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Power surge: Central heats up late, wins EMass. title

Monday, March, 10 By Alan Siegel
Staff writer

BOSTON — Picking the most enduring image from last night is impossible.

Is it Adrian Gonzalez soaring in to grab a rebound? Is it KB Oshodi closing in on a BC High guard like a free safety? Is it Billy Marsden sticking a long jumper?

There were too many big performances, too many big shots, too many big defensive plays, to narrow it down to one defining moment. What matters is that Central Catholic defeated the Eagles, 54-44, at TD Banknorth Garden, to capture its first Division 1 Eastern Massachusetts title since 2003.

"I'm a senior," said Gonzalez, who finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. "I didn't want it to end here."

Trailing 38-29 with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter, the Raiders went on a mammoth 25-6 run to close out the game. Marsden led all scorers with 22 points, 19 of which came in the second half.

"I had complete confidence we were going to pull it out eventually," the 5-foot-10 junior guard said. "It was just when. When were we going to make that big run? It just happened, and it kept going and going."

By game's end, the Raiders had completely turned the tables on the Eagles, who held a 35-22 lead early in the second half.

"We've been down a lot this season," said senior point guard Wilfredo Pagan, whose team had to come back to beat Charlestown in the Division 1 North semis. "The thing about us, is that we never give up."

A well-timed 2-3 zone slowed down BC High after the break, specifically 6-8 Jake O'Brien (9 points) and 6-7 Ryan Sharry (9 points), who fouled out at 6:07 in the fourth quarter.

"It neutralized their big men a lot more," Marsden said.

"We just went frigid for about a three-minute stretch," said BC coach Bill Loughane, whose club handed the Raiders one of their two defeats during the regular season. "It sort of pumped them up at the offensive end."

Marsden — predictably at this point — caught fire in the second half.

"Once he gets a few baskets under him, he just thrives on that," Loughane said. "He just kept going on us."

Marsden, Central Catholic coach Rick Nault said, is as calm and collected as they come.

"Before the game, I'm a mess in the locker room," Nault said of Marsden, who scored 23 points in Saturday's win over Lowell. "He's sitting back, relaxed. He's a cool customer. He doesn't get rattled. He loves this. He eats this stuff up."

Slow shooting nights just don't seem to affect Marsden. "He doesn't care," Nault said. "He can go 2 for 18, and he'll say, 'Coach, give me the ball.' He feels that much confidence."

The rest of the Raiders were feeling it too. Sophomore center Carson Desrosiers, who stands at 6-9, only scored four points, but blocked nine shots.

"Who's Desrosiers?" Loughane joked.

Not all the game's images were as pretty as Desrosiers masterfully swatting away a shot. As BC High fans loudly pointed out, the game's free-throw discrepancy was significant. The Raiders went 17 of 26, the Eagles went 2 of 2.

"It's about time!" the BC High contingent chanted when a call went its way late in the fourth.

Loughane wouldn't bite afterward. "It happens," he said. In the end, he insisted, the night belonged to the Raiders. "I think we sort of died in the second half," he said. "I think most of it was caused by Central Catholic."

With 48.8 seconds to go, senior guard Walson Constant iced the win, completing a three-point play after sinking a driving layup. It gave the Raiders a 52-42 lead.

It was the perfect end to a well-balanced evening.

"I love this team so much," Marsden said. "Everyone brings something."

And the Raiders aren't done yet. At the DCU Center in Worcester Saturday at 7:30 p.m., against the winner of tonight's St. John's of Shrewsbury-Longmeadow game, they'll be gunning for their first state title since 1999.

"I want," Gonzalez said, "to win it all."

Additional stories:

• Animated Oshodi energizes Central
• Desrosiers proves himself against the best
• A defensive dissection of the defending champs