RallyNorth.net

WEST ANDOVER - Victory, even one this resounding, came at a gigantic price.
For 29 minutes, Greater Lawrence Tech outclassed Bishop Fenwick. The final three minutes, even with the Reggies holding on in the regular-season finale, 65-57, were a flirtation with disaster.
With 2:31 left, spectacular Reggies sophomore Donald Celestin went down in a tumble with Fenwick's Brett DiPanfilo. Celestin got up and kicked/stepped on DiPanfilo, drawing a technical and an ejection. The team's leading scorer at 16.6 points a game, will now miss next week's Division 3 North tourney quarterfinal opener.
Considering this week conquests over previously 18-1 Fenwick, ranked 16th overall in Eastern Mass., and Cape Ann Small champ North Reading, the Reggies are regarded as a serious contender.
"We talk about depth all year long and how the kids have to help us out," said coach Dan Habib. "Now we need the team to get Donald a second chance. He made a mistake out frustration. Stuff happens. Hopefully we can overcome."
The late incident put a damper on what could only be considered a monster effort by Greater Lawrence Tech. Fenwick, with 6-foot-7 human double-double Mike Clifford (27.7 ppg.), came into this one fresh off Monday's victory over Division 1 rival St. John's Prep.
And Greater Lawrence dominated from the opening tap and the game's first hoop, a thunderous lefthanded Celestin slam.
"Three minutes can't tarnish the whole game, we played our (backsides) off," added Habib. "We came out in charge, withstood their charge, and our kids persevered. It was a great game.
Holding Clifford to 18 points and 10 rebounds, the Reggies got blue-collar work from big men Brian Cabrera and Francisco Reyes. Habib also had the rest of his crew collapsing whenever possible.
On the edge, guards Kelvin Correa (17 points) and Erick Polanco, among others, forced a slew of Fenwick turnovers, keeping the Reggies in their comfort zone ... that is, on the run.
The Crusaders got as close as three, 36-33, in the third quarter.
Celestin, who finished with 17 points, elevated over the massive Clifford for a southpaw banker, and Polanco's theft and layin added some cushion.
Finally, a Yeltsin Colon 15-footer, Valdez' follow and two Correa hoops had Fenwick reeling.
Colon finished off a big week in style. A monster on the glass against North Reading, the steady junior added 13 points in the complementary role yesterday.
"Yeltsin has been an unsung hero," said Habib. "He doesn't get a lot of the credit, but he's been scoring some big points and grabbing the key rebounds for us."
Habib will need more of the same once the postseason commences without Celestin.
A possible opener with Wilmington or Wayland looms on the horizon.
"We're going to be OK,I think," said the coach.

Without Greater Lawrence trailing 48-47 in overtime, Brian Cabrera (10 points) stepped up and scored scored two baskets in a row to make it 51-48 and seal the 53-48 Reggies victory. Donald Celestin led the way with 21 points, and Yeltsin Colon chipped in with 7 points and 10 boards. Kevin Lentini had a team-high 18 points for North Reading.

A Leandro Valdez putback with 9.6 seconds put away a scrappy Chelsea team as Greater Lawrence improved to 14-4 on the season. The win clinched the CAC Large division for the Reggies. Sophomore Donald Celestin led the way with 14 points and Valdez added another 10. 

WEST ANDOVER - Lynn Tech's monopolizing ways in the Commonwealth Conference, as it pertained to boys basketball championships, rangled the Greater Lawrence Tech community more than just a little.

Senior Erick Polanco had four 3-pointers en route to a game-high 23 points as Greater Lawrence handily defeated Whittier, 78-48. Donald Celestin netted two 3-pointers and 21 points for the Reggies. Kyle Zajac led Whittier with 12 points.

Donald Celestin had 10 rebounds to go along with his 27 points in Greater Lawrence's 66-65 win over Minuteman. Brian Cabrera (8 points) had 11 rebounds as the Reggies pulled down 41 boards in the game.

Yeltsin Colon scored 14 points and Donald Celestin added 13 to lead Greater Lawrence past Chelsea, 59-48. Leandro Valdez and Kelvin Correa added 10 and 12 points, respectively, for the Reggies.

Greater Lawrence boys basketball scored 16 points in each of the four eight-minute quarters during last night's 72-70 overtime win over Minuteman.  In the four minute overtime, the Reggies (5-3) scored eight points.

Sophomore Evan Sheehan hit a pair of 3-pointers on his way to a game-best 15 points as North Andover salvaged the 7th place game at yesterday's Greater Lawrence Christmas Tourney, 46-34, over Greater Lawrence. Matt Sifferlen had 11 for the Knights (3-3) while Donald Celestin led the Reggies (3-3) with nine points.

LAWRENCE — For senior Mike Kimball and the rest of the Salem basketball team, it was like getting a Christmas present from a distant relative — very unexpected.
Indeed, when Greater Lawrence opened and stayed with a zone against them in yesterday’s opening round of the 34th Greater Lawrence Boys Christmas Tournament at Lawrence High School yesterday, it came as a definite surprise.
“It caught us off guard,” said Kimball. “We weren’t expecting that because most teams don’t zone us.”
If it was a surprise, it was a pleasant one, however, as Kimball and the Blue Devils  put on a brilliant display of 3-point shooting in a 76-53 victory.
Salem (2-0) finished with a tournament-record 16 trifectas, breaking the old record of 13 set by Pinkerton in 1999, and Kimball (game-high 29 points) led the way with seven, which is just one short of the record set by Salem’s Chris Urquhart in 1998. Josh Jones chipped in with five 3-pointers and 19 points and Alex La Rosa had three among his 12 points.
“We’d love every team to zone us,” said Salem coach E.J. Perry. “We have the shooters to really take advantage of it, but I don’t think we’ll see much of it after today.”
Working almost entirely from the perimeter, the Blue Devils’ first five baskets were from beyond the arc and nine of their first 12 as they moved out to a 33-23 halftime lead. They put the game away with four more 3-pointers and 24 points in the third quarter.
It was evident early that the Reggies (3-1) couldn’t contain all three of Salem’s outside sharpshooters with a zone, but Greater Lawrence coach Dan Habib said that he had no other choice.
“We were forced to (zone) because we didn’t have the matchups,” said Habib. “We had a couple of kids who were being disciplined and, if we went man-to-man, we couldn’t have stopped them.”
Complicating matters for the Reggies was that usual high scorer Donald Celestin was forcing shots all night and finished with only 11 points on 4-of-18 shooting. Leandro Valdez tried to pick up the slack with 17 points, including 13 in a fairly competitive first half, but it wasn’t enough.
“I think Donald tried to do too much,” said Habib. “He tried to put the team on his shoulders instead of letting the game come to him like he usually does.”