NORTH ANDOVER — As the Scarlet Knights drained shot after shot, Marblehead wasted no time scrapping its man defense for a zone. Unfortunately for the Magicians, nothing short of a lid on the bucket would have denied North Andover in Sunday night’s Division 2 North quarterfinals.
Six different players scored during the first six minutes as the third-seeded Knights converted nine of their first 10 shots while opening up a 17-point lead en route to an easy 76-51 victory.
“Coach (Paul) Tanglis always tells us to come out focused,” said sophomore guard Kyle Moore, who was 4 of 5 from 3-point range in the first half while scoring 14 of his 16 points. “He obviously wants us to be ready and to throw the first punch. It’s all about us. If we play like a team, I don’t think anyone can beat us.”
Marblehead (13-9) immediately was taken out of action Sunday. The Knights led 27-8 after the first quarter and 43-17 at the half. As a team, North Andover was 17 of 26 from the field, including seven of nine from distance at the break.
“Obviously, we were shooting the ball well,” Tanglis said. “The offense was going well, but it was our defense. And that’s where it starts for us. If we defend and we shoot it well, then we become a real good team. It was a great team win from wire to wire.”
The halftime break didn’t cool off the Knights, either. A 7-for-11 quarter gave them a 65% shooting mark entering the fourth with a 60-35 lead — their largest of the night.
Moore and Garrett Murphy led the Knights with 16 points while Darren Watson added 15 and Jake McElroy had 12 points and five assists.
When it was over, it was obvious the Knights would carry some much needed momentum against Brighton, which is making its fourth-straight appearance in the North semifinals.
“They are big and physical,” Tanglis said. “They are tough and don’t have any weakness, so we’re going to have our work cut out for us.”
Up Next: Brighton
No. 3 North Andover (17-5) takes on No. 7 Brighton (15-7) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Woburn High in the Division 2 North semis. Defending state champ Brighton upset No. 2 Arlington 66-62 in the quarters.
Brighton beat the Knights in the 2015 first round and the great 2013 team in the North finals.
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Boys Basketball, 03/04/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
