RallyNorth.net

 NORTH ANDOVER – Flustered for the first time in last night’s Division 2 North first round matchup with Melrose, North Andover simply put the basketball and the game in Zach Karalis able hands.

North Andover's boys basketball team took care of business yesterday, clipping Hamilton-Wenham on the road, 69-59. to earn a share of the Cape Ann League title with Wilmington, both with 11-2 marks. Derek Collins led the Knights (16-4 overall), who pulled ahead with a strong second quarter, with 20 points, Zach Karalis added 15 and Isaiah Nelson chipped in with 13.

BOXFORD — Derek Collins kicked it, hovered over it, ripped it off the floor and buried it.

ANDOVER — Although it was nothing close to scintillating, Andover did just enough down the stretch to win its rivalry game against visiting North Andover last night.

The sixth-ranked Golden Warriors first prevented the Scarlet Knights from running away and hiding in the second quarter, then survived a fourth-quarter drought that lasted 5 1/2 minutes before eking out a 51-46 victory. Andover, which defeated North Andover by three in the finals of the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tourney, has won each of the past four outings the past two years against the Knights by a combined 25 points. North Andover has scored fewer than 50 points or fewer in three of those defeats.

Derek Collins and Zach Karalis each buried a trio of 3-pointers as North Andover cruised past Lynnfield, 74-57. Karalis was the game high scorer with 25 while Collins netted 11. In his second career start, sophomore Isaiah Nelsen recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a dozen rebounds.

HAVERHILL - A basketball coach always wonders how his team will recover after a tough loss. Normally, however, he doesn't have to wait nine days to get his answer.

Following up a tough Cape Ann League defeat to Manchester Essex on Jan. 14, North Andover rebounded quite nicely yesterday afternoon, scoring 29 first-quarter points en route to an easy 82-59 nonleague road win over Haverhill yesterday before a packed house.

Jimmy Warden's 3-pointer with 1:48 to play put North Andover on top for good as the Knights survived a scare from Newburyport, holding on for a 63-60 win. Clinging to a one-point lead with 15 seconds to play, sophomore Derek Collins (15 points) beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer to clinch it.

By David Willis

dwillis@eagletribune.com

LAWRENCE — Andover head coach David Fazio hugged his wife, daughter, son and just about everyone within his reach.

“This was a long time coming,” said Fazio. “We’ve been the bridesmaid so many damn times over the years. It’s nice to finally be the bride. It is so special.”

LAWRENCE — A lot of shooters have that one spot where they are deadly. Last night, Derek Collins has a lot of sweet spots.

The left and right corners are among them. With North Andover and Greater Lawrence Tech tied at 29-29 with 5:30 left in the third quarter, the sophomore sharpshooter hit 3-pointers from each corner on consecutive possessions to give the Scarlet Knights a 6-point lead it would never surrender.

LAWRENCE — Mike McVeigh has an unusual dilemma: how to get his players home?

With only two seniors, there aren't many players with drivers licenses on this year's North Andover High team.