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Took in the boys half of the Andover-North Andover doubleheader over at a packed Crozier Fieldhouse.
30-9 Andover out of the gate and the Warriors never looked back.
Awesome job by the Knights’ students, who came out en masse for what turned into a non-contest.
You got the feeling the Knights might have been a little too keyed up for this one, while Andover played loose, with a looseness we haven’t seen in a week or so.
The real Joe Bramanti returned and dominated from the opening tip.
Brian Miller played strong inside, but the story of the game was Andover’s team man-to-man defense, which caused turnovers, forced the Knights offense way above the three-point line and totally disrupted things.
The Warriors played with real purpose.

That said, while it had to be disappointing for the Knights, it has to pay dividends for Friday night’s showdown with Masconomet for the CAL championship.

And you have to think it will help prepare NA for the Division 2 North tournament. If they see a team like, say Dracut, which swarms and runs, they’ll be able to focus on this one and learn from it.

I know this one can’t help with North Andover’s hoop rep on a grand scale, but I’m still a firm believer that this crew is a major player in D2 North.

Can’t drone on too long here as the Super Bowl post-mortem stuff has taken its toll and I need some rest, but before I go I want to throw a shout out to the Andover students, all 11 of you, who showed up to support your team.
Where were the rest of you? Home studying? How far is the ride anyways?

Well, the dominating win by the Warriors allows me to confidently state my pre-tourney Fantastic Four as 1. Central Catholic; 2. Andover; 3. Lawrence; 4. North Andover.

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Just talked to Rick Nault, got a quick update on Jimmy Zenevitch.
Nault said he’s 50/50 for Friday, but he has to be a realist. Central could rest Zenevitch over the weekend against Lawrence and undefeated Bishop Hendricken, and those results … in the grand scheme of things … don’t matter - so long as they come back Tuesday night and take care of Haverhill.
“We’ll see at practice today,” said Nault, who sounded like he was airing on the side of cautiousness.
Remember, Central has these three coming up, then the Comcast Tournament at BC High, playing the host team on Feb. 13 and with the chance to play the winner of Newton North and Everett on the 14th, that is if the Raiders win.

Wow, an impressive night over on Hampshire Street with the Raiders and Warriors.
I’ve said it before, Central, which rolled 61-47, is just too big and talented for Andover.
Does that mean the Warriors won’t be able to pull off an upset, say in March?
Not necessarily, but it’s clear the Warriors are struggling with themselves right now.
Andover looks out of synch, they look like they are searching for an identity.
Honestly, I’d like to see the Warriors just once play with reckless abandon, as if they have nothing to lose. In my eyes, it’s almost like Andover plays like they are supposed to win and it works as a detriment.
The Warriors have to embrace the “David” role to CC’s Goliath.
I know it’s easier said than done. They’ve been told not to be intimidated by the monster Central over and over again. Just a thought, but at this point, the number is 12 losses in a row. Time for drastic measures.

Great crowd, great atmosphere tonight at CC.
Some thoughts on the game.

First, I thought the game was pretty well-officiated right up until the fourth quarter disqualifications of Central’s Evan Sheehan and Andover’s Spenser Rose.
The two got caught up in a pushing match at a point that was strictly garbage time. They were quickly separated, then disqualfied for fighting. That will now cost each the next game.
Had I been holding the whistle I might have just told the coaches to get them both out of the game.
But they got tossed, and both teams have to live with it.
That means Friday night against Lawrence, CC will be without a key reserve in Sheehan and possibly without Jimmy Zenevitch, who went down with what looked like a high ankle sprain.

Sheehan delivered his best game I’ve seen for the Raiders last night, scoring seven points, all in the second quarter. He hit a big 3 when Andover was basically playing 5 players packed in the paint, daring CC to shoot.

Of course, it’s tough to feel sorry for Rick Nault, who literally has gone 9-10 deep at times.
Last night, it was the little man, Jose Batistine coming off the bench to play the point and deliver solid minutes.

I didn’t think I’d see a better rebounding performance than Katie Zenevitch’s 22 board game against Andover Sunday night.
And then Carson Desrosiers goes and rips down 23 last night to go with 11 points and six blocks.

Tough not to tag onto Central’s road ahead. Friday night, Sunday at Bishop Hendricken, Tuesday against the Hillies and then in the finale with unbeaten St. John’s Prep.

You know, time to get a little serious here.
D.J. Fazio, who admittedly at times is his own worst enemy, delivered a solid effort with a team-high 12 points in the loss. More importantly, DJ played hard and under control, like a gentleman. He gets railed hard by the opposition fans. Folks forget he’s a kid and stick him with cheap shots. It’s nice to see the kid succeed, even in a loss.

