RallyNorth.net

HAVERHILL | Andrew Gianakakis closed out his high school basketball career in memorable fashion last night when the Ipswich High senior had 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and buried a 3-pointer.

Still, the 6-foot-1 center looked glum afterwards. And why not?

Senior guard Myles Layman scored a season-high 23 points, the same amount scored by teammate Peter Karas, as the Tigers (12-10) moved into the Division 4 North semifinals with last night's road victory.

LYNN | It's a moment Ipswich sophomore forward Aaron Jessen will never forget. It's also a moment that Tigers' basketball coach Doug Woodworth hopes his team can move on from as quickly as possible.

Ipswich let a 10-point lead melt away in the fourth quarter, then won in dramatic fashion when Jessen's 18-foot jump shot dropped with two seconds remaining for a 69-68 victory over St. Mary's in a Division 4 North first round affair.

In a battle of two state tournament-bound basketball teams, it was the Bishop Fenwick Crusaders who prevailed over Ipswich, 66-58. The efforts of Nolan DiPanfilo and Mike Clifford did the Tigers in. The two junior classmates scored a combined 51 points.

Doug Woodworth heard the murmurs during Ipswich High's summer league season. It was pure offseason gossip, yet some seemed to take to take it as gospel.

The gist of the talk was that Ipswich didn't have a prayer of making the state tournament this winter. The Tigers had just had a superb three-year run, winning one Division 4 state title and nearly winning it the other two years, but now all those players were gone.

When the Ipswich boys basketball team got off to a 2-5 start this season, coach Doug Woodworth wasn't thinking about the postseason. But Woodworth and the Tigers can start preparing for the Division 4 North tournament now after reeling off eight wins in the last 11 games.

He's 53 years old and has worn a lot of coaching hats in Ipswich.

If the Ipswich High Tigers offered synchronized swimming or rugby, Doug Woodworth would probably have tried coaching those two sports, too. The people closest to 'Woody' are convinced it's in his blood to coach.

HAMILTON | Hamilton-Wenham boys basketball coach Marty Binette said it was the offense. His counterpart, Ipswich's Doug Woodworth, thought it was defense.

The two coaches may not have been able to agree on why Binette's Generals were able to blow open a tight game in the third quarter last night, but neither would argue about when Hamilton-Wenham seized control.

Last year's record: 20-4

Coach: Doug Woodworth (14th season)

Key returnees: Andrew Gianakakis, 6-1, Sr., C; Alex Lampropoulos, 5-11, Sr., G; Myles Layman, 5-10, Sr., G; Pete Karas, 5-11, Sr., F; Sam King, 6-0, Sr., G.