WORCESTER — Wachusett's Sam Dion came up clutch when it mattered most, scoring  15 points — six from the free throw line in the second overtime — as the Mountaineers topped Shrewsbury, 61-51, in a Laska Yuletide Invitational semifinal on Wednesday at Assumption College.

The Mountaineers (4-1) will face Doherty (3-2) in the final at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Shrewsbury (2-2) will take on St. John's (3-4) in the consolation game at 6.

Dion was a perfect 6 for 6 in the second OT as Wachusett outscored the Colonials, 14-4, to seal the win.

“I knew they (the free throws) were important, and we needed them because it was crunch time,” Dion said. “I just took my time, took a deep breath, and let it go.”

Wachusett's Liam Griffin also scored 15 points, while Joey Nuttall added 11 and Brian Quinn scored 10. Shrewsbury's Nate Hautala led the Colonials with 13 points, while Phil Smyrnios added 11.

Shrewsbury dominated the fourth quarter, as the Colonials rallied to erase a 40-33 deficit to start the frame with a 9-2 surge. Shrewsbury's Cole Fisher drained a 3-pointer to close the gap to one and later tied the game with a free throw to make it 42-42. Wachusett had a chance to win at the buzzer, but a 3-point attempt fell short.

The Colonials started the game strong, ending the first quarter on a 13-2 run after Wachusett opened with a 6-0 lead. Shrewsbury was able to turn it around by taking charges in traffic on defense and relentlessly fighting for offensive rebounds on the other side.

“We couldn’t get our offense going, we couldn’t rebound the ball, and we couldn’t stay in front of people,” Wachusett coach Tom Gibbons said about the team’s woes in the first quarter. “We couldn’t do anything right early, but we picked our defensive intensity up a little bit later because we knew the game was on the line, and if we didn’t defend we were going to get beat.”

However the Mountaineers rallied in the second quarter, doing what they didn’t do well in the first quarter, like getting to the free throw line and getting into the paint. Wachusett’s Joey Nuttall went 4 for 4 from the free throw line in the quarter.

Wachusett will prepare for the Highlanders who are coming off a 71-60 win over St. John's in the earlier semifinal. Doherty's Marty Silvera, who had 24 points, will be a focus for the Mountaineers' defense.

“Be aggressive. Don’t be scared. Don’t be intimidated. Be composed,” said Dion on the team’s mentality moving into the matchup with Doherty. “They are a very athletic team. We have to work on our rebounding because we aren’t even close to as athletic as them.”

—Contact Gage Nutter at sports@telegram.com.