RallyNorth.net

Central Catholic Raiders Girls Basketball '07-'08

Fri, Dec 14, 2007 07:30 PM @ Central Catholic
Team Final
Lowell 70
Central Catholic 45

Rivera torches Central Catholic in opener

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Saturday, December, 15 By Alan Siegel
Staff writer

Ashley Rivera admitted it: She came into last March's Division 1 North final too cocky.

"We played like it was going to be handed to us," the Lowell point guard said.

Central Catholic walked away from Tsongas Arena with a victory. Rivera walked away with a headache. "It was definitely painful," she said. "Everybody thought it was our year."

So, she waited. Then last night, after nine long months, she made Central pay.

The 5-foot-3 Rivera went off, scoring a game-high 27 points to lead her club to a 70-45 victory over the Raiders last night at Memorial Gymnasium.

"She thinks she's unstoppable," said Central Catholic forward Riley Dunn, who scored a team-high 14 points. Rivera drove, dished and swished (she hit two 3-pointers) as the Red Raiders opened a 20-point lead by the end of the third quarter.

"She's being recruited by Division 1 colleges for a reason," said Central Catholic coach Sue Downer, whose club was the Division 1 state runner-up last winter.

Twin six-footers Whitney and Brianna Wilson contained Central sophomore Katie Zenevitch (8 points, 12 rebounds), but the night belonged to Rivera.

At one point in the third quarter, the small Lowell fan contingent erupted when one quick crossover move sent a Central defender flying.

"She plays with immense confidence," Downer said of Rivera. "It's impressive. She runs the show for them."

The Raiders, who split four games with Lowell last season, were left nearly speechless afterward.

"It's Game 1," said Downer, whose club could face the Red Raiders next in the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament. "We have a long way to go. The end result is what we're working toward."

For Rivera, the feeling of payback will likely be fleeting. With Andover and Central around, there's no time to bask. Still, she said, this win was sweet; especially after the disappointment of last March.

"We didn't know what hit us (at the time)," Rivera said. The Raiders felt the same way last night.

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