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BOSTON — Wow.

That pretty much sums up the Central Catholic High girls performance here at the T.D. Garden in the EMass final between No. 2 seed Braintree (24-3), winning 55-51.

BOSTON — Wow.

That pretty much sums up the Central Catholic High girls performance here at the T.D. Garden in the EMass final between No. 2 seed Braintree (24-3), winning 55-51.

LOWELL — For three varsity seasons, Central Catholic’s Casey McLaughlin worked and waited for her chance at a Division 1 North title and an oppertunity to play for a state championship. For three years, she had to watch archrival Andover High celebrate the title, and dream of her chance. Last night, McLaughlin and the rest of the Raiders grabbed their opportunity. Central Catholic overcame a fourth-quarter surge by Westford Academy and locked up its first Division 1 North championship since its state title season of 2008-09 with a 60-51 victory at the Tsongas Center last night. “I have never won a North title, so this is pretty amazing,” said McLaughlin. “I’ve been waiting for this for four years, so I am so happy to finally get it. All of us have been wanting this for so long, and we kept falling short. So to do this is great.” The Raiders advance to the Division 1 state semifinal to take on South champ Braintree at the TD Garden on Monday. “I haven’t been to the Garden since I was a freshman (in the North final),” said McLaughlin. “I am so excited for that game. It is going to be battle, and I can’t wait to play there again.” McLaughlin, in fact, is the only member of the Raiders who has played at the Garden, as a freshman on the varsity team when the Celtics’ home arena hosted the North finals. “It’s going to be like nothing I have ever experienced,” said junior Caitlin Dell’Orfano. “We have been working for this for three years, so to finally get to the Garden is a dream. We HAD to win this game.” After years of frustration, the Raiders were dying for the opportunity last night. “You should have seen us in the locker room before the game,” said Darion Summers, the only other senior on the team. “We were so crazy. We were ready to go to war. We had waited so long for this chance.” But it certainly wasn’t easy for Central.  The Raiders seemed to be in control, leading 46-37 late in the third quarter and holding all of the momentum. But Westford Academy then struck for a 12-0 run, grabbing a 49-46 lead in the early stages of the fourth and leaving the Raiders stunned. “Everyone had a gut check,” said McLaughlin. “We realized that this could be our last game. We could lose. So everyone just mentally prepared to get back in the game, and we started finally hitting our shots and making plays.” McLaughlin ended the run with a free throw, then Dell’Orfano stuck a deep 2-pointer to give the Raiders their groove back. “The shot was big,” she said. “I hadn’t been hitting my shots all game. I knew I had to  make that shot. If I had to make one shot all year, that was the one.” The Raiders kept rolling, with jumpers by Courtney Walsh and McLaughlin. Walsh chipped in with three key free throws and Summers iced the win with a pair of her own from the line. As the clock ticked to 0:00, Central charged the court for an emotional celebration. “We are still celebrating,” said Walsh. “Every time we see each other we are screaming. To know that all our hard work has paid off. And we aren’t done yet. We wanted the North title, and we pushed hard to get it.” Walsh finished with a game-high 16 points, while McLaughlin was right behind with 15 points. Summers knocked down three crucial 3-pointers and Amanda Williams had 10 points. “I really am elated for these girls,” said Central coach Sue Downer. “We have had some heart-breaking losses, and you could see how bad they wanted it. Everyone had faith and everyone contributed. I am so proud.” Next up, a trip to the TD Garden to play for a spot in the Division 1 state title game. “It really is amazing,” said Summers. “Playing at the Garden is an experience of a lifetime. Now we have to relax and deliver.”

TEWKSBURY — Central Catholic dominated Andover High almost from the opening tap. It played swarming defense from start to finish. It got a big performance from its star player. And it advance to the Div. 1 North finals at the Tsongas Arena on Saturday.

LAWRENCE — All you need to know about yesterday’s Div. 1 North girls basketball mismatch between host Central Catholic, the No. 5 seed, and Methuen High, the No. 13 seed, was that it took 3:45 for the Rangers to attempt their first shot.
       And it never really got much better after that.
       In fact, Methuen finished the first half with more than twice as many turnovers (25) than they had points (11).
       Central, now 18-5, got 21 points from Casey McLaughlin and coasted to an easy 68-37 win over Methuen to advance to the sectional semifinals against today’s Andover-Lynn English winner.
       It marks the second straight blowout for Central, which beat Woburn, 71-44 in its tourney opener.

Casey McLaughlin dropped in 34 points including a 12 for 12 effort from the free throw line and added 16 rebounds as Central Catholic overwhelmed Woburn, 71-44. Amanda Williams added 10 points and 11 boards while Courtney Walsh had 12 points for the Raiders, who will host upset-minded Methuen in the Division 1 North quarterfinals on Saturday.

Breaking open a one-point game with tremendous fourth-quarter defense along with clutch scoring from tourney MVP Kelsi McNamara (21 points) and Alex Moore, Pentucket held off host Central Catholic to win the IAABO Board 130 Classic title, 59-49. With her 11-point effort, Coley Viselli registered her 1,000th career point for the Sachems (20-1). Twin-towers Casey McLaughlin (22 points) and Amanda Williams (12 points) led the Raiders (16-5).

Central Catholic came out from the opening tap with aggressive play on both ends of the court, subduing Auburn quickly to open IAABO Board 130 Tourney play with a 69-44 victory. Amanda Williams (17 points) and Casey McLaughlin (14 points) were dominant inside and Alex Nagri (11 points) was a force as part of the Raiders' pressure defense.

Amanda Williams had 21 points as Central Catholic slowly but surely built its lead over North Andover, eventually finishing with a 57-38 victory. Sophomore Megan Collins came off the bench with 15 points and six rebounds for North Andover.

Casey McLaughin netted 15 points and added 11 rebounds to lead Central Catholic 44-23 over North Andover in girls basketball.