Defending Champs Bounce LHS Boys' Basketball Team From Tourney

The upset-minded boys’ basketball team couldn’t quite hold on long enough to pull out a stunner in the first round of the MIAA North Division 1 sectional on Tuesday night.

No. 12 Lexington led defending state champion No. 5 Central Catholic of Lawrence for much of the first three quarters until the Raiders turned it on in the fourth. Central dominated the latter part of the fourth quarter to complete its comeback with a 67-52 victory.

The Raiders will now move on to the quarterfinal, while the Minutemen are sent home with a 12-9 record to close out their first season under coach Reggie Hobbs.

Lexington’s size worked to its advantage for much of the game. The Minutemen have seven players listed on their roster, four started the game, at 6-foot-5 or taller. Central Catholic only had one.

However, that did little to slow the Raiders in the fourth quarter. Jaycob Morale hit a deep 3-pointer with 2:15 to go to put his team up 59-51. That was essentially the dagger after the teams entered the final period tied at 42-apiece.

Chris Lee had 16 points for Lexington, Demitri Monovoukas scored 11, Pat Burns had eight and Chris O’Keefe added 7. Central’s Jimmy Zenevitch had a game-high 21, while Evan Sheehan added 13.