BC High too much for Lowell

BOSTON >> Matt Draheim took things where Eagles dare.

The senior guard netted a game-high 27 points, including 15 in the first half, as the 13th-seeded Boston College High School boys basketball team defeated 20thseeded Lowell 75-58, in the first round of the Division 1 state tournament.

“It feels very good,” said Draheim, whose team opened the season at 1-6. “We obviously had a slow start to the season. We came such a long way, and now winning the first round of the playoffs, we’ll see what we can do from here.”

A 6-foot senior guard, Draheim opened the game by netting the Eagles’ first 10 points, including hitting a pair of treys to grab a 20-3 lead.

BC junior captain Ivan Yhomby (12 points) — the lone leftover from last year’s state championship run — added eight points in the stanza. And with James Jones (12 points) wheeling and dealing under the basket, the Eagles quickly established a 16-3 advantage with 3:16 left in the quarter.

According to Lowell coach Bob Michalczyk, his team let this one slip away.

“(BC) were enormous, but we missed a bunch of layups and missed a bunch of free throws,” said Michalczyk. “If we don’t do that the game is a different story. We would have been down by three in the second half. It would have been a 1-2 possession game in the fourth. It sounds simple, but that’s kind of what it was.”

Meanwhile, BC High utilized its vocal fan base, giving them an additional lift.

“That fast start was so important,” said Draheim. “We got the crowd into it super early. That run to start was very big and the crowd helped us out, pushing us through the game.”

BC High coach Bill Loughnane said the breakout was key.

“We put in some special design plays,” said Loughnane, in his 19th season at the helm. “We wanted to get a quick start against this team. They’re just too

Jonsson returned to the

lineup. Chambers gave his team a big lift on Senior Night by scoring a goal and adding an assist, both in the second period.

Blanchard scored the game-winning goal at 2:36 of the middle period, the assists going to Chambers and Dillon Bentley. Chambers then made it 3-1 at 11:25 following passes by

Bentley and Blanchard.

The River Hawks captured the first meeting between the schools with a 3-2 win in Boston on Oct. 22. Northeastern will host the rematch Saturday (7 p.m.) at Matthews Arena. Following Saturday’s games, the Hockey East playoff picture will become clear.