RallyNorth.net

Knights withstand pressure, down Malden Catholic

Friday, March, 01 By Dave Dyer

NORTH ANDOVER — Pressure, what pressure?

With 15 seconds left in a rough and tumble, back and forth Division 2 North quarterfinal game, with North Andiver clinging to a 71-68 lead in front of a loud and frantic crowd, senior Gabe DeSouza calmly went to the free throw line and sank two free throws to clinch a hard-earned 73-68 victory.

It was the sixth straight free throw converted by DeSouza in the fourth quarter as North Andover (15-7) held off a young but extremely athletic Malden Catholic squad. With Jake McElroy (game-high 25 points) making four straight of his own, the Knights hit 10 in a row from the charity stripe to close out the game.

“I didn’t feel any pressure — I love that situation,” said DeSouza, who scored all 13 of his points in the second half. “I live for it. I’m just glad we were in that situation.”

Trailing 56-52 early in the fourth quarter after leading most of the game, the Knights clawed back to tie the game, 58-58, on two McElroy free throws. They took the lead with 4:12 to play on two DeSouza free throws and then pulled away ever so slightly thanks to two 3-pointers by McElroy.

The final trifecta by McElroy was the nail in the coffin. Leading 66-63, he let the 30-second clock wind down and then stepped back and drilled his sixth 3-pointer of the game with 58 seconds remaining for a comfortable eight-point lead.

Four straight free throws ended it.

“We shoot the ball (from the line) really well, so I felt good about it,” said North Andover coach Paul Tanglis. “Gabe, Darren (Watson), Jake are all really good. We hit over 70 percent as a team which is good for a high school team.

“That’s a really good team we played — very athletic. We knew it wouldn’t be easy and it wasn’t.”

The Lancers, the 14th anf final seed, may have come in with a 10-11 record but, with only one senior in their top eight players, they had been coming on strong. The Lancers were led by super freshman point guard Tony Felder, who scored 22 points.

North Andover started the game on fire as McElroy hit four staight 3-pointers and the Knight quickly held a 15-11 lead. Malden Catholic tied it at 19-19 after the first quarter but trailed 36-31 at the half as NA junior Kyle Moore took the baton from McElroy and hit four straight 3-pointers in the second quarter.

“They’re going to be an awesome team the next few years with Tony as their point guad,” said DeSouza, who played on the same AAU team as the super freshman. “But we have the seniors. We weren’t going to let these young guys beat us.”

One of those seniors, Garrett Murphy (broken bone in his leg), started his first game in six weeks and played in only his second game since coming back from injury. He finished with nine points and looked much more comfortable than in his first game.

“I think he’s getting his steps down and held his own tonight,” said Tanglis of Murphy. “He should keep getting better. We’re going to need him.”

The Knights will now play in the semifinals Tuesday against Somerville at a site to be determined. Somerville whipped Billerica Friday night, 56-39.