RallyNorth.net

Brilliant North Andover comeback falls short in D2 North semis

Tuesday, March, 04 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

Trailing Reading 52-41 in the fourth quarter, North Andover coach Mike McVeigh put the Division 2 North semifinal game and the season in the hands of his five seniors.

The gallant Knights nearly pulled off another sectional semis miracle.

"I was proud of them after the last game (a quarterfinal win over Winchester), but I'm more proud of them tonight, and I told them that," said McVeigh, after third-seeded North Andover fought to within one at 54-53, before ultimately succumbing, 62-55, in a ceiling-shaker at Methuen High's Klimas Field House.

Pushed to the limit, 10th-seeded Reading simply found a way, hitting two back-breaking jumpers in the final 2:04.

"The comeback was great, we got it to 1, but you have to give Reading credit for having poise down the stretch," said McVeigh. "I'm proud of the fight. We had to make something happen. We wanted to make the game a little hectic. We got a few turnovers, but Reading took care of the ball when they had to. And they made the shots they had to."

The madness started when, just inside the six-minute mark, point guard Steve Collura nailed a 3-pointer, his first of the season.

"I told the guys, it was karma, him hitting that shot, and we were coming back," said McVeigh. "I knew that run would come."

The Scarlet Knights pressed and forced turnovers, making Reading pay at the other end.

Collura hit Steve Boudreau for a fast-break hoop. Then Boudreau, who led the Knights with 22 points, dropped in a leaner, slicing the lead to six.

One final Boudreau pull-up at the 3:50 mark was followed by a long Sean McManus three that near blew the roof off the place, cutting the margin to 54-53.

Reading, which had knocked off second-seeded Middlesex League rival Woburn in the quarterfinals, regained its poise, somehow, and Ted Notis' jumper steadied the Rockets' ship at 56-53.

McManus tried again from downtown, this time to tie, but the off-balance 20-footer rimmed out.

Enter sure-to-be All-Scholastic Evan Smotrycz, who is hearing from Big East schools, to finish things. The 6-foot-7 junior shook and shimmied, then pulled up for a toe-on-the-arc two with 46 seconds left. It caught nothing but net for his 26th and 27th points of the night (to go with 12 rebounds and 7 blocks), ending any real chance the Knights had.

Boudreau's performance had to go down in North Andover lore as one of the great clutch efforts in recent memory. The Knights rallied when he implored McVeigh to let him cover Smotrycz and he slowed him down, despite giving up six inches.

His spirit was contagious through the run with all five seniors, including Will Enright and Hayden Yeazel, pitching in.

His backcourt mate McManus finished with a hard-earned 15 points.

"McManus and Boudreau, they're the guys who've been with me the longest," said McVeigh. "I was so proud of them and the other three seniors. They knew there was no more time. It took every ounce they had, and they gave every ounce. What more could a coach ask for?"

North Andover, co-champ of the Cape Ann Large division, finished the year at 16-6, making it three straight trips to the North semifinals.