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Andover cruises against North Andover

Tuesday, February, 04 By Jeff Hamrick

NORTH ANDOVER – In a year in which accumulating points has been at best a challenge and often incredibly difficult for teams throughout the region, Andover may have found another scorer at the right time.

Then again, if they manage to play defense like they did Tuesday, the Warriors might not be as desperate for more.

Holding North Andover to 10 points or fewer in each quarter, Andover ran past the Scarlet Knights for an easy 53-30 victory. It was the fewest points allowed by the Warriors since at least 2006. It was also the fewest points scored in the same time frame for North Andover, which has scored at least 40 in all but six games since 2006.

Playing in his first game since a concussion in early January, sophomore guard Ryan Pacy came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points to lead the Warriors.

“I missed six games,” Pacy said. “I had the flu for about two weeks. It felt good. I felt confident tonight. It’s taken about two weeks to get that. I was really weak and lost a lot of weight.

“Coach is just telling me to play confident and take my shots. I wasn’t very confident when I was playing (earlier in the season).

Pacy was six of 10 from the field, including four of five from behind the arc, to score his career high – eclipsing the 15 points he scored in a win at Billerica on Jan. 3.

“He missed four games with the concussion and then he had the flu and missed two more games,” Andover coach David Fazio said. “Hopefully, he can get on track. If he can do that, it’s another nice piece because he can really shoot it.”

Improving to 9-6 overall and 7-4 in the MVC, Andover is one win shy of earning a regional spot with three games remaining, beginning Friday against Tewksbury.

“We’re really gearing up and playing our best ball,” said senior captain Michael Slayton.

Slayton is another Warrior heating up at the right time. After scoring in double figures for the first time last week against Methuen, he matched that career-high with another 13 points and added seven rebounds.

“He’s the best,” Fazio said. “He’s a coach’s dream. I’ve been here 31 years and he’s top five among the most-selfless kids. He doesn’t want to shoot, but he will.”

With Pacy and Slayton combining for 29, they needed only one bucket from another teammate to eclipse North Andover, which scored 18 points in the first half despite only three turnovers. Eschewing their typical zone for much of the game, the Warriors limited the Knights to 22% field-goal shooting (nine for 41).

“We’re just going to kind of see what we can do to make the other team uncomfortable,” Fazio said. “They’re such a well-coached team. They just pop the ball against our zone. I didn’t want to give them more free shots, so we went more man.”

After scoring at least 50 while winning four in a row, North Andover (3-9, 5-11) has now been held to 47 or fewer while losing its past three. No Knight scored more than six against Andover.

“If I had the answer, it would help us,” coach Paul Tanglis said. “It was one of those nights when nothing would fall. If we continuously don’t score, it affects us kind of mentally … It was a bad night, and we couldn’t get any momentum going.”