HOPEDALE -- In baseball, three strikes and you're out. Not so in basketball.

Sutton's third loss to Hopedale eliminated the Sammies from the Clark Tournament but not from the Division 3 Central districts. In the fourth and final matchup between the Dual Valley Conference foes, seventh-seeded Sutton stunned second-seeded Hopedale, 55-52.

With the win, Sutton (15-7) advances to a semifinal matchup at third-seeded Bay Path (71-67 winners over West Boylston) Tuesday night at WPI (6 p.m.).

"Fourth time's a charm," said Sutton junior guard Deryk Largesse, who scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half.

Meanwhile, the shocked Blue Raiders, the second seeds in the section, head home for good at 20-4.

"We gave it everything we had," said Hopedale coach Tony Cordani. "They're very disappointed, but if you don't invest a whole lot, you're not going to feel the devastation. This group, especially our seniors, have a lot invested in the program. Most of them have been playing for three years, so it's disappointing. They put so much into it."

Forward Patrick Belniark (16 points, 8 rebounds) and center Brian Sampson (10 points) also had big second halves for Sutton, helping the Sammies outscore the Blue Raiders 31-19 in the final 16 minutes.

"This is one of the four or five greatest games I've been involved with in my career," said Sutton coach Stephen Romasco. "Not so much because we beat them, but because of the scenario. We had been knocked down three times. We've probably lost to them six or seven times in a row. It's been years since we came in here and won a game."

In Hopedale's Albert Draper Gymnasium, the crowd of Hopedale students, chanting, "It's all over," before the game, did not give much of a chance to Sutton. But the Sammies, donning t-shirts with the team's motto of "play like champions today," were not intimidated. Instead, it was the Sutton defense that flustered the Blue Raiders, as the Sammies jumped out to an early 10-7 lead.

But Hopedale sophomore Cole Spear (11 points) and his Blue Raider teammates answered with a 12-2 run, establishing a nine-point halftime lead. That lead grew to 41-29 with nine minutes remaining. Sutton, behind two big Largesse 3-pointers, closed the gap to two, but the Blue Raiders ran off seven straight points to grab a 50-41 lead with five minutes remaining.

The Sammies stepped up their defense and slashed Hopedale's lead to four with three minutes remaining. Largesse and Belniak then converted on six consecutive free throws to give Sutton its first lead since the four-minute mark of the first half.

The Blue Raiders turned the ball over on their next possession with 27 seconds remaining and let 19 seconds run off the clock before sending Sampson to the line, where he hit one of two to match Sutton's largest lead, 55-52.

Hopedale senior Kevin Binney's last-second 3-point attempt skimmed off the rim, and the Sutton fans mauled their team in celebration.

HOPEDALE (52) Kevin Binney 1 0 3, Barrett Dziok 5 1 15, Justin Lewis 4 2 10, Mat Stevens 2 0 4, Steve Dorsey 0, Cole Spear 3 2 11, Dan Villani 4 1 9. Totals: 19 6 52.

SUTTON (55) Evan Dufault 3 0 6, Tim Winn 2 0 4, Pat Belniak 5 6 16, Brian Sampson 3 3 10, Deryk Largesse 5 5 17, Pete Sach 1 0 2, Jamie Dahrooge 0, Jon Stonebreaker 0, Billy Tappin 0. Totals: 19 14 55.

Halftime: H, 33-24. 3-point goals: Dziok 4, Spear 3, Largesse 2, Sampson, Binney. Records: S 15-7, H 19-4.

HOPEDALE -- In 2000, the last time Hopedale won the Clark Tournament, the Blue Raiders cruised all the way to the Division 3 state final.

After beating Leicester in the Clark final Friday, coach Tony Cordani and his Hopedale boys took step No. 1 last night in their march to the FleetCenter by routing Monty Tech, 71-49.

The second-seeded Blue Raiders (20-3) shut down the No. 15 Bulldogs' 6-foot-8 backcourt duo, Matt Addonizio and Brian McQuade, holding them to 20 total points. Hopedale's own star forward, Justin Lewis, beat his season average of 20.9 points per game, netting 22 points (16 in the first half).

Step two on Hopedale's road to the FleetCenter is Friday, when it hosts the winner of No. 7 Sutton vs. No. 10 Ayer.

"We went up against one of the class teams in the division," said Monty Tech coach Rich Mucci. "In my opinion, it's one of the two teams that is probably going to win it. I think Whitinsville Christian might be the other. Whitinsville and Hopedale are just very good teams.

" They're well coached," Mucci went on to say. "They play very disciplined. They rotate the ball, they all shoot, they all handle the ball. What else can you say. I'm actually proud to have played them."

