The Dunham boys – Central Catholic coach Mark, his brother and Pinkerton Academy coach Mike, and their dad, Butch – might have had the biggest smiles in the place, walking off the floor at Lawler Arena for the last time after the Raiders claimed the boys championship in the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic.
It’s been a long time coming for the Dunhams.
“This tournament means so much to me and my family. I get emotional. My dad and I have been coming here since I was six years old,” said Mark, whose Raiders claimed the school’s first Christmas title since 2016. “We never, as a family, have rooted for a team that’s won the tournament. Until now. So, this is for my dad, and me, and my family. I’m so happy for them.”
It was a great hoop holiday for the Dunhams, as Mike’s Astros won the first “Rivalry Week” event in New Hampshire as well.
Mark has now coached Central in four Christmas tourneys, going 9-3 in that span.
“Coach kept telling us before the game, it’s such a big tournament for him. He’s played in it (at Pinkerton Academy) and has been coming to it forever,” said Raider junior Drew O’Keefe. “It was our opportunity to give it to him, and that was huge for us.”
O’Keefe impact
In a tournament rich in history because of its unsung heroes – see E.J. Perry III in 1980 for a prime example – you have to paste what Central’s O’Keefe did to Beverly last night.
His 19-point performance – with 12 coming in the first half – was not a career-high as originally thought. O’Keefe, an all-conference receiver/defensive back/kicker for the Raiders in the fall, had a 20-point night against Billerica back during his freshman year.
“This was definitely a bigger game to have that kind of night,” said O’Keefe, who racked up 86 points with 10 TDs on the football field this year.
O’Keefe, no stranger to the big moment, was ready to roll from the opening tip.
“We knew Beverly was going to try and take Javi (Lopez) away. I took it on me to make sure I could score, too,” he said. “Running the floor and getting my teammates open got me open. I was playing with confidence.
“I love the atmosphere of the tournament. I feel like it’s easier to play with a crowd like that.”
O’Keefe and the Raiders hit the holiday week hungry after some pre-Christmas disappointment.
“Winning this was a great way to bounce back after that Andover loss,” he said. “It was huge to get over it and just move on.”
Rising to greatness
The Javi Lopez-Jacob Klass matchup lived up to the hype for sure in the finals.
Each guy is worth the price of admission on his own.
Praying that we get one more opportunity for it at some point in the Division 1 state tourney.
Lopez’ three days of work were as good as any in the history of the event.
The 30-point a night average places him third all-time behind Andover’s Tim Perry (31.5 in 1985) and Greater Lawrence Tech’s Dave Rochefort (31.0 in 1975).
Lopez, the returning Eagle-Tribune Player of the Year, is a two-time Christmas tourney all-star and one-time MVP.
“Before the game, I took a few minutes to meditate, to go into the game in the right place,” said Lopez, who opened with a 17-point first quarter on 6 of 9 shooting. “I take things a lot more serious these days as a senior captain, and I wanted to make sure we were ready for this one.”
As good as Lopez was scoring the basketball, his best play of the quarter might have been the near full-court bounce pass to spring O’Keefe for a break-away layup.
Facing Klass head to head was a driving force, too.
“I have competition instilled in me. I’m always ready to compete,” said Lopez. “He’s a great player. A lot of people came in saying that we are the two best players in the state. I was ready to go.”
Next up for the 4-1 Raiders is 4-1 Methuen on Tuesday night at the Klimas Fieldhouse.
And just one more update on some non-holiday history: With 142 points through five games (28.2 ppg), Lopez is now just 15 points away from Jonathan Cruz’ Central school mark of 1,434.
Good news from Andover
Andover High girls coach Alan Hibino reports that the injury that held point guard Elizabeth LaRovere out of the title game on Tuesday doesn’t look to be a long-term thing.
LaRovere, who looked sharp in wins over Methuen and Bridgewater-Raynham is expected to be back at practice in days. …
Sticking with the Blue-and-Gold for a second, Josh Roux, with 17 3-pointers in three days, zoomed right to the top of the Christmas tourney all-time list, supplanting Andover legend Chris Vetrano for most triples in one tourney.
Vetrano had 14 in 2003.
Both Roux, this year, and Vetrano, in ’03 totaled 77 points – and now stand tied for 14th on the all-time list at 25.7 a game.
Coaches’ Award Winners
Along with the MVPs an all-tourney teams, the coaches’ award plaques were handed out after all eight games on Tuesday.
The winners on the girls side were: Mia Vidoni, Andover; Ashley Varnum, Bridgewater-Raynham; Lilly Phillips, Central; Jomary Diaz, Methuen; Katie McMahon, Natick; Lara Uluoglu, North Andover; Sofia Bellacqua, Pentucket and Alexa Coward, Westford.
For the boys: Charlie Tutwiler, Andover; Domenic Panniello, Beverly; Elkin Pena, Central; Bentham Lois, Greater Lawrence Tech; Aiden Torres, Lawrence; Robert Almonte Soriano, Methuen; Angel Sanchez, North Andover; and Gio Rodriguez, St. John’s Prep.