RallyNorth.net

Fri, Jan 26, 2018 07:00 PM @ Lawrence

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
North Andover	8	13	18	18	57
Lawrence	20	11	24	16	71

Reynoso, Lawrence flex muscles against North Andover

LAWRENCE — Luis Reynoso caught a pass breaking towards the paint, split two defenders, and surged to the basket for a massive two-handed slam dunk in traffic which sent the crowd into hysterics.

Once again, Reynoso just could not be stopped.

The junior scored 21 of his team-high 26 points in the second half, leading Lawrence to 71-57 victory over North Andover.

“We just had to continue to play hard defense and not allow easy chances,” said senior Sebastian Dilone. “We knew they were a good team, but we were treating it like another game. We had to focus and play our game. But we know we have to keep improving.”

The game was a battle of two of the Merrimack Valley Conference’s top teams. Lawrence (10-2) is battling Central Catholic and Lowell for the top spot in the MVC Division 1 standings, while North Andover (8-3) owns the top spot in MVC Division 2.

“We needed to play with energy, defend, rebound and play together,” said Lancer coach Raymond Nunez. “Any MVC game is tough. We came out ready to play against a tough team. Basketball is a game of rhythm, and we wanted to finish on a high.”

Lawrence jumped out fast, taking a 31-21 lead into halftime led by 10 points by Juan Felix Rodriguez. But it was Reynoso who played the closer role in the second half.

The guard scored 11 points in the third, including his huge slam dunk, and added 10 in the fourth to ice the victory. For good measure, he added a massive block, knocking the shot away at rim level. He also grabbed eight rebounds, while Rodriguez, last year’s Eagle-Tribune MVP, had six steals.

“There’s no doubt that Luis is a special player,” said Nunez. “He’s a talented and athletic player. We have a lot of athletic and talented kids, and he’s one of them. And he’s coming out to play every game at his best.”

Moore heats up

North Andover did manage a few rallies in the second half, cutting the lead to 10 at one point, led by sophomore Kyle Moore. The guard came off the bench to knock down six 3-pointers, all in the second half, to keep the Knights within striking distance. He finished with a team-high 18 points.

Now winners of seven of its last eight, with the lone loss to Central Catholic, Lawrence hopes to continue that momentum in the second half of the season.

“There are always things we can work on, but we are going to get better and better as we go along,” said Dilone, who finished the game with four points and played stellar defense. “I think we will keep working hard to be our best.”

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Contact David Willis at DWillis@eagletribune.com.

 

Lawrence 71, North Andover 57

North Andover (57): Chim Ogwuru 2 0-0 5, Garrett Murphy 1 0-0 2, Gabe DeSouza 3 1-3 8, Colin Lee 4 0-1 8, Jake McElroy 3 3-4 9, Ryan Slattery 0 0-0 0, Darren Watson 2 0-1 4, Kellan Murphy 1 0-0 3, Kyle Moore 6 0-0 18. Totals 22 4-9 57

Lawrence (71): Chris Ruiz 4 0-0 8, Jaden Castillo 4 2-3 10, Juan Felix Rodriguez 7 0-0 15, Miguel Camacho 2 0-0 5, Angel Vazquez 0 1-2 1, Luis Reynoso 10 5-6 26, Sebastian Dilone 1 2-2 4, Brian Martir 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 10-13 71

3-pointers: NoAnd — Ogwuru, DeSouza, Murphy, Moore 6; Lawr — Rodriguez, Camacho, Reynoso

North Andover (8-3):     8     13     18     18 — 57

Lawrence (10-2):     20     11     24     16 — 71