Boys' basketball roundup: Central Catholic squeezes Lowell in final seconds to reach semifinals

Boston Globe

08-03-2025

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The fourth-seeded Raiders (20-2) grabbed control early with some hot shooting and opened a 41-33 lead in the third quarter by turning defense into offense during a 10-2 run.
But fifth-seeded Lowell (20-3) would not go away, as senior point guard Tzar Powell-Aparicio (10 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists) and sophomore forward Collin Christiansen (16 points, 10 rebounds) spearheaded a ferocious defense and led the attack on the offensive glass, helping the Red Raiders compile 18 offensive rebounds, generating second-chance points.
A couple of minutes after Lowell's 10-2 run knotted the score, 43-43, midway through the fourth quarter, freshman forward Elkin Pena (12 points) produced an acrobatic lay-up to snap an eight-minute drought without a field goal for the Raiders and open a narrow 46-43 lead.
'[Pena] has a knack for the ball,' Dunham said. 'He understands spacing and when we drive, he knows where he needs to be. He plays like a senior.'
While Central junior captain Javi Lopez didn't have his most efficient shooting night, he finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 steals, including a pivotal takeaway in the final minutes to mirror the key defensive plays he produced down the stretch in a 72-63 January win over Lowell.
'You don't want to not make that play and think about it for the rest of your life, how you lost at home in the Elite Eight,' said Lopez. 'So that's what we were repeating to our guys. Leave everything out there.'
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Division 2
Oliver Ames 58, Plymouth South 57 —
Oliver Ames seniors Cole Craffey and Seun Sorinmade each took detours during their high school basketball careers.
Craffey (Brimmer and May) and Sorinmade (New Hampton, N.H.) both transferred back to their hometown school ahead of the 2024-25 academic year. Friday night, in a front of a packed Easton gymnasium, the duo powered the fourth-seeded Tigers past No. 12 Plymouth South in the quarterfinals.
The second half belonged to Sorinmade, who scored 14 of his 17 points after intermission. During a furious fourth-quarter rally from the visiting Panthers, Sorinmade calmly walked to the free throw line and sank five-of-six shots to give the Tigers just enough cushion to survive and advance to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of No. 1 Malden Catholic and No. 9 Doherty.
With 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Oliver Ames leading by 3, Sorinmade hit the first of two free throws to push the lead to two possessions. Plymouth South senior Al Marzullo (19 points) hit a 3-pointer as time expired, but the Panthers comeback effort fell just short.
'I embraced the moment' said Sorinmade. 'Free throws are something simple but you get in these situations a lot and just want to execute.'
The Tigers (21-4) built a 13-point lead in the third quarter before the Panthers began their comeback bid. Sorinmade connected on a trio of 3-pointers in the third quarter to fuel the Tigers' advantage. Oliver Ames won the quarter, 18-10, and put itself ahead, 45-34, entering the final quarter.
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'Our seniors dug in and luckily time ran out,' said Tigers head coach Eric MacKinnon, a 2011 Oliver Ames graduate. 'It's typically about the seniors and this is a really good group of guys.'
Plymouth South (18-5) jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead in the first quarter before Craffey began to find his rhythm. Craffey scored 9 of the Tigers next 11 points and the hosts took at 13-8 lead.
Craffey displayed his full arsenal of moves, connecting on free throws, 3-pointers, and a vicious one-handed slam.
'It feels great to be back home with the kids I grew up with' said Craffey. 'It's an amazing feeling.'
Craffey scored 15 of his team-high 21 points in the first half.
This is the most successful boys basketball season for Oliver Ames since their Class C state championship team of 1965.
'You don't want to think about what's next yet, but as a coach, you always are,' said MacKinnon. 'I just want them to enjoy this moment. These guys have made this a goal.'
Sophomore Logan Volkringer scored 21 points for the Panthers in defeat.
Malden Catholic 78, Doherty 52 —
Mamadou Camara tallied 25 points, Abe Camara added 19, and Aboubakar Nimaka scored 17, pushing the top-seeded Lancers (21-1) through ninth-seeded Doherty (18-5) and into the semifinals.
Masconomet 63, Mansfield 55 —