Good stuff though, tonight. And March is coming.
This is clearly a grea time.

Mass Rivals AAU basketball tryouts for 2010 boys teams will be held at the Greater Lawrence Technical School. Middle schoolers can try out Feb. 21 and 28: 5th and 6th graders from 6-7:15 p.m., 7th graders from 7-8:15 p.m., and 8th graders from 8-9:15 p.m. High school boys can try out Feb. 28 and March 7: 9th graders from 6-7:30 p.m. , 10th and 11th graders from 7:30-9 p.m. For more information, go to www.massrivals.com or email mtrovato11@aol.com.

Quickly, Central Catholic is at Lowell tonight, this is not at Central as our newspaper schedule and Rallynorth had listed.
Central at Lowell tonight.

FYI, Rick Nault did confirm that assistant coach John Sexton, one of the good guys out there, has resigned from the team. Our thoughts are with him.

Hey I’ll try to get into this weekend’s action by early afternoon but I just wanted to broadcast a schedule change for the first time.
Central Catholic’s Super Bowl Sunday showdown at Bishop Hendricken has been moved up to accommodate football fans.

    Central-Hendricken will now tip off at 1:30 p.m. varsity (12 noon JV).

Now, I’m not saying that I would ever consider this, but the creative fan might want to wake up early, perhaps drive to Connecticut early for a good breakfast and some possible fun, swoop up I-95 to take in Hendricken-CC in RI and still be home in plenty of time to catch more Super Bowl preview than one man could stomach.
Not that I’m considering (don’t mention it to my wife) but I’m just throwing it out there.

All right, I’m ready for my midseason unofficial report here on the local boys hoop scene.
It’s been a strange first half. There is no doubting Central’s dominance through the first half so far.

A couple issues to clear off the deck:
First, I have to admit a mistake and make an apology to the folks over at North Andover.
I have spoken off and on about the transfer of junior Evan Sheehan to Central Catholic from NA.
I made an error in reporting earlier, and it might not have place NAHS in the right light.
NAHS never signed off on Sheehan’s waiver to play. That was never in dispute. On his third and final appeal, Sheehan won and earned the right to play this year.
Herein lies my mistake. He did not play the first six games. I reported that as part of the settlement with the MIAA. The truth is, and coach Rick Nault confirmed this Tuesday night, that Sheehan had to miss the first six because Nault played him in a preseason scrimmage.
While the appeal was pending, Sheehan was still not eligible. The six games were the penalty.
My reporting may have placed NA in a bad light, and for that I apologize.

Second, there wasn’t a ton of chatter here, but I’m wondering if you all caught my boys hoop All-Decade Team in Sunday’s Eagle-Tribune.
Not a bad read if I do say so myself.
Any comments, critiques, criticisms???
I will say this, the Player of the Decade might have been my toughest choice of them all.
Personally, I felt strong about the choice. I mean how many losses has Carson had in four years at CC? That number is in single digits.
How many of those big games has he changed? That number is upwards of 20.
I only bring this up because my No. 2 choice, Andover’s Chris Vetrano was that good.
Chris is still the area’s leading scorer. He earned a D1 scholarship to UNH and had a couple of big games there before tearing it up against St. Anselm.
As I look back, it was as tough a selection process overall as I’ve seen.
Marquis Victor only made honorable mention. Kid was a dynamic game-changer at CCHS.
Chris Tardif, again HM. Was there a better player at Timberlane? Maybe, but I might have to go back to Dave Kirsch’s days there.
Even heard from the folks at LHS, who thought Luis Perez deserved a better slot than third team. Of course, playing only two seasons at Lawrence definitely hurt him.
I’m curious what the rest of you hoop gurus thought.

OK, on to the midseason thoughts.

We’ll go alphabetically here:

Andover – Back on track at 9-3 after an inexplicable 38-point loss to Brockton. That loss may have been exhibit A in the indictment of the talent level in the MVC this year. Or maybe it was just a mirage. The Warriors top five can play with anyone in my eyes. I do wonder what happens and will happen when this team goes to the bench. If Spenser Rose can score, and the Brama Bull doesn’t have to do it all, then Andover can be dangerous. I still don’t think they’ve played their best yet.

Central 10-0 – Tough to find fault without a loss yet. Sure, you wonder how they’ll handle backcourt pressure, or if anyone outside of Desrosiers, Zenevitch and alvarez can make a big shot when it matters.
Absolutely can not wait until Sunday with Worcester North.

