LAWRENCE — Fittingly, Benny Fernandez walked off the Sullivan Park courts holding the championship trophy. Despite a sore right hamstring, he made the difference for Central Catholic.
With the Raiders clinging to a one-point lead over Andover late in yesterday's David Bradner Memorial Tournament final, Fernandez drew two charges, made a steal, then sank two free throws to seal the game.
Central, which had trailed by as many as nine points in the second half, came back to win, 68-65.
Billy Marsden (34 points) and Carson Desrosiers (22 points) were outstanding. Fernandez only scored three points, but was equally effective.
"He's the reason we won the tournament," coach Dan O'Shea said. "He's an absolute warrior."
Fernandez's tender hammy caused him to miss Wednesday's quarterfinal victory over Lawrence, his hometown. That hurt more than any injury, he said.
Early yesterday, O'Shea had a chat with Fernandez.
"Benny if you can give me 100 percent I'm going to play you," he told him. "If it's just 90 percent, I'm not going to."
Fernandez didn't let O'Shea down. He scored six points in the Raiders' 59-54 semifinal win over Salem, then came through in the clutch against Andover.
His final free throws of the night floated through the net with 15 seconds remaining to give the Raiders the decisive three-point lead.
"I wanted to show (everybody) what I've got," Fernandez said. "My (hamstring) was really killing me, but you just have to fight through it."
Fernandez, a backup to Wilfredo Pagan last winter, saw the performance as a step toward next season.
"Last year I had big hopes," he said. "This year, I'm definitely in the rotation. It's only a matter of time."
Marsden, who scored 21 of his 34 points in the first half, came away impressed with Fernandez.
"This is his time to prove he can give us good quality minutes for next year," Marsden said.
Fernandez has one goal; helping the defending Division 1 state champs repeat.
"I'm going for back to back," he said. "Everybody is."
License to drive
Outdoor courts aren't made for snipers like Marsden.
"You never know where the wind is blowing," the 5-foot-10 guard said.
Until deep into the second half when the Raiders were down, he took the ball to the hole with abandon instead of taking jump shots. It worked out well. He made 13 free throws, and further proved he's willing to get down and dirty to will his team to victory.
Desrosiers, who looks to be inching closer to 7-feet, exploded for 19 second-half points. He dominated inside and showed off a sweet turnaround jumper.
Arnold leads the way
Andover's Connor Arnold had a big night, scoring a team-high 24 points. He scored to cut the Central lead to 66-65 with under a minute to go. ... Salem's Josh Jones played well in the Blue Devils' semifinal loss to Central, scoring 18 points.
Central Catholic 68, Andover 65
David Bradner Tournament final
Central Catholic (68): Marsden 9-13-34, Fernandez 0-3-3, Desrosiers 10-1-22, Garcia 3-1-7, Curley 0-0-0, Wroblewski 0-2-2, Rooney 0-0-0, Zenevitch 0-0-0. Totals 22-20-68
Andover (65): Bramante 1-4-6, Ehlbeck 2-1-6, Polanco 4-4-12, Fazio 2-0-5, Arnold 7-10-24, Miller 4-0-8, Haak 0-1-1, Rose 1-0-3. Totals 21-20-65
3-pointers: C — Marsden 3, Desrosiers; A — Rose, Ehlbeck, Fazio
Halftime score: Andover 38-33
Andover 79, Lynn English 53
David Bradner Tournament semifinal
Lynn English (53): Woumn 4-0-9, McCloud 4-0-8, Young 2-0-5, Rucker 8-0-17, Berry-Rogers 3-2-8, Stanton 3-0-6. Totals 24-2-53
Andover (79): Bramante 1-0-2, Ehlbeck 7-0-19, Polanco 5-1-12, Arnold 7-4-18, Miller 4-0-8, Fazio 3-0-7, Rose 2-0-5, Haak 1-0-2, Baroni 0-0-0, Connors 1-1-3, Sweeney 1-0-3. Totals 32-6-79
3-pointers: L — Woumn, Young, Rucker; A — Ehlbeck 5, Polanco, Fazio, Rose, Sweeney
Halftime score: Andover 47-24
Central Catholic 59, Salem 54
David Bradner Tournament semifinal
Central Catholic (59): Fernandez 3-0-6, Alvarez 2-2-6, Conlin 0-0-0, Marsden 5-4-15, Zenevitch 2-0-4, Desrosiers 5-0-11, Garcia 7-1-15, Curley 0-0-0, Wroblewski 1-0-2, Rooney 0-0-0. Totals 25-7-59
Salem (54): Jones 8-0-18, Kimball 3-5-12, Bergeron 3-0-6, La Rosa 0-0-0, Adamson 4-0-10, Shields 1-0-2, McEneaney 0-0-0, Henrick 1-0-2, Gallant 2-0-4. Totals 22-5-59
3-pointers: CC — Marsden, Desrosiers; S — Jones 2, Adamson 2, Kimball
Halftime score: Salem 26-25
