Wed, Dec 27, 2017
07:45 PM @
Methuen
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
OT |
Final |
| North Andover |
14 |
14 |
8 |
19 |
7 |
62 |
| Methuen |
10 |
17 |
15 |
13 |
11 |
66 |
Methuen needs overtime to beat North Andover, reach semis
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Wednesday, December, 27
By Jeff Hamrick
Staff writer
METHUEN — A week after being denied a victory when North Andover blocked a last-second layup attempt, Methuen used a little extra work last night to get its revenge.
The Rangers rode the offensive boards in overtime, using the extra possessions to eke out a 66-62 victory over the Scarlet Knights in the final quarterfinal outing of the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic.
"We just played these guys ... and it was a one-point game and we couldn't pull it out," Methuen coach Anthony Faradie said. "But I say it all the time, eveytime we play North Andover I think like seven out of the last eight games has come down to the last possession. Pulling out the close games is going to be important in this league because everyone is so competitive."
Last night, the Knights needed a last-possession shot to force overtime as Garrett Murphy turned a delicious driving dish by Jake McElroy into a layup with 6 seconds remaining. That layup negated a pair of long-range threes by Dante Rivera and another by Jhamyl Fricas with the shot clock winding down that provided Methuen 55-51 lead with 1:28 remaining in regulation.
But a pair of free throws by Kyle Moore and Murhpy's field goal erased that deficit.
In overtime, North Andover grabbed a 60-58 advantage with 2:22 left on a three from the wing by Moore, who finished with 15 points. Methuen fought back to grab a 62-60 lead on a drive by Rivera (19 points) and a pull-up jumper by Fricas (16).
An offensive rebound by TJ Clark resulted in a pair of free throws by Nick Clark for a 64-60 lead.
"TJ had a huge offensive rebound," said Faradie, whose squad had four overtime offensive boards. "That was a game-winning play."
Another driving layup by McElroy brought North Andover back to within 2 but a pair of Rivera free throws secured the win with 8.1 seconds left.
Methuen's passing powered the Rangers after intermission as they had assists on seven of their first 10 second-half field goals. Clark was the recipient of many of the feeding tosses, scoring 17 of his game-high 21 after intermission, including 10 on layups
"We tried to get it inside and get more ball reversals," Faradie said. "We felt in the first half we were able to draw fouls and get into the bonus pretty early. Getting to the free throw line was an emphasis."
Murphy paced North Andover with 20 points.
Game Statistics:
Commonwealth Classic (Day 1)
North Andover (62): Darren Watson 1 3-4 5, Kyle Moore 5 2-4 15, Jake McElroy 7 1-1 15, Ryan Slattery 0 0-0 0, Garrett Murphy 8 4-6 20, Mike Gorgoni 1 0-0 3, Kellen Murphy 0 0-0 0, Colin Lee 2 0-0 4. Totals 24 10-15 62
Methuen (66): Jhamyl Fricas 6 2-3 16, Dante Rivera 5 6-7 19, Christian Ovalles 2 2-2 8, TJ Scott 1 0-0 2, Nick Clark 9 3-6 21, Hadi Majed 0 0-1 0, Onyeraluobu Chibuogwu 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 13-19 66
3-pointers: NA — Moore 3, Gorgoni; M — Rivera 3, Fricas 2, Ovalles 2