Georgetown - 7-3 is a nice spot for this group, especially with the losses of Jaymie spears to St. Mark’s and Noah Vonleh to Haverhill. Still, the Royals, who’ve been buoyed by the emergence of Johnny Spears at the point have a tough road ahead.

Greater Lawrence – Have to consider the 3-7 a disappointment. Too many missed manpower games to discipline issues. You have to appreciate the effort turned in by coach Dan Habib, who is determined to get it done the right way.

Haverhill – At 3-7, it’s one of those halves that make you go hmmm. Still, there looks to be better days ahead with the fab frosh, Noah Vonleh and a team that scraps for 32 minutes. Find a way to beat NA in the 4 ot game and knock off Methuen (65-63 loss Tuesday night) and Mike Trovato’s crew, despite all the early travails, is looking toward a state tourney berth.

Lawrence – The 8-4 mark is solid, especially after a strange opening blowout loss to Eastie. Love the way Alicea is playing. Got the size with Hiraldo and Calzetta up front. Huge “who’s for real” game Tuesday with Andover.

Londonderry – At 3-2 in Class L, a clear surprise. Mike Colby’s playing great. CJ Flanders is Mr. Intangibles. Again, first-year coach Jeff Gustavson faces the same dilemma Jimmy Zorbas did. That quarterfinal barricade should dominate every thought in Lancer country from now to March.

Methuen - Staring at 4-6 with a favorable schedule. You know I love the Ranger fight. I mean this is a group that took some lumps early. Honestly, a 2-5 in the league, this team has the chance to get back into the fight to defend its MVC small title.

North Andover – The clear beast in the CAL. Tough to defend, because they come at you from a different angle every night. The rematch with Masco should be a blast.

North Reading – Can the Hornets be consistent enough to hang around in the CAL small? With the firepower coming from the two Rosanos and P.J. Dionne, my answer is a resounding yes.

Pelham – Again, a young team that has been excellent, smothering teams on the defensive end and vulnerable at others. Just say you’re a Class I contender, do you want to see the Pythons come playoff time? Not with Stephen Spirou ready to drop 30 on you on any given night.

Pentucket – Coach Parent’s crew is hanging tough at 4-5. 10 wins would be a huge season for this crew. Of course, Corey McNamara and his 38 3-pointers have been a major boost.

Pinkerton – Solid front-court play has the Astros in the top half of Class L. Now how far can they go? Nobody in the Granite State can match Proulx-Mathieu-Patrikis up front. Is that enough?

Salem – Tough road ahead for the Blue Devils, who’ve established LaRosa on the perimeter and Gallant in the paint. It’s the complimentary pieces and their progression that could mean the difference between a playoff berth and a tough, tough winter.

Sanborn – 1 win for a group that is working basically from scratch.

Timberlane – Same can be said for the Owls, who had to replace the franchise in Erik Hatton.

Whittier – At 7-4, the biggest surprise of the first half. To think the Wildcats have done it with only a part-time Tito Pizarro. Giant strides for a program in need of a lift.

All-Area first half team
1st team

Carson Desrosiers, CC
Jimmy Zenevitch, CC
Jaylen Alicea, Lawrence
Stephen Spirou, Pelham
Joe Bramanti, Andover

2nd team
Ben Proulx, Pinkerton
Alex LaRosa, Salem
Noah Vonleh, Haverhill
Raudy Minaya, Methuen
Corey McNamara, Pentucket

MVP: Zenevitch
Rookie of the half year: Noah Vonleh, Haverhill

OK,
I’m probably going to free-wheel here on a bunch of different topics, but I will try to cover as much as I possibly can before fatigue sends me to the pillow.
First, I’ve been wanting to talk about the student section controversy that all of you, Ms. Doherty of Andover, the Central folks, everybody has made too much of.
First and foremost, you’re all overreacting.
Kids are kids. Let them be.
Tonight we saw two great student bodies, having fun at a basketball game. It was positive, it was refreshing, and it was awesome. The best part of the night was when the Lawrence kids had started a rhythmic chant and the Central kids joined in.
We all have to step back, assess the situation and let the kids have fun. I’ve never seen the waving of dollar bills. I’ve seen both Central and Andover students carrying about baby dolls.
And I don’t care if they chanted 1.7 to Luis Puello. It’s competitive, it’s fun.
I will tell you a story.
One of the worst moments, I’ve ever been a witness to at a high school game was when a Whittier Tech administrator, at a girls tourney game a couple years ago, went over to the Shawsheen stands and admonished the students for screaming as one of the Whittier girls was on the free throw line.
“We don’t allow that here,” she told the Shawsheen kids, who literally just yelled, no words, just a loud AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
When one of the Shawsheen faculty members there spoke up and asked that it be allowed, she had security come and remove the man.
Good thing the faculty member was smart, realized he was a role model to the kids and just left, without a struggle. He’s a better man than me, I would have gone kicking and screaming.
My point is, enough with all the PC garbage, let the kids be kids. Would you rather these students be at a game blowing off steam or being off somewhere else finding whatever mischief kids tend to find these days?
Make it fun for them.

