METHUEN — For the better part of 24 hours, the anticipation ate at Jeremiah Almanzar.
The opportunity to return to his old stomping ground, to take on the program he once played for and a few of the players he once called teammates, had the Central Catholic senior counting down the seconds.
“I couldn’t sleep last night!” said Almanzar with a chuckle. “I was so fire up. Coming back here is really special. I just wanted to get out there and go make an impact. That’s all I was thinking.”
The excitement was evident very early.
The point guard came out flying, scoring six of his 12 points in the first quarter, then ended the game in style with an up-and-under layup for the final points of Central Catholic’s 59-42 win over a gritty Methuen High squad on Tuesday.
“This is a game I needed to win,” said Almanzar. “There could be a little bit (of a hangover) after winning the (Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic), but not for me. Going to Methuen High as a freshman, this game really meant something to me.”
The Methuen resident spent his freshman season playing on JV for the Rangers, before transferring to Central Catholic heading into his sophomore year.
“I was looking for a new opportunity,” said Almanzar. “I needed to find a new group to surround myself with. I played eighth grade basketball with Javi (Central Catholic star Javi Lopez), so I knew we would be a good match on and off the court.
“To come back here with this team and coach (Mark) Dunham, who has given me so much confidence, is really special. I couldn’t have been more fired up.”
Almanzar, at 5-foot-10 the shortest player on the Central Catholic roster, did it all on the court for the Raiders against his hometown squad. The captain directed traffic while running the point, aggressively attacked every loose ball and was a force on the defensive end.
It was exactly what the Raiders have grown to expect from Almanzar, who was an All-Merrimack Valley Conference second team choice and Eagle-Tribune All-Star honorable mention a season ago, and was recently Central Catholic’s recipient of the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic scholarship.
Following the game, Dunham raved about the impact that his leader brings to the team — contributions that rarely garner headlines.
“Everything that Jeremiah does goes unnoticed,” said Dunham. “He covers the other team’s best player every night, he gets us into our offense, he’s just the ultimate team captain and an incredible player.”
And Almanzar fully embraces that role.
“I take a lot of pride in my defense and just getting everyone into the right spot,” he said. “I love playing point guard.”
Lopez moves to No. 2
With 24 points on Tuesday night, Javi Lopez moved into the No. 2 spot all-time in career points for a Central Catholic player.
Lopez has now scored 1,443 points in his four-year varsity career, moving ahead of Raiders legend Jonathan Cruz (1,434). He now trails just two-time Eagle-Tribune MVP Tyler Nelson (1,486) for the school record.
“Inching closer and closer,” said Lopez. “It’s really an honor to be in the conversation with those guys. They achieved greatness, so to be compared to them means a lot.”
Central Catholic 59, Methuen 42
Central Catholic: Javi Lopez 8-4-24, Jeremiah Almanzar 4-4-12, Elkin Pena 2-4-8, Ademola Ajao 1-0-2, Jordan Marion 1-0-2, Drew O’Keefe 5-1-11. Totals 21-13-59
Methuen: Niles Scott 5-4-14, Jeyvien Deleon 5-2-12, Dylan Sweetster 2-0-5, Alex Santiago 1-6-8, Denzel Almonte 1-1-3. Totals 14-13-42
Threes: CC — Lopez 4; M — Sweetster
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