NORTH ANDOVER — They played the first half in a Ferrari and the second in a cement mixer.
Both styles suited Central Catholic quite nicely.
The Raiders got 33 points from tourney MVP Javi Lopez as his team never let top seeded Beverly High in it, leading every step of the way in a 76-62 Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic championship win at Merrimack College’s Lawler Arena.
“They have such good players over there at Beverly. The game in the first half was a little faster. The second half, we just said ‘Let’s get some stops’,” said Central coach Mark Dunham.
“We were really trying to make them work to score. And we did a really good job of that. They’re so good. They’re going to be there in the end. Hopefully we will be there, too.”
For Central, it’s the first Christmas tourney title since 2016 and the 21st for the Raiders in the 49-year history of the event.
Beverly (now 4-1), making its second finals appearance in four years at the CMCC but seeking its first title, just ran out of gas and in a one-man wrecking crew in Lopez. The Central senior hit the first two hoops of the contest, dropping 17 first quarter points on the Panthers and propping the Raiders on a 25-16 lead after the first eight minutes.
“Javi’s been through so much since his freshman year. Our whole team has confidence in him,” said Dunham. “We run a set get him the ball, and say, ‘Javi make a play.’ He’s been doing it since his freshman year. He’s a special player and even a better person.”
Beverly just kept fighting uphill all night long.
All-tourney teamer Jacob Klass dropped a three-pointer and fellow senior captain Danny Price had an offensive putback just before halftime to slice a Central lead that was in double figures nearly the entire second quarter to 44-36 at the break.
But that’s when the game turned – pace-wise – into a lower gear that suited Central. And the Panthers just couldn’t respond.
“I watched some film from Javi’s freshman year. We had Markys Bridgewater, Marcus Rivera. Those games we used to muck up a lot on the defensive end,” said Dunham. “I think we went back to that in the second half.”
Klass finished his night with a team-high 27 points to go with 9 rebounds. He went the entire 32 minutes.
Over the three-game Commonwealth Motors Christmas Tournament, Klass averaged 23.3 points a game, scoring 70 in all.
Pierce added 14 points, and Domenic Panniello, who earned the Beverly Coaches’ Award for his three strong performances here, added eight points.
“Look at Jacob, and you look at Javi, and those are two of the best players in the state,” said Dunham. “You knew it was going to be a battle.”