I flat out love the CC-Lawrence rivalry. I walked in midway through the fourth of the JV game and I’ll tell you the crowd was amped up and into that.
The spirit is phenomenal, just phenomenal.
Truly fun. Nice packed house, I loved it.

I saw Andover-Dracut Tuesday and Lawrence-CC Friday. How did Dracut ever beat Lawrence? Judging by the talent on the two teams, that has to go down as a colossal upset.
I agree with one of you blogophiles out there, I’m not counting Methuen out in the MVC small just yet. I thought Dracut was going to be much better than they showed.
As for the 5 in, 5 out? Why not? You keep your kids fresh. And with a team like that, is there a substantial drop between players 5 and 10, I don’t think so.

Thoroughly impressed by Luis Puello.
I would be more impressed though, if the kid was playing defensive back in the fall. I thought Andover’s Joe Bramanti was the best football player not to play in this area right now. Puello is right there.
He was immense when Central needed it, with a couple huge rebounds and one very notable stickback in the third quarter.
He wasn’t the only one, though. Cam Wroblewski, Evan Sheehan and Andrew Ouellette all were big off the bench.
Give it up to Ouellette for a minute here. He came into the game and immediately missed a semi-breakaway lefty layup. Kid never lost his confidence, though. He finished the rest of the way, a huge lift from the Raiders’ starting QB.

As for Lawrence, it’s great to see Jesse Hiraldo back in the fold. Big and strong, he’s only going to get better. Great move by Paul Neal when he moved Hiraldo on to Jimmy Zenevitch early. Hiraldo’s length bothered him some, for the first time all year.

Atypically, Carson got in some foul trouble with two midway through the second, a third midway through the third and a fourth midway through the fourth.
Typically, two of the calls were legit. The other two were blown calls. Memo to Valley officials: When you blow the whistle, and you’re obviously wrong, find someone else to pin the foul call on. Don’t penalize the superstar for your mistake.
Desrosiers wasn’t shooting it well early (9 for 18 overall), he wasn’t a factor statistically because he was needed to break the press. And then you look up and see 20 points, 12 boards, four blocks. Kid is amazing sometimes.
Not all roses for the big fella, though. The two dunks are not enough CD. You had a chance for two more. Enough with the finger-rolls please!!! (This is all in fun, folks, a point Carson understands with me by now).

Injury to watch with CC’s Michael Alvarez, who turned his ankle early. The senior’s toughness and stability were missed as his minutes were limited in a three-point night.

Word emanating out of the Raider camp is that there might be yet another scholarship athlete in town.
Sources say that Gabie Polce has been offered by Division 2 St. Rose of the Northeast-10 Conference. Congrats, Gabie. Just being offered is a giant accomplishment.

Now this is just a hunch, I have no inside information whatsoever, but if you are in a gambling mood tomorrow, you might want to look at Race 6 from Aqueduct Race Track in New York.
The No. 2 horse is “Central Red Raider” and the morning line odds have the first-time starter at 20-to-1. He is owned by CC alum John McCarthy Jr. of Lawrence.
Good luck to his connections, including my neighbor, Steve McCarthy (an ex-Raider football standout) who has chosen not to let me know about this, I have to hear it on the streets. And good luck to you if you choose to get involved.

Finally, I’ll close with this.
I have been and I’m still a proponent that Central - for its own good and to the detriment to the rest of the MVC - should move to the Catholic Conference.
The Central crowd doesn’t like my stance. I just think it would do wonders for the school and its athletics. Fine.
But a game like Lawrence-Central especially makes me re-think my stand. With all due respect to Andover-Central or Methuen-Central, I think Lawrence-CC is just so dynamic. A game like Friday night’s does so much for both schools. I can understand why the CC people are so adamant about staying in the MVC. I still don’t agree, I think you’re better than that, but taking in an event like this does prove your point, not mine.
I love Luis Puello, who is from Lawrence, talking about the dynamic of the relationship between the players on these two teams:
“They are our biggest rivals. When you step on the court, you feel the intensity. They’re all my boys, but on the court, they’re all my enemies. After the game we chill, but it’s war on the court.”

Sunday at 2:30 p.m., Haverhill is hosting Pentucket, not an earlier time with Masconomet.
Just wanted to clear that up. The Hillies host Pentucket at 2:30.

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