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Andover Golden Warriors Boys Basketball '17-'18

Lawrence roughs up Andover in opener

LAWRENCE — Juan Felix Rodriquez wasn’t smiling when he stated he and his Lawrence teammates definitely will improve. 
And that type of resolve should alarm any of the possible five opponents in Lawrence’s road to a possible Division 1 state basketball title.

With the Rodriguez leading the way with a season-high 37 points, the second seeded Lancers made short work of No. 15 Andover on Tuesday night, running away with a 75-55 victory in the first round of the Division 1 North sectional.

Often times the road to the North finals or at least semis is a relatively easy one for a powerhouse like Lawrence. 
Not this year.
The win sends Lawrence (19-2) into the quarters, where they will play host to No. 7 St. John’s Prep on a date to be announced. In late December, the Prep downed the Lancers 97-92 in OT in a Commonwealth Motors Christmas Tourney semifinal classic.
“We just wanted to win,” said Rodriquez, who was 10 of 16 from the field. “There were people talking about how we were going to lose, and that got us motivated to keep going.

“We need to work hard and get better as a team. Of course, we can get better. We just have to trust ourselves.”

The Lancers, who have won 10 straight while averaging 77.3 points in that stretch, took the lead for good at 4-2 on a Rodriguez putback 48 seconds in. The lead was 10 by the end of the first period and when Chris Ruiz nailed a step-back three-pointer 79 seconds into the second quarter, the Lancers led by 15.

“A lot of it was (Lawrence) might say forced turnovers, but I might say unforced turnovers,” said Andover coach David Fazio, who’s squad committed 10 of its 17 turnovers in a first half. “It was just turnovers and uncontested layups on the other end. On the board (in the locker room) we put down five keys and (all five) were take care of the ball.”

Rodriguez, who had 20 at intermission, wasn’t the only Lancer feeling it. Luis Reynoso and Chris Ruiz each contributed nine points in the first half as Lawrence converted 16 of its 28 field-goal attempts.

“The guys have said all year, that once we have the energy, we rebound and defend,” Lawrence coach Raymond Nunez said. “That gets us out on the break and really helps the guys out. Defense is the key, and the guys know it and have mentioned it.”

That was evident in the third quarter after Andover closed to within 11 points. The Lancers forced turnovers on three consecutive Golden Warrior possessions resulting in two Reynoso fastbreak layups and another by Ruiz.

“We knew we needed to come out of the box fast, and we just didn’t make shots or make plays,” said Fazio, whose club finished 11-11 including the Christmas Tourney loss to St. John’s (the MIAA doesn’t count that). “Their speed and athleticism make them pretty talented kids.” 

Andover did cut its deficit to nine on a Colin Kirkpatrick three early in the fourth, but Lawrence made four of its first six shots in the frame to once again open its advantage to 22 at 75-53 with 3 minutes remaining. 
Andover senior Cedric Gillette scored a team-high 16 points while Kyle Rocker and Kirkpatrick added 12 and 11, respectively.

Ruiz finished with 18 and Reynoso chipped in 13 as the Lancers’ Big 3 combined for 68.

Now the Lancers look to finish off St. John’s Prep (16-5) in a way they couldn’t at the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic, when the Eagles rallied from eight points down with just over 3 minutes remaining to force overtime. The Prep defeated Malden 81-64 in Tuesday action.

“It’s going to be one practice at a time; one game at a time,” Nunez said. “We have to take care of the smaller things when it comes to defending, rebounding and ball movement on the offensive end.”
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Boys Basketball, 02/27/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars

Kim keys Warriors

 

Emmett Kim sank five of Andover's nine 3-pointers and poured in 24 points as Andover held off Marlboro 53-52 to finish the regular season with an 11-9 record.

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Boys Basketball, 02/19/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars

29 for 29!

This may have been the toughest one but Sunday's 72-56 win over Somerville put Andover into the state tourney in all 29-years of Dave Fazio's tenure at AHS. Andover is now 10-10 overall but the Christmas Tourney loss to St. John's Prep doesn't count toward MIAA standings so they are in at 10-9 with Monday's game vs. Marlboro remaining. Kyle Rocker had 23 points and Emmett Kim 17 in the win. The win was the 447th for Fazio at Andover (447-210).

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Boys Basketball, 02/18/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars

Smith red hot

George Smith hit five 3-pointers on his way to 16 points and Central Catholic beat archrival Andover 59-50. Kevin Constant added a team-high 17 points for the winners. For the Golden Warriors, Cedric Gillette scored a game-high 20 points.

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Boys Basketball, 02/13/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars

Lee, Knights qualify

Senior Colin Lee had 12 points and eight rebounds to help North Andover beat rival Andover, 58-43, and qualify for the state tournament while winning the MVC Small for the second consecutive year. He was one of four Knights who scored in double figures. Emmett Kim had a game-high 16 points for the Warriors.

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Boys Basketball, 02/08/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars

Fricas on fire

Sophomore Jhamyl Fricas poured in a season-high 24 points on six 3's to lead Methuen to a 56-51 win over Andover. What more, Fricas went 6 for 7 from beyond the arc and also threw down a two-handed slam in transition.

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Boys Basketball, 02/02/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars

Hanging on

 

Andover got 18 points from Emmett Kim and 16 from Kyle Rocker to slip past Billerica, 57-55.

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Boys Basketball, 01/26/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars

Andover defense shines

 

Andover held Haverhill to 11 points in the second half and prevailed, 53-36. Emmett Kim led the Warriors with 17 points.  

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Boys Basketball, 01/19/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars

Rocker rocks

Kyle Rocker knocked down four 3-pointers on his way to 18 points and Andover rolled past Dracut 59-38.

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Boys Basketball, 01/16/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars

Central holds on

Andover threw a scare into Central Catholic, but George Smith (20 points, 5 3's) and Colin Bradanese (14 points) shined and Central prevailed 70-65.

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Boys Basketball, 01/11/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
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