RallyNorth.net

Andover's girls got 17 points from Nicole Beaudreau and 16 from Devon Caveney and rode some serious defensive pressure to roll over archrival Central Catholic 56-36 in the Division 1 North quarterfinals.

WESTFORD — Now that the Central girls have avenged three of their four regular season losses in the Division 1 North Sectionals, they get a chance to settle the score against the biggest rival of all.

BILLERICA — After a regular season riddled with injuries and inconsistency, the Central Catholic girls, for at least one night, walked off the court with hopes of an optimistic future.

The return of Eagle Tribune super teamer Casey McLaughlin spurred the 12th-seeded Raiders upset of fifth-seeded Billerica 63-57 last night in the first round of the Division 1 North Sectional.

LAWRENCE — Pentucket 6-foot center Tess Nogueira has had some trouble finishing around the basket this winter, and she wasn’t the only one on the team.

“Coach Mac (John McNamara), coach Beaton, they are both out there with the pads slamming us when we are taking our layups (in practice) and we’ve had to run a lot after missed layups,” Nogueira said. “I think we’ve finally got it into our heads that we need to finish.”

LAWRENCE – As the only senior in the rotation on a squad decimated by late-season injuries, Alex Borrelli must carry a bigger share of the load than was expected.

Despite a strong effort from Alex Borrelli with 10 points and 9 rebounds, Central Catholic dropped a 60-49 verdict to Westford Academy.

Central girls basketball outscored Lowell 16-0 to win 53-32 over Lowell.

Amanda Williams sat most of the first half with two fouls. She was huge in the second half and scored 17 points for the game.

Driven by great team defense down the stretch sparked by Alex Nagri, Central Catholic survived a tough offensive night to beat Cambridge in overtime, 47-45. Nagri scored all nine of her points in the second half with a huge bucket and free throw in OT. Freshman point guard Giulia Orlando ran the Raider offense effectively in the win.

Without starters Casey McLaughlin and Caitlin Dell-Orfano, who both have leg injuries, Central Catholic scored only five points in the second quarter en route to a 59-39 loss to 10th-ranked Masconomet.

Alex Borrelli scored all of her nine points in the crucial fourth quarter, helping to turn Central Catholic's tenuous two-point advantage into a 52-40 victory over Chelmsford. Sophomore Amanda Williams led the Raiders with 18 points.