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Tre'von Farley pumped in a game-high 24 points to lead Lawrence past Greater Lawrence Tech, 69-43, in the opening game of the 37th annual Greater Lawrence Christmas Tourney.The Lancers will meet North Andover Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the semifinals. The Knights beat Salem 51-31.

The trademark of so many Lawrence teams over the years is the ability to go on a devastating run. Greater Lawrence Tech had upset on its mind, trailing the Lancers 14-11 late in the first quarter after Gabriel Santos was credited with the hoop on a Roberto Speing goaltend. Any hopes for a shocker, though, went out the window as the Lancers (3-0) scored 20 straight points in a span of a little over four minutes. The Lancers rolled to a 69-43 victory to earn a spot in Wednesday’s Christmas Tourney semifinals vs. North Andover. “The key was just playing defense,” said Lancer senior forward Tre’von Farley, who keyed the run with his defense and scoring. Playing an impressive all-around game, Farley led all scorers with 24 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds. He was the only player in the game to reach double digits. Yadoris Arias was a pest defensively with five steals. The Lancers posted the convincing win but coach Paul Neal wasn’t lavishing much praise on his guys. “I came into the game excited with our progress, but we took a step back,” said the Greater Lawrence Tech Hall of Famer. “We were sloppy. I wasn’t looking at the score. I was looking at the execution. We won because we have more talent not because of execution and playing as a group.” He did laud the play of 6-2 junior forward Denny Gonzalez, who had eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and grabbed five boards. “He’s really surprising us,” said Neal. “He’s probably the biggest kid we have and he’s mobile.” The Reggies (3-3), were led by Felix Marte, a big-hearted 5-7 point guard and talented 5-11 junior Papaciro “Big Papi” Ortiz, who both had eight points. Big Papi bears a physical resemblance to the previous No. 35 for the Reggies, the great Donald Celestin. Some of the moves were Celestin-esque as well.

Senior forward Joseph Urena netted a running layup with 27 seconds remaining to break a 45-45 tie and lead Greater Lawrence to a 47-45 win over Northeast. 

HAVERHILL — With five of its top six players back, Whittier knew it would find points. But it’s been the defense that’s shined in the early going for the Wildcats. Last night, the Wildcats put the clamps on Greater Lawrence, forcing 32 turnovers in a convincing 56-36 victory. Winning for the second time in as many games, Whittier has allowed only 77 points. “This year we come with a different approach,” said junior Ryan Grant, the area’s top returning scorer. “We have better players and we have a better IQ and we have more chemistry. We feel like we need to play as a team and our offense will come. Defense is where our main focus is.” After spotting Greater Lawrence a quick 2-0 lead on a lay up by Gabriel Santos, Whittier forced turnovers on the Reggies’ ensuing seven possessions. Greater Lawrence (2-1), which opened the season with wins over Notre Dame of Lawrence and Essex Aggie, turned over the ball on 11 of its 17 first-quarter possessions as Whittier rolled to a 17-4 lead. “Defense is something we’re stressing,” said Whittier coach Tom Sipsey. “The first week and a half of practice that’s all we really did. We didn’t put in any offensive stuff until the day after our first game (a 69-41 victory over Northeast).” Grant, who averaged 19.9 points last year, paced the Wildcats with 17 points – 11 in the second half. The junior point guard had four first-half assists and added a couple steals. Senior Marck Galva and junior Justin Reyes each added 10 points while Reyes also had six steals and five of Whittier’s 29 offensive rebounds. Junior forward Papaciro Ortiz led the Reggies with eight points. “We’re inexperienced and they’re experienced and it really showed big time. I don’t want to say we played scared, but we didn’t play with confidence,” said Greater Lawrence coach Dan Habib, who lost four starters from a 9-11 team including area scoring leader Donald Celestin. 

Greater Lawrence's boys rolled to a 56-28 win over Notre Dame of Lawrence to open its season. Papaciro Ortiz led the Reggies with 14 points and eight rebounds while Joseph Urena chipped in with 12 points.