LAWRENCE, Mass. — Central Catholic didn’t emerge with any bitterness from the Hoophall Classic. A questionable call in the final second of regulation may have robbed the Raiders of a signature upset victory over Bergen Catholic, the top team in New Jersey with multiple Division 1 recruits, including a Michigan State commit.
But Central didn’t leave sorry for itself after the difficult overtime loss. And the Raiders didn’t harbor any extra motivation as they returned to their home court Tuesday night.
“I wanted to make sure nothing negative came out of the game,” Central coach Mark Dunham said of the Bergen Catholic loss. “Was there a bad whistle? That happens all the time. We missed some free throws at the end, we didn’t execute on an inbounds play. But ultimately, we got so much out of that game.”
The truth is, they didn’t need any motivation on Tuesday. That’s because Lawrence, their intracity rival, was standing on the other side. The Raiders only beat the Lancers by eight a few weeks ago at the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic, and Dunham knows you can throw the records out when they meet.
