RallyNorth.net

Desrosiers denies Andover again

Wednesday, February, 04 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

ANDOVER - Every detail for the monumental upset appeared to be in place.

There was the 200-plus student pregame tailgate - at 4 p.m. - a raucous, partisan house of about 1,000 jammed in by the JV halftime, and, of course, that adrenaline-fueled Andover High desire coarsing through the home team's veins.

In 32 minutes, the Carson Factor wiped all those good intentions away.

Central Catholic's Carson Desrosiers, with a Warrior draped on each arm most of the night, simply willed the Raiders to a black-and-blue, 55-45, victory. The 6-foot-10 junior went the distance, tossing in a game-high 23 points on 9 of 20 shooting, owning the defensive paint with 13 blocks and 13 rebounds as the Raiders, now 13-1 overall, clamped down on at least a share of their third straight MVC large title.

"We're going at him and at him and and at him, and he's just smacking and smacking and smacking it," said Warrior coach David Fazio after the ninth straight loss to his alma mater. "It's unbelievable."

Desrosiers had to alter at least a dozen other Warrior shots, leaving Andover little option offensively.

"It was definitely a defensive game," said Desrosiers. "They're known for their defense, and I like to think we're known for ours. It was that kind of game. Andover-Central is always going to be physical, and it's always going to have heated emotions."
Things went past physical in the third quarter, which saw 16 fouls whistled, including a pair of double-fouls.

It was there, late in the third with Andover scratching its way back in that Desrosiers did his best work, nailing a three, hitting a wide-open Michael Garcia for a layin and then finishing off a traditional three-point drive to keep the Warriors at bay, 39-32, headed to the fourth.

Despite the scrambling tactics, Andover would get no closer the rest of the way.
Billy Marsden added 14 points for Central on 5 of 12 shooting, despite some serious defense from Warrior Kevin Polanco.

"I don't really get a lot of calls in this gym," admitted Marsden, who had two back-breaking hoops in the fourth - a steal and coast-to-coast layin and a high arcing tear-dropper - that silenced the home folks each time the Warriors got a little momentum going. "Anytime you win in here, it's special."

In three varsity seasons, Marsden, Desrosier and Tim Wheeler have anchored the Raiders on a 34-3 MVC journey with dates against Lawrence and Haverhill remaining.

"That's three for me, three for Billy and three for Tim, so that means a lot," said Desrosiers. "It's big. Hopefully we can take care of the next two games and sweep the MVC."

For the Warriors, it's back to the offensive drawing board, starting with the need to solve that smothering Central 2-3 zone.

Kevin Polanco paced the Warriors with a dozen points and Connor Arnold chipped in 11.
Scoring, with Desrosiers holding sway over the lane, was just such a daunting task, almost arduous at times.

"We just have to make plays. Good teams finish plays, and how many plays did we leave on the rim tonight," said Fazio, whose club is now 10-6 and 6-4 in the MVC.
"It's not our defense. Offensively, we have to have vision, we have to understand where 55 (Desrosiers) is. We have to drive and kick and we have to shoot with confidence."

Easier said than done, a point Desrosiers has driven home an awful lot in these parts lately.