Boys Basketball
As the ball found its way into Brock James‘ hands, and the game’s final seconds ticked off the clock, the Salem High junior attacked.
“We called a time out with 9 or 10 seconds to go,” said Salem coach Rob McLaughlin. “We wanted to set something up to get someone coming off a screen for an open shot. Zack Sangermano came off a screen, then found Brock in the corner. The defense closed in on Brock, because he had hit a couple 3-pointers.
“Brock attacked the basket, and threw up a nice floater around mid-paint as the buzzer sounded. It was a great shot for sure, and I was just so happy for him. It was a great moment for Brock, and a great win for us.”
Felix Gonzalez lead the Blue Devils with 14 points, while James had 10 points.
“The game was really close the whole way,” said McLaughlin. “There wasn’t more than a 2-point lead at the end of any quarter. Exeter went up by seven points in the third, and we were able to keep our composure and respond. We had nine different players score for us. We moved the ball well. And they they tied it up with 0:50 left, we were able to respond and get the win. I’m so happy for Brock.”
Central Catholic 78, Lawrence 69
The Raiders (10-5) won the battle of MVC powers, led by Javi Lopez (25 points) and John Kelley (20 points). The Lancers were paced by Joendy Rosario (23 points, five rebounds), Obbie Luciano (18 points, five rebounds) and Courage Agbekpornu (11 points, six rebounds).
Timberlane 53, Goffstown 47
The Owls broke through with their first win of the season. Multiple Owls excelled in the fourth quarter and Jeremy Mlocek was red hot, scoring 21 points, including five 3-pointers.
Pelham 62, Lebanon 46
Dom Herrling scored 15 points, and is now at 961 points for his career. Zach James added a team-high 17 points for the Pythons (15-3).
Pelham 75, Manchester West 47
Zach James scored a game-high 20 points, while Dom Herrling added 18 points for the Pythons on Thursday.
Windham 72, Dover 41
Jack Begley scored a game-high 17 points, while Jack Murphy added 15 points for the Jaguars.
Amesbury 65, Whittier 61
The Wildcats outscored Amesbury 54-47 from the field, but struggled at the free throw line, converting only 54% (7 of 13) to the Red Hawks’ 69% (18 of 26). Zayden Goicochea led all scorers with 29 points.
North Andover 61, Dracut 42
The Scarlet Knights were red hot from the field, improving to 12-4.
Xaverian 54, Methuen 41
The Rangers fell to 9-8.
Girls Basketball
Central Catholic 40, Chelmsford 31.
Down 13 (24-11) halfway through the third, the Raiders (14-3) stormed back to take a 32-31 lead and never trailed again. Kerri Finneran led with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Aniela Kwo had 10 points and 5 rebounds. Abby Yfantopulos chipped in with 7 points. Addison Beers and Lilly Phillips contributed huge minutes off the bench.
Lawrence 46, Dracut 45
Savannah Santos scored 14 points and Kelsie Martinez added 11 points for the Lancers (4-12).
Salem 60, Exeter 54
Lily George (24 points), Lindsay Goetz (11 points) and Ella Mosto (12 points) starred, and the defense was strong for the Blue Devils, who improved the team record to 10-4.
Pelham 59, Lebanon 50
This game was a physical battle from the start. Leading the way for Pelham was Liv Todd, who poured in 21 points and Grace Riley who had 17 points. Pelham is now 11-4 on the season and is riding a six-game winning streak.
Billerica 42, Andover 36
Arissa Dorelas scored 13 points, while Ella Vidoni added 10 points and Cate Margolis had nine points for the Golden Warriors (10 points).
Notre Dame Cristo Rey 26, Pioneer Charter 19
Nathaly Guzman led the winners with nine points and four assists. Faith Santos played a great defensive game and led the team with 10 rebounds.
Bedford 91, Pinkerton 54
Elizabeth Lavoie scored 26 points, while Kaylee Dupuis and Alex White each scored 13 points for the Astros.
Laconia 48, Timberlane 33
Maia Parker led the Owls with 17 points.
Dover 36, Windham 35
The Jaguars were led by Kate Carboni (13 points) and Lilah Boucher (11 points).
Lowell 45, Haverhill 38
Grace Wood paced the Hillies with 14 points.