RallyNorth.net

LEXINGTON – North Andover hung around for as long as it could, but Lexington simply had too much firepower.
Lexington (18-5) was led by 37 points from senior star Anna Kelly, and the Minutemen defeated North Andover 67-46 to win the Division I North first-round game.
“I think I have 13 girls who played with their hearts and souls the entire game,” said North Andover head coach Megan Ryan. “There’s nothing more I can ask as a coach to have kids that worked as hard as they did tonight.”
Kelly is used to putting up those type of numbers. She is one of the leader scorers in the state averaging over 25 points per game, and on Feb. 2 broke the 44-year-old Lexington High School all-time scoring record of 1,794 held by former NBA rookie of the year Ronnie Lee.
Kelly will continue to play hoop at Division I Fordham University in the Bronx.
A four-point game after one quarter grew quickly thanks to a 20-point first half for Kelly, a 5-7 guard. A three by Abbie Karalis helped the Knights end the second quarter on an 8-4 run to make the score 40-25 at the half.
The run gave the Knights a little momentum coming out of the locker room, but Lexington opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run that pushed the led up to 46-25. The Knights played a strong defensive third quarter, holding Lexington to just 11 points, but they trailed 51-34 heading into the final frame.
Another Karalis three followed by an Emily Sifferlen layup cut the lead to 55-41 with five minutes remaining. Whenever North Andover would string together a couple straight baskets, however, Kelly would respond with a basket at the other end.  
Karalis led the Knights with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Sifferlen dropped in 14 points, Megan Lucy added 6 and Alexiz Mencia had 5. Rachel Davies hauled in a team high 12 rebounds.
The Knights finished their season with an 11-10 record including a 63-56 loss to the Minutemen on Feb. 19. The group had signature wins this season over teams such as Andover and Newton South.
“This group is awesome,” said Ryan. “They’re a group that comes into the gym everyday in good spirits and ready to work hard. They competed every day, and it was such a pleasure being with them.”
For Mencia, Karalis and Shannon Irwin, Tuesday’s loss marked their final game in their North Andover career.
“What can’t I say about my seniors,” said Ryan. “My seniors are everything. Abby, Alexis and Shannon worked their tails off and pushed everyone all season. They get the job done and they know how to compete. They are a phenomenal group, and I will miss them dearly.”

Lexington 67, North Andover 46
Division 1 North First Round
North Andover (46): Lucy 3-0-6, Sifferlen 3-8-14, Mencia 1-3-5, Karalis 7-0-16, Slattery 0-1-1, G. Liporto 1-0-2, Davies 1-0-2, Conwell 0-0-0, E. Liporto 0-0-0, Irwin 0-0-0, Connors 0-0-0. Totals 16-12-46
Lexington (67): Kelly 15-5-37, Boutwell 3-0-6, Stigberg 1-0-2, Strohmeyer 1-4-6, Van Arsdell 3-2-8, Samsel 1-0-2, Lee 0-0-0, Fein-Cole 2-0-4, Rotlevy 0-2-2, Gaines 0-0-0. Totals 26-13-67
3-pointers: NA — Karalis 2, L — Kelly 2
North Andover (11-10):     11 14  9 12 — 46
Lexington (18-5):     15 25 11 16 — 67

North Andover handed No. 2 ranked Newton South its first loss of the season, locking down the Lions' top scorers in the fourth quarter to win 54-51 in the finals of the IAABO Tournament. Abbie Karalis had five 3-pointers on her way to 23 points and was named the Tournament MVP, and Emily Sifferlen was also named All-Tournament after scoring 18 points.

Central Catholic's Katie Kirsch scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Tuesday nights 54-42 victory over North Andover. Teammates Maura Smith and Nicole Elbeery both led the team with 11 points each.

North Andover KO'd Billerica, 57-51. The Indians were 9-1 and ranked No. 12 in the Globe EMass. rankings. Grace Liporto was immense with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Emily Sifferlen added 11 points and Abbie Karalis chipped in 10 points and 7 big assists. Alexiz Mencia drained three cluch late free throws to seal the deal.

Eagle-Tribune Super Teamer Alyssa Casey made her season debut for Andover on Friday, scoring 16 points to help beat North Andover 58-47 and end the Warriors' six-game losing streak. Jillian Webber led all scorers with 25 points, and North Andover was led by Abbie Karalis with 22 points.

Emily Sifferlen posted a double double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Abbie Karalis had 14 points and 5 assists to help lead North Andover to a 51-45 win over Dracut.

LAWRENCE — Emily Sifferlen showed the instincts of a football defensive back as she jumped into passing lanes, intercepting pass after pass and taking them to the basket for breakaway layups.