RallyNorth.net

LOWELL | "Can you hold this for a second?"

Lauren Hughes smiled and passed the Division 1 North trophy to her sister, Samantha.

Finally, the 5-foot-9 senior forward can give it back to big sis.

Five years after Samantha's three-point play with about a second left gave Andover a Division 1 state championship, the Golden Warriors are on the cusp of an Eastern Massachusetts title. And once again, a Hughes is leading the way.

LOWELL | Even normally vocal Andover forward Camille Fantini was at a loss for words.

“I can’t even describe the feeling,” said the senior. “This is what we have worked towards for four years and it is finally here. Now we have to keep doing our thing.”

At age 7, Gabie Polce belted out the Star Spangled Banner at a Lowell Spinners game.

She claims neither the tryout process nor the actual performance frayed her nerves.

"After, it was a huge rush," she said. "I ran to my mom crying."

With Central Catholic in the midst of a monster, game-clinching run, Katie Zenevitch dove for a loose ball like it was a 10-carat diamond. The play didn't actually factor much into the game's outcome, but it proved a point: The 6-foot-2 sophomore wasn't going to be denied.

Enduring a grueling regular season schedule makes the playoff successes that much sweeter.

As a member of the Merrimack Valley Conference with a tough non-league schedule, Central Catholic regularly plays the state's best teams.

A pull-up jumper from the wing, crashing the boards down low, even tossing sharp passes to break a trap | Katie Zenevitch did it all for Central Catholic in its 74-48 romp over Lynn English in the opening round of the Division 1 North tournament.

LAWRENCE | Andover overcame a seven-point halftime to defeat Central Catholic 55-42. The win moved Andover to a 12-1 league record and gave the Golden Warriors a share of the Merrimack Valley Conference championship with 12-1 Lowell.

LAWRENCE | Masconomet is playing with the kind of patience, discipline and quality that could ensure a deep run into the Division 2 playoffs.

In their first big road test of the season, the Chieftains confidently took the Central Catholic court and virtually owned it all afternoon. Making the Division 1 Raiders look more like the visitors, Masco led for the last 25 of the game's 32 minutes on route to a 56-50 victory, its 11th in a row and 13th in 14 games.

ANDOVER | Natalie Gomez-Martinez knew she messed up. With Andover putting the finishing touches on a 69-61 win over Central Catholic, she committed a foul she shouldn't have.

Arms up and incredulous, she turned to face Andover coach Jim Tildsley, who seemed to share the same emotion.

Embarrassing childhood photographs are often relegated to the bottom of a dusty shoebox in the basement, far, far away from prying eyes.

Central Catholic's Jackie Vienneau never really believed in that philosophy. Last winter, during a team-building exercise, she showed her teammates a picture from her days as a karate black belt.