NORTH ANDOVER – Everyone in the jam-packed Crozier Fieldhouse knew the ball was going to Javi Lopez.
And once the Central Catholic junior got it, it was just a matter of whether he would sink the game-winning shot or the two teams would extend what was already an absolutely fantastic game to overtime.
Lopez, who played just seconds shy of the entire game, had no overtime plans.
With the game tied at 54-54, Lopez took an inbound pass a few feet behind midcourt. With ten seconds left on the clock, he raced up the left sideline, beating a defender, before cutting to the basket to meet two more North Andover defenders. Lopez darted in between them, and converted an incredible up and under basket, which sealed the deal, giving Central Catholic the dramatic 56-54 victory over the Scarlet Knights.
“I feel like I’m built for these moments,” said Lopez. “I just got down the court and had to make a play. I just wanted to attack the basket – it was go mode the entire way. That situation, all I have to do is get a bucket. Coach (Mark Dunham) trusts me by putting the ball in my hands. I love my coach. He trusts me. He is the one who has developed me. I just love him. He’s the best.”
Lopez finished the night with 26 points, six rebounds and four steals.
“(Lopez is) really hard to defend,” said North Andover coach Paul Tanglis. “You don’t want him to touch the ball and when he does, you throw two guys at him or three guys at him and he’s just a really tough player. He makes plays and obviously that play at the end was really tough (to stop). (At times) we held him check. We know he’s going to score, so you just try to limit him as much as you can.”
North Andover had tied the game up with 22 seconds left after a Zach DesRochers steal led to a basket by Angel Sanchez. That gave Central the ball and eventually led to the game-winning basket.
“With the new rule of five fouls in a quarter, we obviously knew that they were going to foul us because they had some fouls to give,” said Dunham. “We didn’t want to shoot the ball (right away). We wanted it to go down to one or two seconds left on the clock, so either we were going to win the game or it was going to go to overtime.
“Javi got downhill and made an amazing play. He’s just resilient. Whenever he has the basketball, I feel like he’s going to score. It was a great move going up and under. He’s a special player. We’re fortunate enough to have him here. He’s a junior, so the sky is the limit.”
Central Catholic, ranked No. 7 in the MIAA Division 1 power rankings, improved to 9-1 with the win, while No. 29 North Andover fell to 3-4. This marked the second time this season that the MVC rivals have met, with the Raiders winning 73-64 back during the Christmas Tournament.
“It was going to be a different game than it was at the Christmas tournament,” said Lopez. “They are going to run their stuff, they are going to execute and they are going to hit their shots. We all knew that. It’s their home game, it’s a Friday night and we knew they were going to be tough and it was.”
Central Catholic 56, North Andover 54
Central Catholic: Javi Lopez 10-5-26; Antonio Lopez 2-0-4; Elias Ynoa 4-0-11; Jeremiah Almanzar 2-0-4; Jordan Marion 2-1-5; Elkin Pena 2-1-6; Totals: 22-7-56
North Andover: Zach DesRochers 4-0-9; Trey Martin 3-0-8; Cam Bethel 3-2-8; Bryan Gyorda 2-0-6; Angel Sanchez 3-0-6; Niko Catalano 6-4-6. Totals: 21-6-54.
Halftime: North Andover 24-23; 3-pointers: CC, Ynoa 3, J. Lopez, Pena; NA, Gyorda 2, Martin 2, DesRochers.