Powered by captains Jimmy Farrell (18 points) and Devin O'Brien (14 points), the seventh-seeded Chieftains (21-1) are headed to the state semifinals for the first time in program history after taking down second-seeded Mansfield (20-5).
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Somerset Berkley 88, Pope Francis 60 —
Junior Colten Pacheco scored 29 points (4 of 6 on three-pointers) and grabbed seven rebounds, leading a balanced attack for the sixth-seeded Raiders (22-1) as they moved past third-seeded Pope Francis (20-3) and into the semifinals for the second year in a row. 'Our kids played great defense and it led to great offense,' S-B coach Bob Slater said. 'We shot the ball very well, especially at a place we'd never played before.' The Raiders got 21 points and 12 rebounds from senior Finn Bjork, 20 points and eight assists from senior Brendan McDonald, and 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists from junior Dom Taylor. 'It's a special team,' Slater added. 'They're so unselfish. They play team basketball, they don't care who scores ... they just want to win. There isn't anything that they don't think they can do.'
Norwell's Charlie Williams goes for the block on Hanover's Thomas Gorbey.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Division 3
Norwell 57, Hanover 52 —
With the Clippers ahead by 6 points and 29.9 seconds left on the clock, the student section bid Hanover farewell with a 'Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye' chant.
Norwell coach John Willis, not quite ready to celebrate, turned around and implored them to wait. He had been patient for 31 years, so he could wait a little longer. Forgive him for wanting to be overly cautious.
Willis, who has coached Norwell since 1994, had watched his teams come tantalizingly close to reaching the semifinals in the past, only to see the dream fall short.
When Charlie Williams hit two free throws, Hanover missed a 3-pointer, and Williams corralled a rebound, Willis decided it was time. He turned around again, this time invigorating the crowd.
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After outlasting Hanover in the quarterfinals, the Clippers are onto the semifinals for the first time in program history.
'Thirty-plus years,' Willis said. 'I got it off my back.'
Senior guard Ronan Coffey and sophomore forward Jack Luccarelli paced the No. 2 Clippers (23-0) with 15 points apiece. Will Bostrom, a versatile senior forward, added 11 points and made a string of winning plays in the fourth quarter.
Tyler Vincent (29 points) canned a 3-pointer and hit two free throws to help the No. 10 Hawks (14-11) trim it to 43-41 early in the fourth. Bostrom buried a 3 to extend it to 5 with 3:51 remaining, and Norwell never looked back, as Williams and Coffey sealed it at the line.
'I tell you, Will Bostrom is a winner,' Willis said. 'He's a winner. He gets big rebounds when you need it, he hits big 3s when you need it. He just does everything out there on the floor.'
Norwell led, 17-11, through one quarter, and 25-20 at the half. When the Clippers extended the margin to 13 midway through the third, Vincent responded with a flurry to trim it to 37-31 through three, hitting a series of stepbacks and floaters to help Hanover hang around.
The Hawks, who struggled early in the year, aren't one to go down lightly.
'I'm just so proud of the kids,' Hanover coach Nick Hannigan said. 'They stuck with each other. Could have gone up or down when we were 2-4, but they persevered.'
With their head coach in mind, the Clippers made history. Now, they hope to finish what they started.
'It means the world,' Bostrom said. 'He's been telling us all week that we're the team to do it.'
Old Rochester 52, Greater Lawrence 49 —
With 22 points, Gavin Martin powered 20th-seeded Old Rochester (14-9) into the semifinals with a quarterfinal win over No. 5 Greater Lawrence (15-8).
Division 4
Bourne 74, O'Bryant 48 —
Mike Dankert tossed in 29 points and hauled in 16 rebounds as the second-seeded Canalmen (20-3) cruised past 23rd-seed O'Bryant (14-10) and into the semifinals. Nate Reynolds added 12 points and six rebounds, and Emery Robbins and James Moran-Rose chipped in with 10 points each.
Holland (Burke) 77, Lynn Tech 55 —
The top-seeded Bulldogs (20-3) return to the Division 4 semifinals, riding a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds from Ian Piper and 14 points and 13 rebounds from Gerald Banks past No. 8 Lynn Tech (14-9) in the quarterfinals. Travis Sanchez Jr. had 18 points for the Tigers, and Jasaad Fenton added an 11-point, 11-assist double-double for the Bulldogs.