Lewis' fellow senior tri-captains and Dual Valley Conference all-stars, Barett Dziok (11 points, 8 rebounds) and Mat Stevens (7 points), created the Blue Raiders' inside presence that overshadowed Addonizio (12 points, 7 rebounds) and McQuade (8 points, 5 rebounds).

"Coach put all the pressure on the seniors," said Lewis. "We knew we had the capability of stepping up. We're very hard to beat, and we're playing as a team right now, especially the last couple weeks. All of our seniors have been stepping up. We're really just giving all the leadership and that's why we are the way we are right now."

Cordani agreed with Lewis' assessment.

"The senior leadership is crucial for us," said Cordani, whose team features five seniors. "They stepped up and showed a little direction. We're a more focused team right now than we have been in the past, and that has a lot to do with the seniors. They're realizing that there is a little bit of finality coming up. We're on the final stretch here of their careers."

Hopedale sophomores Cole Spear (14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists) and Dan Villani (7 points, 8 rebounds) also contributed for the Blue Raiders. Senior Jon Glover led the Bulldogs in scoring with 13 points.

The game's outcome was clear from the start, reflected in part by Mucci's actions.

The Monty Tech coach removed his tie as Hopedale jumped out to an early 7-0 start. When the Blue Raiders used a 12-2 run to take a 15-point edge at halftime, Mucci took off his sweater. With four minutes to play and Hopedale ahead, 69-39, Mucci had two buttons undone on his halfway untucked shirt.

Monty Tech closed the game out on a 10-2 run after Cordani rested his starting five, but it wasn't enough to catch Hopedale.

"It was a good game and they're a great team," said Mucci. "I wish them the best of luck the rest of the way. We did what we could, and we walk out of here with our heads up. We had a good team. We had a rocky season. At one point, we were 2-5. We had quite a turnaround. We had a very good late season. We're 11-10; I'll take that."

For now, Cordani and company are assuming the New England Patriots mantra.

"We're just going to take one game at a time," said Lewis. "We're going to come in tomorrow, get ready for Friday and just take it one game at a time. And hopefully we'll end up where we want to be.

"After the Clark, you got nothing else but the districts," added Cordani. "We're setting our sights on doing well in the districts. We're just going to take it one game at a time, and if it takes us there (state finals), that would be great."

HOPEDALE (71) Nick Brown 0, Josh Knipe 0, Shawn Stevens 0, Justin Lewis 9 4 22, Matt Lemon 1 0 2, Scott Fletcher 1 0 2, Matt Stevens 3 1 7, Jon Pantano 0, David Knowlton 0, Barett Dziok 4 1 12, Steve Dorsey 1 0 3, Dan Villani 2 3 7, Kevin Binney 0 2 2, Aaron Vasquez 0. Totals: 26 13 71.

MONTY TECH (49) Pedro Baez 1 0 2, Matt Addonizio 5 1 12, Brian McQuade 4 0 8, Max Silvera 2 0 4, John Glover 5 0 15, Andrew Dubois 1 2 4, Tim Slown 1 0 3, James Ngo 1 1 3. Totals: 20 4 49.

Halftime: H, 35-20. 3-point goals: Glover 5, Dziok 3, Spear 2, Dorsey, Addonizio, Slown. Records: H 20-3, MT 11-10.

WORCESTER -- With just three losses on his team's schedule, Hopedale coach Tony Cordani had yet to see his team play a complete basketball game.

Until last night.

The Blue Raiders chose the perfect time and place to play their best all-around game of the season, cruising to a 70-49 victory over Leicester in the 65th annual Clark Tournament Small School final. With the win, Hopedale takes a 19-3 mark into the state tournament.

"Throughout the season, the team would either play great offensively or defensively," said Cordani, "but tonight they played a complete game. They were really pumped up for this game and they rose to the occasion."

Hopedale has reason to be pumped up, and anxious.

In Cordani's five years at the helm of Hopedale's program, the squad has made the finals three times, winning once (2000). Last season they lost a close one to Bromfield.

"It's great to get the monkey finally off our backs," said senior forward Justin Lewis, who poured in 25 points and doled out three assists. "I really credit my teammates. They found me on the break, and I laid it in. We are just so happy to come out on top."

Leicester (16-5) wasted no time getting on the board in the first half, taking a quick 9-3 lead with help from leading scorer Josh Wells (23 points).

After the final basket of Leicester's mini-run, the Blue Raiders seemed to awaken from their slumber, and take over the contest.

In the span of two minutes, Hopedale scored 10 points, six of those coming from Lewis on fast-break layups to take a 13-11 lead. The Blue Raiders never trailed from that point.

