points, but Spaulding prevailed.

Beau Cassidy knocked home a short baseline jumper to give Pinkerton a 12-10 lead after a quarter.

The junior marksman's next hoop was a 20-foot, 3-point bomb. In between, defending Class L champion Salem High rolled off your text-book 23-0 barrage, covering nearly 11 minutes, including a scoreless second quarter. The Blue Devils weren't tested again, solidifying their spot at the top of the standings (12-0 in Class L) with an impressive, 69-48, romp over the Astros before about 500 fans at the Hackler Gymnasium.

Of course, the game was going to have a playoff atmosphere. It was Pinkerton-Londonderry, after all.

Trailing by six with two minutes to go in the first half, Londonderry came roaring back. The Lancers cut the deficit to two at halftime and then scored 26 points in the final two quarters for a 43-36 win over its bordering rival before a packed house at Londonderry High.

In a consolation game, Pinkerton trimmed Greater Lawrence 65-59.

Zach Mathieu was the story for the Astros. In an impressive all-around performance, the 6-6 sophomore scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked five shots. Colby Verge came up big with 12 points and seven assists.

It's early in the season, but Lawrence has shown it's a team that on the right night can beat most anybody and on the wrong night is vulnerable against anybody.

Pinkerton had the Lancers on the ropes in yesterday's Greater Lawrence Christmas Tourney opener. Trailing 37-24 at the half, Lawrence coach Paul Neal knew if his club didn't change something, it was in big trouble.

2006-07 record: 8-14, lost in Class L first round

Returning starters: None

Returning lettermen: Todd Borchers, 6-0, Sr., forward; Jeff Manzik, 6-2, Sr., forward; Mike Holzman, 6-2, Sr., forward; Beau Cassidy, 6-2, Jr., guard; Colby Verge, 6-1, Jr., guard