LAWRENCE — While Central Catholic entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the MIAA Division 1 tournament, the Raiders knew they faced an up-hill climb in their pursuit of a state title.
That was certainly true on Friday night, against a Brookline team that was neck-and-neck with Lawrence just a couple of weeks ago.
The No. 29-seeded Warriors fought hard, leading at halftime, but Central Catholic was able to pull away for a 56-48 win in the Division 1 Round of 32.
Central was led by junior Joey Hart, who scored 23 points, once again stepping up in a big way when it mattered most.
“I always try to get my teammates involved, no matter the situation,” said Hart. “I let the game come to me tonight, and it was a great victory for our guys.”
Brookline came in red hot, led by senior guard Makyle Hayes, who scored 19 points in the defeat.
Hart was incredible in the first quarter, shooting a perfect 4 for 4 from the field, on his way to 10 points.
The Warriors kept playing tough, led by Taj Horowitz and Chris Sillice, and led by four points at the break, 32-28.
“They (Brookline) played Wednesday night, so we really only had one day to look at film,” said Central head coach Mark Dunham. “When we saw them live, it was definitely different. They have very good guard play, and our guys were battle-tested tonight, especially in the first half.”
Hart kept up his fantastic play in the third quarter, and Nick Sangermano started hitting clutch shots. After a Marcus Rivera 3-pointer right before the buzzer sounded, Central led 42-40 heading into the final quarter.
Brookline stayed in the game, but Hart and company continued to have an answer in the final eight minutes.
Free throws down the final stretch were made by Central, and the closest the Warriors got was 51-46 with three minutes to go.
Central Catholic will next face BC High, a rematch of just only a few weeks ago, when the Eagles took the Raiders down in Lawrence 59-44. The date and location of that game are TBA.
“Even though they are out of conference, this will be the fourth time we’ve played them in only two seasons,” said Dunham. “Coach (Bill) Loughnane does such a great job with them year after year, and they really gave it to us on Senior Night. We are excited for the opportunity, but it will no doubt be a tough task. They have huge players, but it feels great to move on.”
Hart is more than excited for the chance to rematch vs BC High.
“They handed it to us really badly just a couple of weeks ago,” said Hart. “I think they know what’s coming and it’s sweet we can get this rematch and get some revenge back on our home floor.”
Central Catholic 58, Brookline 48
Division 1 Round of 32
Brookline (48): Purifoy 3-1-7, Haynes 1-0-3, Horowitz 2-0-5, Hayes 8-3-19, Sillice 2-0-4, Peterson-Davis 3-0-6, Shi 2-0-4. Totals 21-4-48
Central Catholic (58): Bridgewater 1-1-3, Hart 8-4-23, Lopez 3-1-2, Rivera 2-1-6, Haley 0-2-2, Sangermano 6-1-15. Totals 20-11-58
3-pointers: Brookline — Haynes, Horowitz; CC — Hart 3, Sangermano 2, Lopoez, Rivera
Brookline (10-12): 15 17 8 8 — 48
Central Catholic (16-6): 16 12 17 13 — 58