LAWRENCE – Eleven lead changes and six ties through three quarters, plus a fourth quarter played on the edge of a cliff.
Lawrence and Central Catholic delivered all you expected Monday night in the Division 1 Round of 16.
In the end, it was the Lancers – who built an early fourth quarter lead of eight points – barely surviving Central’s final, fierce four-minute flurry, 55-53, on the Raiders’ home turf.
Clearly, the Lawrence Fire Department turned a bit of a blind eye, because the two rivals packed the place beyond capacity. The crowd filled the all the seating a half hour before tipoff, and the ring around Central’s balcony grew to 4-5 deep by game tine.
“It was a great environment, I loved it. We were locked in on the game,” said Lawrence senior captain Joendy Rosario.
Survivors. That’s what the Lancers have been all year through injuries and tumult. Somehow, they got it done, but it took all 32 minutes, plus a handful of tense seconds.
With Central trailing 55-52 in the final and the clock running out, sophomore Javi Lopez rose up for a 27-foot three to tie. He drew contact and was fouled.
“We told them right before we came out of the timeout, ‘Don’t foul the shooter! Don’t foul the shooter!’ It happens,” said Lancer interim coach Sucre Medina.
Rosario added, “It was me. I didn’t think I fouled him. I went straight up, I got the ball, but I might have hit him on the chest or something.
Alone at the line with 0.0 on the clock and potential overtime in his hands, Lopez hit the first of three but saw the second rattle out, propelling the Lancers into the state quarters for the second straight year.
“Great game, great game, it’s always a great game against them,” said Rosario, who led his team with 20 points, scoring seven of the Lancers’ eight in the fourth.
“We just stayed together and brought the game home.”
Central, the No. 7 seed, had split the two regular season meetings with the Lancers. The Raiders finish up at 14-8 but could be proud of this performance for sure.
Down 54-46, they went to Lopez, and the kid with the killer mid-range game led the charge back.
A pair of Lopez pullups sliced it to 54-51. Raider senior John Kelley swatted four second-half shots and altered a few others, keeping the Lancers from landing the kill shot.
Blad Hiraldo’s free throw made it 54-52 with 65 seconds left, but two was as close as Central could get.
Adriel Vasquez made it a three-point game with 12 seconds to play.
Lawrence harassed the Raiders, twice deflecting balls out of bounds.
Finally, Lopez got a bit of a look at the buzzer, but the Raiders’ luck ran out.
Lawrence lived off its guard play all night. Obbie Luciano had 15 points in the first three quarters, as Lawrence carried a 47-44 lead into the fourth.
From there, Medina gave the ball to his closer, Rosario.
He went to the hoop hard on back-to-back possessions, earning four free throws to push the margin to 51-44.
Lopez answered with a driving hoop of his own, but Rosario would get fouled again, making one of two, and then hit a baseline jumper for the 54-46 lead.
“I kind of found myself, going to the hoop, and getting to my pullup,” said Rosario.
It was just enough.
“Last year we were here, in the elite eight,” said Rosario. “That’s all that matters now. Once we step out of this gym, it’s on to the next game.”
Lawrence, 17-6, now awaits the winner of Tuesday’s Needham-Catholic Memorial Round of 16 game.
Lawrence 55, Central Catholic 53
Division 1 Round of 16
Lawrence (17-6): Joendy Rosario 5 8-13 20, Jonathan Perez 1 0-0 3, Adriel Vasquez 1 1-2 4, Aiden Torres 3 0-0 7, Francisco Santana 2 0-0 4, Obbie Luciano 5 1-4 15, Igor Gonzalez 1 0-0 2, Totals 18 10-19 55
Central (14-8): Javi Lopez 6 1-2 14, Bladomir Hiraldo 6 3-4 16, Elias Ynoa 3 0-0 8, Jeremiah Almanzar 1 0-0 2, John Kelley 5 2-3 13, Totals 21 6-9 53
3-pointers: L – Rosario 2, Perez, Vasquez, Torres, Luciano 4; CC – Lopez, Hiraldo, Ynoa 2, Kelley