WORCESTER, Mass.--Patrick Ewing. Rumeal Robinson, and now, Louis Ford.

Ford, the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) superstar, added his name to the list of CRLS hardcourt greats Saturday night when he led the boys' varsity basketball team to a stirring 73-69 Div. 1 state championship over Holy Name of Worcester.

"I think we were going to find a way to win it last night," said CRLS Head Coach Lance Dottin. "We wanted it so much more than Holy Name, we were going to find a way to win that game."

A 5'3 dynamo of agility and blinding speed, Ford, the CRLS point guard, was largely contained in the first half, only making one of his first nine field goal attempts. Holy Name jumped out to early 8-2 and 35-21 leads, threatening to put the game away, but CRLS (24-1) clawed back, going on an 11-0 run to pull within 3 by halftime.

Following a somewhat sloppy first half, both teams' play improved markedly in the second half. Cambridge's Falcons ran a trapping press, and Holy Name's Naps--short for Napoleons--regained the composure they had at the beginning of the game. And with a state title on the line, both teams dived on the floor--and on each other--much more frequently.

CRLS remained hot, jumping out to a 45-40 lead after completing a remarkable 24-5 run. But the Naps (22-2) quickly answered, as they would the rest of the game.

While the Falcons relied on Ford and Greater Boston League (GBL) All-Star Stephen Passley's three-point marksmanship, the Naps, led by forward Mike Lapriore (21 points) and guard Symere McClain (19 points), responded to each CRLS basket with a bucket of their own.

With the game tied at 58 and just over three minutes remaining, CRLS was forced to heave up a three-pointer as the shot clock neared zero. It fell short, but Ford, in an amazing show of athleticism, caught the ball in mid-air and put in an reverse lay-up to put the Falcons ahead for good.