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Nelson, Central go to the line for another title

Friday, December, 30 By Jeff Hamrick

LAWRENCE — Despite playing without its senior playmaker, Central Catholic still played with the kind of maturity down the stretch that wins championships.

In this case, another Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament title.

An error-free fourth quarter in which they converted each of their 18 free-throw attempts paced the Raiders to a 75-65 victory over Lawrence before a rowdy full house last night. It was Central’s 17th title overall, fourth in the past five years and 12th in the past 16.

“Winning this is one of our goals every year,” Central coach Rick Nault said. “We talk about it the first day of practice that it’s one of the first things we want to accomplish.”

In a game that featured eight ties and five lead changes the first three quarters, Central (5-0) took the lead for good when a driving lay up by Henry Rodriguez put the Raiders up 49-48 with 6:38 left.

Over the next four minutes, the Raiders made all six of their one-and-one opportunities from the line en route to a 59-52 advantage with 2:47 remaining.

“We’ve struggled from the line this year,” Nault said. “That’s been a little bit of a sore spot for us, but we shot really well from the line today.”

Even more important was how Central handled the ball. After committing seven turnovers during a third period that saw Lawrence open a four-point lead, the Raiders had none in the crucial final quarter. All without senior point guard Luis Puello, who was out with a sprained ankle suffered in the semifinals.

“That’s amazing against a team like that having zero turnovers,” Nault said. “That was huge for us. We didn’t make any excuses with Luis being out. We kind of gathered ourselves together, and the kids were ready for the challenge. Everyone knew they had to step up and take one a bigger role.”

In the third quarter, Lawrence (4-1) got a couple big 3’s from Franklin Martinez and used a 9-0 run to open a 40-36 lead with 2:39 left. That’s when Central went to a rare zone that helped it reclaim a 47-45 lead entering the fourth.

“It kind of slowed (the Lancers) momentum down a little,” Nault said. “We very rarely play zone. The last time we did it was three years ago. It was a different look for us ... But it was eventually the man-to-man in the fourth quarter that wore them down.”

But it was a game — and lost — at the free-throw line. For the game, Central was 34 for 37 while Lawrence missed nine of its 29 opportunities. In fact, the Raiders scored only one more point on field goals (33) than free throws over the final three quarters.

“I think we’re getting better,” Lawrence coach Paul Neal said. “But it’s really tough analyzing this game ... We’re trying to beat a team that’s well established, but I like what I saw from my players. I saw pain. I saw disappointment. I saw emotion, so I know it meant something, and we can take that and say ‘This is where we want to get to.’ “

MULDOON: FULL NELSON: Sophomore MVP amazing at line

 LAWRENCE — A filmmaker could do an amusing piece on Central Catholic sophomore Tyler Nelson.
His 14-of-14 free throw shooting in the fourth quarter clinched a much-closer-than-it-sounds 75-65 win last night over Lawrence in the final of the 37th annual Greater Lawrence Christmas Tourney.
Begin with Nelson, the tourney MVP, hitting five or six free throws. Then come back to Nelson and he’s not a baby-faced sophomore but a 30-something with a touch of gray. Still, he can’t miss.
Then come back and he’s gone from his current 5-11, 130 pounds to a tubby, balding 50-something but still it’s swish, swish. Then the final scene, he’s hunched over with a cane and drooling over himself and still hitting nothing but net.
Somebody might want to check the Lawrence High gym this morning because Nelson still might be hitting free throws.
The Bradford bomber’s heroics lifted Central, which had trailed by one early in the fourth, in the match-up of 4-0 archrivals.
The soft-spoken sharpshooter said, “That’s what you live for. That’s what you love ... the pressure. I wasn’t nervous.”
His technique is simple:
“I catch it, take two dribbles and put it right up.”
Geez, it’s that easy? Somebody should have told Shaq that about 20 years and 10,000 bricks ago!
Truthfully, it wasn’t an extraordinary game for him. He was just 3 of 11 from the floor but he was 16 of 16 from the line and had five assists, including two backbreakers on pretty fourth-quarter backdoor passes to Joel Berroa and Doug Gemmell.
Obviously, Lawrence would have preferred not to foul Nelson, but he’s adept at moving without the ball and the Raiders did a good job of getting him the ball. Then there was little the Lancers could do. Ten of the free throws were in the last 2:12. At that point, the Raider lead was four.
Sixth-year Central head coach Rick Nault said, “He’s the finest player I’ve ever had with the ball in his hands. He makes such good decisions.”
What makes Nelson so compelling is his slight frame and boyish looks. He went from an emaciated 5-81⁄2, 115 pounds last year to a still wafer thin 5-11, 130 pounds this year.
When it comes to the athletics-looks test, he flunks like I did algebra.
Zero point zero.
But then the ball is tossed up and his skills and basketball IQ put him at the head of the class.
The class he’s at the head of is pretty good. He’s the first sophomore in the 37-year history named MVP.
Not Villanova national champion Gary McLain of Methuen.
Not BC co-captain Ted Kelley of Andover.
Not UMass Lowell national champion and two-time All-American Leo Parent from Central.
Not McDonald’s All-American Scott Hazelton from Central.
Not Central 7-footer Carson Desrosiers, the top freshman shotblocker at Wake Forest since a young man by the name of Tim Duncan.
He might not equal their collegiate glory, but these next three years should be mighty fun for Central Catholic fans.
And not so fun for other MVC teams.

