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Energy abounds: A full house of about 1,000, electrified by a pair of buzzing student sections, tuned in for the regular season thrilled, making for a spirited Friday night on the MVC hardwood.

DANVERS — St. John's Prep dispatched Central Catholic with such ease the first time around this season, that even the most ardent Raider backer had to step into the Prep gym with trepidation yesterday in the Division 1 North quarterfinals.

Central Catholic hit 10 3-pointers as a team, led by four from Tanahj Pettway, and the Raiders topped Chelmsford 82-56.

Central Catholic snapped a three-game losing streak and handed coach Rick Nault his 200th win at Central Catholic, a 70-36 rout of Bridgewater-Raynham in the BABC Showcase. Twelve different Raisders scored in the rout as Central led 29-8 at halftime.

NORTH ANDOVER —  Dante Rivera's lefthanded drive followed by another lefty drive by David Dizazzo (team-high 13 points) put Methuen up 35-31 with five minutes left.  Everything seemed in place for the Rangers to punch their ticket to the championship game of the 41st annual Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic. But the swarming Central Catholic defense, led by perimeter greyhounds Tanahj Pettway, Victor Mwaurah and Jeremy Urena, took its toll and the Ranger offense went south in a hurry. That D combined with some inspired late play by Ian Carmichael sparked the Raiders to a supremely misleading 49-38 win. This was no 11-point game. Central will take on tourney newcomer Londonderry Wednesday in the title game at North Andover High's Crozier Fieldhouse at 8 p.m.  "I said before the game (to the players), it would be a rock fight and they want to beat you more than anything," said Raiders coach/birthday boy Rick Nault. who got exactly what he wanted for his 44th birthday. "I thought our depth at that position (backcourt) wore them down." The Rangers (2-4), who led most of the first three quarters, were held to a mere 14 second-half points in the defensive struggle and just five in the final 11:38. But with Central (4-1) not exactly lighting up the scoreboard either, it was anyone's game. Trailing by 4 with five minutes left, Pettway (game-high 20 points) sank two pull-up jumpers and Steven Hajjar hit both ends of a 1 and 1 to give Central a 37-35 lead. Then Carmichael soared for a tip. Andrew Marcelino answered with an up-and-under hoop and the free throw to cut the Raider lead to 39-38 at the 1:56 mark. But the 6-7 Carmichael hit 1 of 2 after his offensive rebound then threw down a dunk. He corralled a man-sized rebound in traffic to almost seal the deal in the final minute. Central scored 7 points in the final 33 seconds for the misleading final score. On his slam, Carmichael (14 points) soared like his uncle, North Andover High's Hall of Fame triple jumper Jamie Noble.  "There is nothing like it. It's a great feeling," said Carmichael, who lives in Atkinson. "I didn't even play some games last year. I'm just enjoying the ride." Nault said as a freshman, he wasn't sure if Carmichael would ever be a factor. "Now he might be the best center in the league," the coach said proudly. "Ian was immense. He had four rebounds in a crowd in the last four minutes. He changed the game." The Raiders are banged up with All-MVC guard Kevin Fernandez (foot) still a few weeks away and Sam Lara (sprained ankle in the opener) sitting out and probably a game-time decision for the final. Of course, nobody will ever weep for the vaunted Raiders but it's a feather in their cap to reach the finals starting three sophomores (5-10 Pettway, 6-3 Hajjar, 6-4 Colin Bradanese). Pettway is no ordinary 10th grader, as he proves on a nightly basis. Excluding when it was two four-team divisions the last two years, it would have been the gutty Rangers' first appearance in the Christmas Tourney finals since 2000.  Aggressive senior guard Dizzazo continued his strong play with a team-high 13 points for Methuen and undersized center James Ogunjobi (8 points) battled relentlessly against the bigger Raiders.  "We played hard, We fought," said senior guard Keegan Lannon, Methuen's lone returning starter. "It was just a few bounces one way and a few bounces the other." Central always seems to get those bounces, that's why they have a record 18 Christmas Tourney titles. And are one win away from No. 19.

NORTH ANDOVER — Rick Nault cringed as an overexuberant Central Catholic reserve took down hard a Windham player who thought he had a last-minute breakaway. The Commonwealth Christmas Classic quarterfinal game was well, well out of hand (79-30) so Nault gave his guy a "what the heck were you thinking?" chat. But it exemplified a mindset that could pay dividends later in the year. And a few minutes earlier in the game, three Raiders swarmed the floor for a loose ball. "We've done a good job building this program on effort," said Nault, whose club improved to 3-1 with the 79-33 romp. Sophomore guard Tanahj Pettway made the most of his limited minutes, giving the Jaguars (2-1) fits with his quick hands and silky-smooth drives. He finished with 17 points and 5 steals. The Central stats had the Raiders forcing 18 turnovers (it seemed like a lot more). "We did a good job getting in the passing lanes for easy lay-ups," said Nault. "Our goal was to make it fast paced. It started with Tanahj. He dictated the tempo." Behind 9 Pettway points, it was 20-8 after one quarter and at one point was 36-8. It was a rude welcome for the Jaguars, who were making their debut in the Christmas Tourney. It was the fourth most lopsided win in the tourney's 41-year history. Some of the Raider reserves showed they could play key roles before all is said and done. Dennis Quinn, a 6-4 junior, scored his first varsity points. Thirteen of them to be exact. "We saw some good things from Dennis on offense," noted Nault. Jeremy Urena flashed some impressive athleticism and finished with 10 points. Senior captain Cole Gill led the Jaguars with 12 points. The Jags, who have by far the smallest enrollment in the tourney, have never been afraid to take on the best. In the past they've played Brockton, which has one of the biggest enrollments on the East Coast.