Cambridge out

Lawrence pulls off stunner in first round
By Adam Kurkjian / Boys Basketball | Saturday, March 5, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com |

The biggest shake-up of last night’s tournament action came in the Division 1 North sectional, where visiting Lawrence stunned No. 2 Cambridge, 82-78, in a first-round contest.

The No. 15 Lancers (14-8) were led by standout guard Jaylen Alicea, who recorded a triple-double with 35 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

“Jaylen did a lot, and we needed him to, but a lot of other players came out and played a great supporting role,” Lawrence coach Paul Neal said.

One of those players was Jessy Hiraldo, who played less than a quarter because of foul trouble but still managed 14 points and 10 rebounds and helped the Lancers handle the length and athleticism of the Falcons in the post.

“(Hiraldo) gave us some good minutes, and then after that it was really just a good team win,” Neal said.

Cambridge (19-2) led at the half, 44-41, and extended the lead to 11 points in the third quarter. The Lancers came storming back to take an 11-point lead of their own in the fourth.

Cambridge made a late run at the lead, but Alicea (15-of-19 free throws) hit 11-of-13 from the line in the quarter to seal the win.

Lawrence will face No. 7 Westford Academy in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

In the Div. 4 South quarterfinals, Cohasset coach Bo Ruggiero feels his team’s strength is its “spunk.”

“It’s all coming from energy,” he said.

That energy, in the form of a jump ball, turned out to be the difference for the No. 3 Skippers, who held off South Shore League rival and sixth-seeded Mashpee, 54-51, in Cohasset.

With Cohasset (20-2) clinging to a one-point lead, Mashpee’s Zak Orcutt missed a jumper with less than five seconds to go. The Skippers, who made 10 steals, were able to tie the ball up near midcourt, and the possession arrow went their way. After Mashpee fouled Sam Richardson (22 points) with 1.4 seconds left, the Cohasset senior calmly sank both.

“We had to make a stop and the ball was on the floor,” Richardson said. “We all just went on it and we got it.”

Richardson and junior Kyrel Jaundoo (six points, eight rebounds, five steals, two blocks) sparked an early 12-0 run.

But the Falcons (18-4), who split the regular-season series with Cohasset, rallied behind Nico Hendricks, whose 10 first-half points allowed his team to slice the deficit to 28-25 by the break. Then free throws did it for Cohasset.

In Div. 4 South action, Kyle Lawyer led No. 5 Cathedral (19-3) with 26 points in a 76-51 win against No. 4 Westport. Joe Greene added 17 points for the Panthers. . . .

No. 5 Winthrop (15-6), behind 19 points from Michael Griffin and 18 points from Quinton Dale, knocked off No. 4 Mystic Valley in a Div. 4 North quarterfinal.

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