Raiders keep guard up

Photo by Matthew West

By Joe Vieira / Division 1 | Tuesday, March 9, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com |

Center Carson Desrosiers helped Central Catholic open a double-digit lead in the third quarter of the Division 1 state semifinal last night, but when Madison Park climbed back in and the big man went to the bench with four fouls, it was the Raiders guards who made the difference.

Timely buckets by Luis Puello and Andrew Ouellette and a crucial defensive rebound by Jaycob Morales held off the Cardinals down the stretch as Central earned its second berth in the state championship game in three years with a 59-50 win at the Garden.

“It scared us, I’m not going to lie,” Morales said of Desrosiers’ departure. “He’s a big part of our team. When he came out, we looked at each other and said we have to step it up for him. We had to do it all for him, because he does it all for us.”

Madison Park (21-2) trailed by as much as 41-29 in the third, but a late run spurred by Spencer Braithwaite (11 points) and Jamal McCollum cut the lead to 49-44 entering the fourth.

When Desrosiers (20 points, 15 rebounds, seven blocks) left the game just 1:31 into the frame, the Cardinals appeared to be in prime position to take command. Braithwaite sank a free throw and David Campbell (15 points, nine rebounds) scored in the paint to cut the lead to 49-47, but that was as close as they got.

“We wanted to get the ball inside, and we had trouble doing that,” Madison Park coach Dennis Wilson said. “We had some turnovers and then we had some bad shot selection, and that was a problem. Everything should have been to the basket, dunk or drive, and that wasn’t the case.”

The rash of turnovers and missed shots let Central (25-1) off the hook in a big way, as Puello drained a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 52-47 when Desrosiers re-entered the game with 3:22 remaining.

After Ouellette hit a tough layup in transition, Morales pulled down a rebound at the other end and it was off to the free throw line for the Raiders.

“Every time we needed a rebound, a guard snuck in and grabbed it,” Central coach Rick Nault said of the fourth quarter. “They kept it together. That was the key moment of the game right there. The lead never really moved.”

Central opened a 22-13 lead after one quarter, but a 13-1 run by the Cardinals, fueled by eight strong points in the paint from Campbell, cut the deficit to 31-29 before a clutch 3-pointer for Chris Conlin sent the Raiders into the locker room with a five-point lead.

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