RallyNorth.net

Scarlet Knights scorch Billerica

Wednesday, January, 27 By Jeff Hamrick
Correspondent

NORTH ANDOVER – One year removed from a season in which it failed to score more than 47 points in almost half its games, North Andover reclaimed some offensive swagger Wednesday night.

After scoring 27 in the opening quarter and 48 in the first half, the Scarlet Knights ran away from visiting Billerica for an easy 85-46 victory. It was North Andover’s highest output since an 89-64 victory over Newton South almost two years ago.

“When you make shots, things look better,” said coach Paul Tanglis, whose squad scored 47 or fewer nine times while going 6-14 last year. “Obviously, we hit a lot tonight. I think we took good shots, which is important. We moved the ball well.

“We got to the paint and made the extra pass. But at the end of the day guys have to knock it down, and obviously we knocked some down tonight.”

Senior guard Matt Kutz ignited the Knights, making all four of his first-quarter shots as North Andover went 12 of 15 from the floor in the frame and connected on 21 of their 30 first-half attempts.

“Obviously it feels pretty good when you score however many points we did in the first quarter,” said Kutz, who finished with 15. “But it was all about defense at that point. We really played good (defense) and that’s kind of what gets us going on the offensive end. We have negative egos on this team. No one really thinks they have to score that much. We all share the ball, and that makes a difference.”

The Knight defense drew four offensive fouls and forced 10 turnovers en route to a 48-27 halftime lead. Six different players had at least three points in the half.

“It started in the offseason,” said senior guard Jake Wolinski, who finished with a game-high 20 points. “All summer and fall we were in the gym doing whatever we could, socially distancing with our masks on. We were following our guidelines and were in the gym every single day.”

While six Knights contributed points in the first half, seven had at least one assist.

“We’ve been emphasizing shots in practice and at game speed,” Wolinski said. “We just trust each other to move the ball and find the right shot. Everyone here is unselfish and we know how to make the right play and knock down the shot when it counts.”

North Andover finished with 25 assists on its 36 made field goals. Eleven Knights had at least one while Kutz and D’Ardre King led the way with five apiece.

“We want to get assisted shots,” Tanglis said. “We’re not a one-on-one kind of team. We’re going to have to move the ball. When you swing it from side to side, that’s usually when you get the good shots.”

Tanglis was able to get all 13 players quality minutes Wednesday and 11 of them got on the scoreboard as North Andover (2-3) shot 65.5 percent from the floor (36-55) and 52 percent from behind the arc (13-25).

“We’re taking every game like it’s a state tournament game,” Tanglis said. “We take every practice like it’s the day before a state tournament game because you just don’t know what’s going to happen. The kids realize that, and they’re having fun … They realize everyday you get in the gym is a good day.”