Mansfield Sneaks Past Central Catholic in State Semifinal

Mansfield High School fell behind late in the fourth quarter of the Division 1 state boys' basketball semifinal, but the Hornets came storming back to topple Central Catholic and earn a berth in the state championship game.

After Central Catholic took a one-point lead late in the contest, the Hornets took control of the game and used two clutch Michael Boen free throws to seal a 55-50 win.

As a result, the locals will play Putnam on Saturday at Worcester's DCU Center in hopes of returning home as Division 1 champion.

"The last two times we came in (to TD Garden) we took a charter bus," said Mansfield High head coach Mike Vaughn. "But this time, we took a good old-fashioned yellow bus and I told them this is no different from any other game. I told them 'You have 15 minutes to get over the fact that you're playing at The Garden. And after that we might as well be playing this game at Memorial Park because that's what I want our mindset to be.

"They played their hearts out ... It took everything we humanly had."

Check back with Mansfield Patch on Wednesday for complete coverage of Tuesday's win.