Underclassman MVPs
Year    Name    School
2011    Tyler Nelson    Central
2009    Jimmy Zenevitch    Central
2008    Carson Desrosiers    Central
2007     Billy Marsden    Central
1998    Scott Hazelton    Central
1986    Shane Donahue    Gr. Lawrence
1982    Leo Parent    Central
Note: All but Nelson were juniors

WITH PUELLO OUT, EVERYBODY CONTRIBUTED

 Luis Puello is probably the favorite to earn Eagle-Tribune MVP honors this winter.
So losing the defensive demon was a big blow for Central Catholic.
Central is Central. They never lack in the talent department. But when he sprained his ankle Wednesday, rival schools knew they were vulnerable.
Numerous Raiders, however, raised their games in the 75-65 win over Lawrence in the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tourney title game last night.
“We didn’t make excuses. Everybody had to step up,” said coach Rick Nault.
Example 1 would be guard Shawn McCoy, who scored all 12 of his points in the first half. He added seven rebounds on the game.
“He carried us in the first half,” said Nault. “He flies under the radar. He has some very good skills.”
Junior Lucas Hammel started in the backcourt in place of Puello.
“For the first career start and in a championship game!” marvelled Nault. “He had a huge basket (and 7 points) and played well defensively.”
Junior Mike Barry, the hero of the comeback football win over Andover on Thanksgiving, again showed he loves the big stage.
“He was huge off the bench for an eight or ninth man,” said Nault.
Tourney MVP Tyler Nelson was elated with the play of senior guard Henry Rodriguez.
“Everybody stepped up without our best player,” said Nelson. “Henry Rodriguez played the whole fourth quarter and didn’t have a turnover.”
Nault said he expects Puello back in 7-10 days from his badly sprained left ankle.
Tournament awards
Central’s Tyler Nelson was the first sophomore to win the Bob Licare trophy as MVP of the 37th annual tourney. He was joined on the all-tourney team by Lawrence’s Franklin Martinez and Tre’von Farley, Central junior Doug Gemmell and the lone repeat All-Star, North Andover’s Zach Karalis. The Ted Boudreau Memorial 6th-man award went to Lawrence’s Yadoris Arias.
The Coaches Award winners were Andover’s James Costello, Central’s Shawn McCoy, Greater Lawrence’s Joseph Urena, Lawrence’s Roberto Speing, Methuen’s Kyle Mansour, North Andover’s Mike Moroney, Pinkerton’s Sean Smith and Salem’s Jonny Klecan.
Addition by subtraction
Oops. Some of the trophies had 36th annual tourney. It’s the 37th annual. ... Lawrence AD Tim Finn estimated about 1,500 or 1,600 fans were at the title game. ... Central was a blistering 34 of 37 from the line. “We’re usually terrible from the line!” said coach Rick Nault. ... Lawrence was 20 of 29 from the charity stripe.