RallyNorth.net

Knights in it until the end: Lose tough one to Brighton

Thursday, February, 26 By By Bill Burt
Sports editor

BOSTON — There was no surprise what North Andover High was in for last night — an uphill battle.

The Scarlet Knight boys basketball team came to chilly, snowy and slippery Boston last night with an unimpressive record (9-11) and faced the perennial Div. 2 North powerhouse, Brighton High, at 18-4.

But if there's one thing this particular group had to do, particularly before tryouts even started, was fight for respect and survival this winter in the Merrimack Valley Conference. And when it was over last night, despite committing 22 turnovers and being out-rebounded 55 to 27, Brighton had to held on for a 62-57 win over the Scarlet Knights at Madison Park Technical School.

It started when coach Paul Tanglis was suspended for five games for what appeared to be innocuous reasons, and then continued as the Knights tried but failed to stay ahead of the .500 mark, losing five of its last six games.

But a tough schedule, which included a loss in the championship game in the Board 130 Tournament against St. John's Prep, was apparently worth the bruises. 

"That is one tough team they got there in North Andover," said Brighton coach Hugh Coleman. "We beat North Andover two years ago (in the sectional finals) in Lowell. That team was really good. Here, we figured if we slowed down (Wabissa) Bede, got him tired, we'd be able to put them away. And we got to Bede a little bit. But they never went away. Every kid there made a big play ... Whoa! That was one, tough win."

The Knights, which struggled to score most of the season, had no such problems in the first quarter, jumping out to an 18-11 lead after one quarter, with Bede, who was reportedly being watched by Boston College coaches last night, scoring seven points.

But Brighton's size and quickness advantage quickly reared itself as the hosts dominated on the offensive boards, oftentimes getting two or three attempts at making a basket. Brighton was able to take its first lead, 24-22, in the second quarter and ended up taking the lead for good, 37-34 midway through the third quarter.

Brighton appeared ready on several occasions to break this open, leading 40-34, 46-39 and even 54-43, but Knights John Boudreau (three 3-pointers), Ryan Good (five points, five rebounds) and Robbie Couyoumjian (15 points) hit shots to keep hopes alive.

In fact a Boudreau trey followed by Spencer Reeve and Bede free throws closed it to six, 59-53, before a Couyoumjian 3-pointer amazingly closed it to 59-57 with 20 seconds left. But Brighton made three free throws to barely close out the win.

"I'm so happy for our seniors, John Boudreau and Spencer Reeve," said Tanglis. "The represent what this program is about. They work hard. They never cause any problems. And they both were big contributors in their last game. I respect those guys so much."

Tanglis said despite the early season controversy and the public squabble with school officials over violations, the season was a success.

"Our guys played hard for me and the coaches the entire year," said Tanglis. "It wasn't easy. If a few shots fell early, maybe the game is closer, and maybe it falls our way. I'm so proud of North Andover High. We have high expectations here."

The game's leading scorer, Bede, only a junior, became one of the state's premier players this winter and he credited Tanglis for making that happen.

"I'm devastated with the loss, because we could've won the game," said Bede. "But I'm very lucky to play for North Andover and coach Tanglis. He helped me become not only a better player, but a better person. This program is only going up."