Braintree High Loses State Semi-Finals to Central Catholic

The Braintree High School girls varsity basketball team was stopped in its tracks Monday night by a strong and methodical performance by Central Catholic, a Lowell-based prep school that now heads to the Division 1 finals in Worcester this weekend.

It came down to the closing seconds as the Lady Wamps pulled within two points after being down as much as 11 at the start of the fourth quarter. After a very close first quarter, Braintree slipped behind but stayed within striking distance throughout the second and third quarters. The final score was 55-51.

Braintree nearly came back at the end of the fourth, going on a run before Central Catholic closed the game out with strong last-minute defense and spot-on foul shooting.

A scoring break-down:

First quarter: 19-19

Halftime: Central Catholic 34, Braintree 28

Third quarter: Central Catholic 44, Braintree 39

Final: 55-51

Look for photos from the game here as they become available.

Watch our live blog recap at http://braintree.patch.com/articles/join-our-live-blog-featuring-braintree-basketball-playoff-coverage