RallyNorth.net

Fri, Dec 23, 2016 06:00 PM @ Neutral Location

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
North Andover	20	10	9	18	57
Salem	11	13	9	16	49

Rosenthal, Knights trip Salem

METHUEN — North Andover had an opportunity to make a major statement on Tuesday, nearly beating highly-touted Methuen before the Rangers came back to win on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Stung by the loss, the Scarlet Knights vowed they wouldn’t let another opportunity like that slip through their grasp.

Luckily, the Christmas Tourney was only a couple days away, and when the Knights took the court on Friday against Salem, they were ready to play.

North Andover beat Salem 57-49 in the first round of the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic, advancing to Tuesday’s semifinal against Central Catholic, Friday’s other winner.

Though it wasn’t pretty at times, the Knights were able to hold off a second half comeback by the Blue Devils thanks in large part to the 3-point shooting of senior Matt Rosenthal and the slashing ability of sophomore Darren Watson.

“He’s a great shooter, he was out all of last year with an injury so it’s nice to see him be able to come here as a senior and be able to play well,” said North Andover coach Paul Tanglis of Rosenthal, who had 18 points. “I’m proud of him, he played a good game.”

North Andover, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 20-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. But other than Rosenthal, the Knights had trouble making their shots, and as time went on Salem started to capitalize.

Salem’s big run began in the second quarter, when the Blue Devils outscored the Knights 13-3 over a period of four minutes to cut the deficit to three. 

North Andover answered with a pair of Connor Rogers free throws to make it 30-24 at halftime, but in the third quarter Salem continued to push, eventually tying the game at 33-33 on a running layup by Griffin Curtis.

Salem couldn’t pull ahead, however, as Watson gave the Knights the lead with a three-point play, and then Rosenthal followed that up with his fourth 3-pointer of the night to make it 39-33 at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth, North Andover rode a 15-6 run to pull away and take a double-digit lead, essentially ending Salem’s bid for an upset. Watson made the pivotal plays down the stretch, converting back to back layups to turn a four-point lead into an eight-point lead and then grabbing a steal and a basket with under a minute left to end any possibility of a miracle Salem comeback.

After the game, neither Tanglis or his players were particularly thrilled about the way they played, but were happy to pick up the first round win.

“We didn’t really shoot the ball the way we wanted to out of the gate, but we stuck together throughout the whole game,” said senior co-captain Jack Fowler. “We kept our composure and we were able to come out on top at the end like we planned to.”

In addition to Rosenthal’s 18 points, North Andover got 13 points from Watson, nine points from sophomore Jake McElroy and eight points from Connor Rogers. Salem got a game-high 24 points and nine rebounds from Curtis, and D.J. Coletti had eight points, including two late 3-pointers.

North Andover will now face Central Catholic in the early semifinal on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. at Methuen High. Salem will face Londonderry in the second consolation game at 4:30 p.m.

COMMONWEALTH MOTORS CHRISTMAS CLASSIC

Friday’s Results

North Andover 57, Salem 49

Central Catholic 90, Londonderry 55

 

Tuesday’s Schedule

Lawrence vs. Windham, 2:45 p.m.

Salem vs. Londonderry, 4:30 p.m.

North Andover vs. Central Catholic, 6:15 p.m.

Andover vs. Methuen, 8 p.m.

*All boys games at Methuen High

North Andover 57, Salem 49

Salem (49): Trevor Deminico 0 0-0 0, Matt McLaughlin 2 0-0 6, D.J. Coletti 3 0-0 8, Matt Soldano 3 0-0 6, Griffin Curtis 9 4-5 24, Nicholas Hayes 2 0-2 5, Jacob Fantasia 0 0-0 0, Zack Caraballo 0 0-0 0, Matthew Carney 0 0-0 0, Alex Heghinian 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 4-7 49

North Andover (57): Darren Watson 6 1-3 13, Jake McElroy 3 2-4 9, Connor Rogers 3 2-2 8, Jack Fowler 3 0-0 7, Matt Rosenthal 7 0-0 18, Chim Ogwuru 1 0-0 2, Nick Cinseruli 0 0-0 0, Ben O’Connell 0 0-0 0, Nick Martin 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 5-9 57

3-pointers: S — McLaughlin 2, Coletti 2, Curtis 2, Hayes; NA — Rosenthal 4, McElroy, Fowler

North Andover (2-1): 20 10 9 18 — 57

Salem (1-2): 11 13 9 16 — 49