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LAWRENCE – The anticipated showdown between the past two defending Division 1 state champions proved an unexpected runaway.

Central Catholic blew it open with a 22-9 fourth quarter in a 78-45 win over Haverhill. Joel Berroa had 18 points, and Doug Gemmell chipped in 16 for the 11-0 Raiders. Haverhill's Edwin Valentin led all scorers with 21 points. 

Central Catholic blew it open with a 22-9 fourth quarter in a 78-45 win over Haverhill. Joel Berroa had 18 points, and Doug Gemmell chipped in 16 for the 11-0 Raiders. Haverhill's Edwin Valentin led all scorers with 21 points. 

Luis Puello, who was out the previous five games with an ankle injury, made his return, coming off the bench and scoring five points in Central Catholic's 80-44 win over Methuen. Tyler Nelson had 15 points for the winners while Kyle Mansour pumped in a game-high 19 points.

LAWRENCE — If the first two games between the two are an indication of what’s ahead, fans might want to circle Feb. 7 on their calendar right now.
That’s when Central Catholic, the top ranked team in the entire state, and 22nd-ranked Lawrence square off for the third and final time of the regular season.
Game 2 in the series turned into an overtime thriller yesterday that Central won by a 69-67 count in front of a standing-room only crowd at Central’s Memorial Gym.
Using a 15-0 run that began in the third quarter, Central appeared in control, holding a 56-45 advantage with 5:52 left in regulation. But Lawrence, which dropped a 10-point decision to the Raiders in the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament finale, then scored 14 of the period’s final 17 points to force overtime.
The Lancers (7-2 overall, 5-1 conference) tied the score at 59 on a steal turned layup by Yadoris Arias, who had 19 points. The teams then combined to miss three field-goal attempts the final 77 seconds.
In overtime, Central (9-0, 5-0) broke a tie with 2:15 left on a little hook by Nick Cambio that provided a 63-61 lead the Raiders would not lose. Central, which made all 18 of its fourth-quarter free throws in the holiday tournament win, converted six of eight attempts in the extra period. Henry Rodriguez made five straight to help secure the victory.
Rodriguez was part of a Central bench that scored 28 points, including a team-high 16 by the sophomore Cambio. Rodriguez has been one of the guards making up for the loss of senior playmaker Luis Puello, who has missed each of the past four games with a sprained ankle.
“I think it just makes us so much better down the road,” said Raider coach Rick Nault whose club has beaten the Lancers 13 straight times since Lawrence’s 64-57 win on Feb. 6, 2007.
“When you win without your best players and you see guys step up … Henry Rodriguez might not be in the game if Luis were there and he’s dropping (free throws). It makes us so much better because it makes everyone raise their game.”
Lawrence was paced by sixth-man Franklin Martinez, who poured in a game-high 22 including 12 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“We made some silly mistakes,” said Lawrence coach Paul Neal. “It was a game where it could have gone either way. We played hard, but we came up short again. I think at this point it’s more of a mental thing than a physical thing. We’ve just got to find a way to overcome that, but I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

Central Catholic 69, Lawrence 67 (OT)
 Lawrence (67): Leonny Burgos 2 0-0 4, Yadoris Arias 7 2-2 19, Argenis Reinoso 1 2-4 4, Tre’von Farley 3 8-12 14, Roberto Speing 0 0-2 0, Franklin Martinez 8 2-2 22, Denny Gonzalez 0 0-0 0, Esmelin Romero 1 0-1 2, Jorge Soto 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 14-23 67
 Central Catholic (69): Lucas Hammel 0- 3-4 3, Tyler Nelson 4 2-2 11, Joel Berroa 5 1-1 12, Shawn McCoy 2 1-2 5, Doug Gemmell 5 4-6 14, Nick Cambio 7 2-2 16, Henry Rodriguez 0 7-8 7, Matt McDermott 0 0-0 0, Mike Barry 0 1-2 1. Totals 23 21-27 69
3-pointers: L — Martinez 4, Arias 3; CC — Nelson, Berroa
Lawrence (7-2, 5-1):    19 14  8 18  8 — 67
Central Catholic (9-0, 5-0):    19 12 14 14 10 — 69

Tyler Nelson (19 points, 5 3 pointers) just beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer in the final minute and Lucas Hammel was 4-for-4 from the line from the final 24 seconds as Central Catholic held on to beat Cathedral High of Springfield in the Hoophall Classic at Springfield College, 72-66.

See plenty of highlights and interviews from Central Catholic's victory over archrival Andover.

ANDOVER — Five minutes and 48 seconds, just three field goal attempts,zero points and one legitimate upset bid obliterated.

Central Catholic's defense out of the locker room swept host Andover right off its own Dunn Gymnasium floor, turning a 27-25 deficit into a 42-27 runaway.

LAWRENCE — Despite playing without its senior playmaker, Central Catholic still played with the kind of maturity down the stretch that wins championships.

In this case, another Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament title.

LAWRENCE — Coach, hopefully your 50th will be more memorable.

True, for his 40th birthday yesterday, Central Catholic coach Rick Nault did get a 56-39 win over Pinkerton to earn a berth in tomorrow's Greater Lawrence Christmas Tourney title game against host Lawrence High.