LAWRENCE, Mass. — Central Catholic is in the midst of a grueling schedule right now. Over the next three weeks, the Raiders have road conference matchups at North Andover and Andover, and home dates with Lowell and Newton North. They even have a trip to play Brewster Academy’s nationally-ranked Nike team.
But head coach Mark Dunham certainly wasn’t overlooking Sunday’s matchup against Boston College High. The Eagles have been a thorn in his side, winning the last three meetings entering Sunday. Dunham described it as a blueblood game between two of the state’s historically great programs, and he knows what he’s going up against whenever he meets his friend and legendary BC High coach Bill Loughnane.
“He’s had my number since we started,” Dunham said.
But on Sunday, he got one back. Led by junior star Javi Lopez’s 25 points, Central Catholic continued its strong start to the season with a convincing 74-56 win over BC High at Memorial Gymnasium. As the Raiders – No. 3 in our last MIAA power rankings – improved to 7-1 this season, Dunham was happy that he not only scored a victory over Loughnane, but because of the way his team is playing right now.
“I’m really excited about this win,” Dunham said. “I know how good BC High is going to be and they are. I have so much respect for Coach Loughnane. … To get this, it’s a big one.”
Because Central is a smaller, guard-heavy team, Dunham prefers the game to be played fast, and the Raiders jumped out to an early double-digit lead thanks to getting stops and pushing the ball in transition. They led by 14 in the second quarter before BC High pulled within four in the third quarter. But Central responded with 11 consecutive points to close the period and cruised from there.
Dunham said shots haven’t been falling for the Raiders lately, but they finally did on Sunday. He was happy with how they played offensively, as they not only made shots, but stayed patient in their sets and pounced when the opportunities to run were there.
Central has one loss this season – a 65-60 defeat they suffered to Andover in last weekend’s Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic – and Dunham has loved the fight and character his team has shown. In the Andover loss, the Raiders trailed by 21 but rallied back to cut their deficit to four in the final minute. A day later, they fell behind by 15 against North Andover, but came back to win by nine.
Dunham thinks those responses bode well for the rest of this season, especially with a younger group that includes two junior starters, a sophomore starter and some other big underclassmen contributors.
“The resilience of the kids, we’ve had really good leadership from our seniors Elias Ynoa and Antonio Lopez, those guys have been in the program forever,” Dunham said. “I’m really excited about where we’re at. …
“I’m really excited about this group, 7-1 with a little hiccup against Andover, I feel like our best basketball is way ahead of us.”
Let’s get into the standouts from Sunday’s game.
James Jones, BC High
Class of 2025, 6-4 forward
Jones scored 10 of his 19 points in the first quarter, and on a day when his jump shot wasn’t going down, he did his damage inside. At 6-foot-4, he used his height and size advantage over a small Central team – which doesn’t have a player taller than 6-foot-2 – to get easy looks around the rim and several second-chance buckets. He wasn’t bothered by contact either as he scored on a pair of three-point plays.
Julian Sustache, BC High
Class of 2025, 6-0 guard
I’ve only watched a handful of MIAA games so far this season, but Sustache – who won a Division 3 state championship two years ago with Archbishop Williams – has to be among the more entertaining guards the state has to offer. He’s athletic, fast and tough to stay in front of, and he has the ability to make some dazzling plays. He scored 19 points Sunday, including a dominant stretch in the third quarter in which he single-handedly cut BC High’s double-digit deficit to four. He hung in the air and cradled the ball away from a defender for a layup, then made a behind-the-back dribble to his left for a pretty floater, before grabbing a defensive rebound and going coast-to-coast for a three-point play.
Javi Lopez, Central Catholic
Class of 2026, 6-2 guard
Sunday marked my first time seeing Lopez – one of MIAA’s best guards – and safe to say I was impressed. Most of his game-high 25 points were in transition where he was just simply a step ahead of everyone, and he closed the game by hitting some impressive shots, which included a long stepback with a defender in his face. Central was patient offensively, and that had a lot to do with Lopez, who doesn’t force anything and has a great feel for the game. He’s getting college interest from Ivy League schools as well as Division 3, and his recruitment will be fun to monitor over the next year, especially this summer when he plays for Mass Rivals.
“He’s seeing a lot of tough defenses,” Dunham said. “He’s such a gamer. He’s only a junior. He’s only going to get better and better, he’s stronger. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well tonight, but the offense runs through him and nobody has more confidence in him than I do. He’s a college basketball player, and I think he’s just going to get better and better. He’s an amazing teammate, very easy to coach, he can score at all three levels, he’s guarding a little bit better and he’s rebounding at a high level. I can’t say enough about Javi.”
Janarius Nanje, Central Catholic
Class of 2026, 6-1 forward
Nanje has a bigger build that makes him a forward for his size at 6-foot-1, but make no mistake, he has guard skills, strong footwork and his mobility makes him a tough cover in the post. He finished with 15 points, which included some exciting plays in the first quarter – a smooth spin move in the post for two off the window, and a strong crossover dribble into a left-handed drive for two. On a small Central squad, Nanje gives the Raiders an inside presence.
Elkin Pena, Central Catholic
Class of 2028, 6-2 forward
Here’s an intriguing name to watch, and Dunham has been waiting for a performance like this from his promising freshman. Pena had 15 points, which included three 3-pointers, and with BC High threatening in the third quarter, he produced a big sequence that helped the Raiders pull away: a bucket, a block on the ensuing defensive possession, then a tough defensive rebound before hitting a 3-pointer that restored Central’s lead to 15.
“It was really kind of his coming out party in a big game for us, too,” Dunham said. “His potential is through the roof, we’re really excited he’s here. I keep throwing him into the fire each game and he really answered tonight.”