On the next possession, Mat Stevens drained a 3-pointer and a foul was called away from the ball to give Hopedale the ball back with a 16-11 lead with 8:45 left in the half.

While Lewis was running Leicester off the court, senior captain Barett Dziok owned the paint, notching eight points and seven rebounds in the first 16 minutes. The low post power ended the night with 25 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. The Blue Raiders beat Leicester down low to the tune of 48-34.

"We definitely executed very well," said Dziok. "We knew they were a running team, and they got out to a quick start. They have a great press, and we saw how they beat West Boylston in the semifinals by pressuring them the entire game. We were able to break it when they did press with good passes and good separation.

"And if they didn't score, they couldn't press, so they had trouble getting points for a long stretch."

While Hopedale shot 53.8 percent (14-26) from the field in the first half, Leicester was a quiet 25 percent (9-36). The Wolverines had trouble from behind the arc as well, shooting 0 for 9, while Hopedale was 2 for 4.

With four minutes left, the Blue Raiders upped its lead to 24-13, and play began to get rough as both teams began to get physical and bodies started flying after loose balls and rebounds.

"We were able to play tough defense under the basket and they did not get many second-chance points," said Dziok. "It was physical, but I think we were able to withstand their runs."

Cole Spear ended the roughness with a 3-pointer to give Hopedale a 27-15 lead at 3:34, and the Wolverines knew they could not afford to give away any more points. Wells cut the lead to 10 with a fast break layup, but Lewis answered with two easy layups to make the score 31-17. Hopedale took a 33-21 lead into the lockerroom.

The second half was much of the same as Hopedale widened its lead, and Leicester was unable to use their trademark press, or go on any runs. Dan Villani also played an integral role, registering 10 points and grabbing six boards.

"Our plan was to try and score as much off the break as possible and we did that," Cordani said. "It was a great effort all the way around."

HOPEDALE (70) Cole Spear 1-2 0-0 3, Justin Lewis 11-16 3-7 25, Matt Stevens 3-6 0-0 7, Barett Dziok 11-17 0-0 25, Dan Villani 4-6 2-2 10, Josh Knipe 0, Nick Brown 0, Artie Posch 0, Scott Fletcher 0-1 0-0 0, Jon Pantano 0, David Knowlton 0, Steve Dorsey 0, Kevin Binney 0-1 0-0 0, Aaron Vasquez 0. Totals: 30-49 5-9 70.

LEICESTER (49) Antyhony Giuffrida 1-9 0-0 2, Kevin Moriarty 0-3 0-0 0, Mason Poce 0-10 0-0 0, Tim Baril 2-8 6-8 10, Josh Wells 11-24 1-2 23, Jeffrey Daige 0-2 0-0 0, Colin Donahue 0-1 0-0 0, Nick Fontaine 0-1 0-0 0, Paul Natsis 0, Andrew Cuningham 0, Ralph Johnson 7-12 0-0 14. Totals: 21-70 7-10 49.

Halftime: H, 33-21. 3-point goals: Dziok 3, Spear, Stevens. Records: L 16-5, H 19-3.

Two years ago, Sutton dominated them in the first round. Last year, they made the championship game, but fell in the final minutes to Bromfield.

So tonight's game against Leicester marks the last chance for Hopedale's core of seniors to win a Clark Tournament title.

"To come in against Sutton and get blown out was a setback, but we knew we'd be better the next year," star senior forward Justin Lewis said. "Then against Bromfield we felt pretty good and played well, they just made more shots down the stretch than we did.

"And that just made us even more focused on getting back."

The Blue Raiders already avenged the Sutton loss with a 73-49 pasting of the Sammies on Wednesday. Tonight, Hopedale gets one more opportunity at the prize that has thus far eluded them.

For the Blue Raiders, this is more than a run-of-the-mill post-season tuneup. Most of the Hopedale players grew up watching this tournament, and seniors Lewis, Barett Dziok, Mat Stevens, Kevin Binney and Scott Fletcher are ready to leave their mark.

"When we lost last year, that was one of the worst feelings I've had playing ball," Stevens said. "In our town the Clark Tournament's something we'd go to in elementary school.

"So that put a lot of fire in me to get back this year."

And the top-seeded Blue Raiders have returned to the title game by playing stingy defense and some of the best offensive basketball they have all year. In the opening round, Hopedale shut down Millbury behind 24 points from Lewis, winning 57-37.

But that was just a prelude to the Sutton game, where everything was clicking.

"That was our best team game all year," Stevens said. "The scoring was even, we hit the open man and we're looking to play off that and use it as a stepping stone."

Against the Sammies, Dziok had 16 points, Lewis 14 and Stevens 13. Sophomores Dan Villani (13 points) and Cole Spear (12) also hit double figures.

