Player of the Week: Javi Lopez, Central Catholic Basketball

Central Catholic senior Javi Lopez has been selected as the Valley Sports Daily Player of the Week for Jan. 5 through Jan. 12. Lopez is the third student-athlete chosen as Player of the Week for the winter season.

Lopez recently became the all-time leading scorer in program history in a 33-point performance over BC High on Sunday. Entering the game 15 points shy of the record, Lopez not only notched his golden point, but his mastery paved the way for Central Catholic’s biggest win to date on the road. Lopez, a three-level scorer, now has 1,505 career points.

“Really proud of Javi,” said Central Catholic head coach Mark Dunham. “He does such a tremendous job leading our team. We lean on him for a lot, but has really developed his whole game. Becoming the all-time leading scorer at Central Catholic is a tremendous honor and shows just how much work he has put into his development as a player.”

The sharpshooting senior has taken over games across the Merrimack Valley Conference this winter en route to a handful of exciting performances, including capturing the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic MVP while leading the Raiders to the team title. Central Catholic (7-1) was most recently ranked No. 3 in the MIAA Division 1 Power Rankings.

The Player of the Week is selected by the Valley Sports Daily staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at 8:00 PM. There may be a poll posted on Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision.