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TOPSFIELD — North Andover closed out its boys basketball history in the Cape Ann League last night with a terrific final chapter. Fueled by a sensational first quarter, the Knights (17-1) whipped Masconomet 65-50 to finish their CAL slate with a perfect 12-0 record and their fourth straight league title. Last year, they tied for the crown with Wilmington. “This was really important for us,” said senior Zach Karalis, who led a balanced attack with 14 points. “After tying with Wilmington last year, we wanted it outright. To get it against a big rival made it even better.” In 30 years under coach Mike McVeigh, the Knights wound up winning or sharing the CAL crown 20 times. “This was sweet, really sweet, and I like sweets,” joked McVeigh. “To win here was nice. I think in 30 years, it’s come down to us or them 15 times.” The Knights showed that they meant business from the start, zooming out to a 9-0 lead, which they extended to 22-8 after the first quarter. Showing great teamwork, good shooting and excellent work underneath, they outplayed the Chieftains (12-6, 10-2), who could have tied for the league crown with a win, in every phase of the game. North Andover also stymied Masco star Adam Bramanti early, holding him to a single basket in the first period on 1 of 9 shooting. Three of his shots were deflected. “We didn’t have any fancy D on him, no great strategy, but we had five guys ready to help out on him,” said McVeigh. Bramanti heated up in the second half a bit to lead all scorers with 19 points, but it took him 24 attempts on the night. “He’s one of my best friends and he’s still a great player,” said Karalis. who only needed nine shot attempts for his points. “We knew what we wanted to do and coach had us ready for the first period. We usually start out well.” Isaiah Nelson had two 3-pointers and eight of his 12 points and Brendan Miller, who wound up with nine points, joined Karalis with five points in the frame. Jimmy Warden (10 points) was among those harassing Bramanti. North Andover extended its lead to 37-16 at halftime but Masco made a mild run in the second half, clawing back to within eight, 48-40, early in the fourth quarter before the Knights pulled away for good, partly thanks to 10 of 12 free throws. Alex Gorgoni came off the bench to sink 4 of 4 from the line, including two when Colby Smith went down hard while driving to the basket. Collins missing North Andover was without junior guard Derek Collins. Injured most of the season after having back surgery last year, he injured his shoulder in Tuesday’s win over Triton. McVeigh is not sure when he will return.

Angel Sanquintin drilled a couple of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to get Georgetown close, but the Royals fell to Masconomet, 53-48.

NORTH ANDOVER — For the opening four minutes of the second half last night, North Andover played like it was the first game of its season, turning over the ball on four of its six possessions. For the other 28 minutes, however, the Scarlet Knights appeared to be in midseason form, successfully kicking off the year with a convincing 66-44 victory over Cape Ann League rival Masconomet. “We had a great summer,” said forward Isaiah Nelsen, who scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds. “We just have great team chemistry. We just moved the ball real well. And as a unit we played really well tonight.” With all five starters and another five lettermen back from a Division 2 North quarterfinals squad that finished 17-5 last year, North Andover faces high expectations from both inside and outside the program. “When you play fall and summer ball, it certainly helps, but we’ve had great scrimmages,” said Mike McVeigh, in his 30th year at the North Andover helm. “I try to tell them I don’t like it when an outside force or even a coach makes high expectations. I think the magic is for them to have high expectations themselves,  not to be listening to other’s expectations.” They could be even better later on as high-scoring guard Derek Collins (back surgery) and veteran guard Jimmy Warden (school suspension) will be out until at least the new year and Collins could be longer. Last night’s first half though just might have raised those hopes. The Knights connected on nine of their 12 first-quarter field-goal attempts and were 15 of 23 at the half. Nelsen, Zach Karalis and Brendan Miller each scored nine points by intermission while Mike Moroney added 8. North Andover scored the final 11 points of the half to take a commanding 37-20 advantage. The Knights had assists on 15 of their 25 field goals with Colby Smith (four) and Karalis combining for seven of them. When the rout was over, Karalis had scored a game-high 22 and Miller and Moroney each had 10. Stonehill recruit Adam Bramanti led the Chieftains with 17 points. “Right now we have to get our defense down,” Nelsen said. “Last year, that was the only thing that held us back from being a state contender. Everyone knows about our offense. We can all run the floor and we can all shoot the ball. We just have to play better defense than we did (last year).” The Knights next play Salem in Friday’s Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament quarterfinals. North Andover hopes to finish a few points better than last year when it dropped a tough 63-60 decision to Andover in the tournament championship. “We’re so excited,” Nelsen said. “Last year, we were so close. We were just one shot away. This year should be a lot of fun.”