But coach Tony Cordani knows that his team's mission is far from accomplished. Just getting to the final isn't enough to satisfy the Blue Raiders.

"The Clark final has one of the biggest differences between winning and losing," Cordani said. "When you win it's such a tremendous feeling and when you lose it's so tough."

Now Cordani's troops turn their attention to second-seeded Leicester, which blew out West Boylston in the semifinals. Leicester has made it this far with an athletic team that loves to play pressure defense.

"We know they're real quick and like to press and push the ball," Stevens said. "So we have to control the tempo."

Against the Sammies, Hopedale was able to grab a big lead by pounding the ball down low and then finding open jump shooters.

"Offensively, we had a great night," Cordani said. "We got contributions from everyone and passed the ball extremely well."

The Blue Raiders are going to have to keep that up if they plan on doing what Hopedale teams in 1992 and 2000 did - win the Clark Tournament.

Led by a trio of seniors that have seen a lot of Clark basketball, both as players and spectators, Hopedale is on the verge of reaching its goal, one that began two years ago and is now ready to come full circle.

WORCESTER -- Two years ago, when most of Hopedale's starting lineup was filled with sophomores, the Blue Raiders faced Sutton in the first round of the Clark Tournament and lost.

Last night, a veteran Hopedale squad exacted revenge in a resounding manner, routing Sutton with a 73-49 wire-to-wire win in the semifinals of the Smaller Schools division of the Clark Tournament. The Blue Raiders now move on to face Leicester in the finals on Saturday night (6 p.m.).

"We're a senior-laden team and most of them are making their third appearance in this tournament," Hopedale coach Tony Cordani said.

"Last year, we were kind of inexperienced and our goal was definitely to come back this year (to the championship)," senior guard Mat Stevens said.

The top-seeded Blue Raiders scored the first seven points of the game and opened up a 20-3 advantage with 9:39 remaining in the opening half. It was never a contest after that, as Sutton didn't get closer than 12.

"We wanted to get ahead early and play intense the whole game," Stevens said.

And the Blue Raiders dominated in the paint and on the perimeter all night. All five Hopedale starters finished in double figures, led by senior Barett Dziok's 16.

"We had balanced scoring, I think all five of our starters had at least 10," Dziok said. "They couldn't lock down on one guy."

Lewis added 14 points, four assists and four rebounds, while sophomore center Dan Villani notched 13 points and seven rebounds. In all, the Blue Raiders outscored the Sammies 40-24 in the paint.

"We definitely felt that we had an advantage inside," Dziok said. "We felt we were bigger and stronger."

And they proved it in the opening minute, getting scores off low-post moves by Villani and Lewis. The points kept coming, as the Blue Raiders used exceptional passing to find open cutters.

"We've played together for so long that we know where each other is going to be," Dziok said, noting that most players on the team have been on the same teams since elementary school.

After the initial 20-3 run, Sutton regrouped and played Hopedale even for most of the game, but the Sammies never mounted a serious threat. Guard Deryk Largesse led Sutton with 15 points, while forward Pat Belniak added 14.

But every time Sutton looked ready to make a run, the Blue Raiders answered with a big basket. Guard Cole Spear shot 5 for 6, including 2 for 3 from downtown to finish with 12 points, and Stevens added 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

"Any time they hit a shot, we came down and made a big play," Dziok said.

So while Hopedale might not get much respect in the Clark Tournament program - the team is listed as the Eagles, not the Blue Raiders, senior star Lewis is listed as a sophomore and the 6-foot-4 Villani is listed at 5-foot-9 -- the Blue Raiders are certainly earning respect on the court.

HOPEDALE (73) Cole Spear 5 0 12, Justin Lewis 5 4 14, Matt Stevens 4 4 13, Barett Dziok 7 0 16, Dan Villani 5 3 13, Josh Knipe 0, Nick Brown 0, Artie Posch 0, Scott Fletcher 1 0 2, Jon Pantano 0, David Knowlton 0, Steve Dorsey 0, Kevin Binney 1 0 3. Totals: 28 11 73.

SUTTON (49) Deryk Largesse 5 3 15, Evan Dufault 4 0 11, Tim Winn 0 1 1, Brian Sampson 1 0 2, Pat Belniak 6 2 14, Jamie Dahrooge 1 0 2, Billy Tappin 0, Peter Sachs 0, John Stonebreaker 1 0 2, Conner Finlay 0, Eric Tappin 0, Steve Lachowski 0, Matt Salem 1 0 2. Totals: 19 6 49.

Halftime: H, 36-21. 3-point goals: Largesse 2, Dufault 3, Spear 2, Stevens, Dziok 2, Binney. Records: S 13-7, H 18-3.