RallyNorth.net

Central Catholic junior Billy Marsden may be known more for his jump shot than his physical play, but you might have a hard time convincing Lowell of that.

The 5-foot-10 Marsden, who played limited minutes in a 61-53 loss to Lowell just 11 days earlier because of an ailing ankle, slashed his way to 14 of his team-high 20 points in the second half, including 10 points in the pivotal fourth quarter, as Central (11-1, 8-1 MVC) knocked Lowell (13-1, 9-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten, 72-66.

Danny Mello's favorite sport at Peabody High is baseball. Everybody knows it, including Tanners basketball coach Chris Mastrangelo.

So when the 5-foot-9 point guard tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a hoop game against Waltham last winter, it was a devastating blow. Mello was out for the second half of the basketball season and lost his entire baseball season.

Eastern Independent League rivals Landmark and Pingree were matched evenly last night, and it was Highlander standout Allen Williamson that made the difference. For once, though, it was entirely his offense that dented the opponent.

Sean McManus scored 15 points to lead North Andover past Methuen, 54-47. Steve Boudreau added 13 points for the Scarlet Knights.

"We defended the 3-pointer much better in the second half," said North Andover coach Mike McVeigh. "Our defense was just better than their offense after halftime and that was the difference in the game."

It's been a long time coming, but Timberlane finally "hit on all cylinders" according to Owls head coach Paul Cardone. The Owls blew past Goffstown for a 81-42 victory. Evan Williams owned the boards, ripping down 10 rebounds to go with 10 points.

LAWRENCE | Tristian Shannon's nose must be made of iron.

With 6:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, he got whacked in the face, but still made a driving layup to extend an already sizable Andover lead.

The Salem High boys basketball team's seven-game winning streak came to a halt last night. Not surprisingly, it took a great defensive team to slow them down.

The two teams came into the contest with identical 7-3 records, but the Witches could not handle the much taller Magicians, who owned the boards at both ends in a 61-49 decision.

Masconomet not only qualified for the state tourney, it did it in the most dramatic fashion last night as Kevin Van Lenten finished off a length-of-the-court possession with a basket and free throw with 1.4 seconds left. North Reading led, 66-64, before James Riordan (13 points, 13 rebounds) rebounded a North Reading missed free throw and got it to Van Lenten, who was hammered while taking the last-ditch shot.

Freshman guard Jaymie Spears poured in 22 points, but it wasn't enough for Georgetown, which fell to North Andover 57-49.

The Royals trailed for most of the night, but caught the Knights in the fourth quarter. The Royals were able to take a four-point lead, but North Andover stormed back, outscoring the Knights 21-15 in the fourth to win what was a one possession game until the final minute.

Everything was lining up perfectly for the Rockport boys basketball team in what has so far been a tough season. After beating Essex Aggie on Wednesday, picking up its first win the process, the Vikings looked like they were in control against visiting Triton last night and were about to embark on their first win-streak.