By BRENDAN MCGAIR

Sports writer

CENTRAL FALLS – With its sternest tests in the rear view mirror and the playoffs still weeks away, Central Falls is right smack dab in the midst of the dog days of winter.
Trying to stay motivated and avoid any slippage in play is what head coach Brian Crookes preaches to his players nowadays. Yet as Crookes pointed out following CF’s takedown of Johnston, 78-60, on Tuesday night, there are plenty of areas to refine in the six games remaining in the regular season.
“You’ve got to keep challenging the guys with new challenges,” said Crookes after the Warriors upped their winning streak to 13 en route to improving to 11-1 in Division III. “We need to add defensive toughness to what we need to do and to be patient on offense, waiting for the right shot. This is a good time to put guys in situations they may come across in the playoffs.”
It’s hard to find very little fault for the Warriors, who haven’t absorbed a defeat in 56 days. Since falling at Mount St. Charles in mid-December, CF has rattled off season sweeps of Moses Brown and North Smithfield, two clubs that figure to provide the greatest obstacles in the program’s quest to cut down the nets at URI’s Ryan Center.
“We head into the regular season in good position, but we have a lot to work on,” cautioned Crookes. “These games at the end of the year are a great way for us to develop as a team.”
The night belonged to Robert Alers, The junior crossed the 1,000-career point threshold with 53.8 seconds remaining in the first half, the milestone point coming on one of his trademark strong drives to the rim.
Alers entered Tuesday searching for 14 points in order to add another digit to his career scoring total. He wound up with 15 (all coming in the opening half) and also passed for 10 assists.
“We knew this was going to come at some point this year … I can’t remember too bad shots he’s taken in the last three years. He’s not a selfish player,” praised Crookes. “He gets his points in the midst of our team’s flow. He always looks to do what’s best for the team. I’m thrilled for him, he’s a great kid. He’s exactly the type of kid every coach wants to have because he does everything well.”
Luis Pena led CF with 20 points, an unusually high mark considering how balanced CF’s scoring totals usually are. George Carle pumped in 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Antonio Mena also produced a double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds).
If there was any concern following Monday’s overtime win over D-II North Providence, CF removed any doubt by taking the ball right at Johnston (5-6 D-III). The Warriors opened up a double digit lead on a drive by Alers, 30-20, with 3:37 left in the opening half.
‘I wasn’t too concerned about my guys being tired,” said Crookes, noting that he gave the Warriors the weekend off. “They were fresh coming into (Monday).”
The lead grew to 41-25 after Alers drained a 3-pointer before ballooning up to 20 points, which it stood at halftime, on a stick back from Mena inside 15 seconds. The Warriors wound up shooting lights out in the first 16 minutes (20-for-28) while forcing the Panthers into 16 turnovers.
A comfortable lead heading into the second half (47-27) allowed Crookes to mix and match his lineup. The coach began play with a grouping that featured starters Carle and Pena along with three reserves. Three bench players remained on the floor with Pena and Alers at the 10:40 mark. With 9:13 remaining, Crookes had four subs surrounding starter Angel Gonzalez.
“It’s expected that they’re going to be a little nervous because they haven’t been in these game situations as much,” said Crookes. “In the next few weeks we’ll get them exposed more.”
Johnston did throw a slight scare down the stretch. A 10-zip run brought the Panthers to within 64-56 with four minutes remaining, but CF quickly restored order. A three-point play from Carle gave CF a 72-58 cushion with 2:03 left.  
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JOHNSTON (60): Nick Pistacchio 5 1-2 14, Michael Pepper 0 0-0 0, David Joyal 0 0-0 0, Brandon Parillo 3 0-0 6, Ryan Anderson 0 0-0 0, Michael Beaumier 3 0-0 6, Isaac Medeiros 0 1-5 19, Elijah Baker Hardy 5 1-3 11. Totals: 26 5-12 60.
CENTRAL FALLS (78): Luis Pena 8 1-2 20, Eric Wilcox 0 0-0 0, Cory Cassamas 0 0-0 0, Kelvin Lopes 0 0-0 0, Jason Pita 1 0-0 3, Kevin Figueirdo 0 1-2 1, George Carle 7 1-1 15, Antonio Mena 7 2-3 16, Angel Gonzalez 3 0-0 6, Albert Bello 1 0-0 2, James Londono 0 0-0 0, Aneury Florentino 0 0-0 0, Robert Alers 6 2-3 15. Totals: 33 7-11 78.
Halftime: CF 47-27.
Three-point field goals: J 3 (Nick Pistacchio 3); CF 5 (Luis Pena 3, Jason Pita, Robert Alers).
JV: CF 58-43.