DANVERS — Andover faced a tall task squaring off against top-ranked Lynn English in the Division 1 North semifinals, but the Golden Warriors were no strangers to playing the underdog role.
In their two previous post-season games, the Golden Warriors had knocked off fifth-ranked Waltham and fourth-ranked Boston Latin, setting the stage for another David and Goliath contest, this time with the Bulldogs.
A late surge by the Bulldogs and junior Jarnel Guzman (29 points, 7 3-pointers) spelled the end for the 12th-seed Golden Warriors, 66-43.
With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Andover (14-9) was still within striking distance, trailing 39-34, in the game played at St. John’s Prep. Then Guzman, who transferred from the Prep in November, hit a pair of twos before drilling a deep 3-pointer which pushed the lead to 10 headed into the final quarter.
Andover went cold late and Guzman assured English would stay alive with three more triples in the final quarter, two from way beyond the arc.
“Just could not make baskets tonight,” said Andover head coach Dave Fazio. “We shot a horrific number, and sometimes that’s what it comes down to. When you miss shots the other team gets a lot of momentum, they get energy, they start flying – and you get a little tired.”
Senior quad-captain Stephen Shaw said, “Everyone loved each other, and it was so much fun to be with each and every single person, teammate every single day. It’s hard, it’s definitely hard, but I’m thankful for every single moment I had with Andover basketball.”
Rishi Srinivasan checked in late in the fourth quarter with the contest essentially decided. He recorded his lone basket on the night on a finger roll after driving to the hoop. The crowd received the senior with a standing ovation when he checked back out of the game for the final time.
“You can never underestimate what character is all about. Character is doing what you’re supposed to do when no one is watching,” said Fazio. “My seniors have the utmost character. They’re leaders on and off the court, they’re role models at our school and they compete like son-of-a-guns. Thanks for an unbelievable run.”
The Golden Warriors were led by junior Kyle Rocker with 15 points.
“We love being the underdog, we’re always going to fight, we’re not going to give up, and that showed in the playoffs,” Shaw said.
Beating up MVC
The Merrimack Valley Conference has been dominant, placing teams in the Division 1, 2 and 3 North finals.
But Lynn English (20-2) eliminated Lawrence and Andover in its two tourney games. Next up is No. 3 Central Catholic (21-3) Saturday, 7:45 p.m., at Tsongas Arena.
Lynn English 66, Andover 43
Division 1 North Semifinals
ANDOVER (43): Rocker 7-1-15, Shaw 4-1-8, Kirkpatrick 2-0-6, Slayton 3-0-6, Kim 2-0-4, Cammann 0-2-2, Srinivasan 1-0-2, Totals 19-4-43
LYNN ENGLISH (66): Guzman 11-0-29, Rodriguez 7-0-14, Alonzo Linton 6-1-13, Jean-Baptiste 2-0-5, Fitzpatrick 1-0-3, Vizcaino 0-2-2, Totals 27-3-66
3-pointers: ENGLISH — Guzman 7, Fitzpatrick, Jean-Baptiste; ANDOVER — Kirkpatrick 2, Shaw
Andover (14-9): 11 13 12 7 — 43
Lynn English (20-2): 20 9 17 20 — 66
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Boys Basketball, 03/06/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
BOSTON — An extra day of waiting, a drive into the heart of Boston and a raucous opposing crowd just inches away from the court in Boston Latin’s cramped, tiny gym could do nothing to derail Andover on Sunday.
“Survive and advance,” said Golden Warriors point guard Emmett Kim. “That’s been our motto all season. We always believe that we can win, and our goal is to survive and keep playing.”
Stephen Shaw erupted for 12 first-half points to give No. 12 Andover a halftime lead it would never surrender, and Kyle Rocker scored 20 of his team-high 26 in the second half to sent the Golden Warriors to a 67-53 win over No. 4 Boston Latin in the Division 1 North quarterfinals.
Originally scheduled for Saturday, the game was postponed a day due to a forecast of snow that never arrived.
“This is awesome,” said Shaw. “We’re excited to get the win and move on. Whatever comes next, we’ll be ready for it. We’re very confident right now.”
Andover (14-8) will next take on top-seeded Lynn English (19-2) in the Division 1 North semifinals. The date, location and time had not been announced.
“This is amazing,” said senior Colin Kirkpatrick. “It was an exciting win. But we’re onto the next one. We’re very pumped for Lynn English.”
Boston Latin started hot, scoring the first three baskets of the game.
But Shaw responded with back-to-back jumpers and, after a Kim corner 3-pointer, Shaw capped a 10-point Andover run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
“I was feeling really good,” said Shaw. “We heard the rims here were really stiff, but it didn’t matter. Warm-ups felt good, and I felt ready.”
Latin responded with a 14-2 run of its own. But Shaw snapped that with an elbow 3-pointer, and a deep Rocker trey with less than a minute to go in the half gave Andover the lead for good.
“It was big to have the lead (at halftime),” said Kirkpatrick. “We knew how to respond to their runs. And we had confidence we could finish it off.”
Shaw opened the third period with his third 3-pointer, then followed that with a jumper and a layup to give the Warriors a 32-28 advantage. Rocker followed that with 3’s from the elbow and the top of the key.
“We felt like we could go on a run to start the third,” said Kim, who finished with seven points and made four steals. “And our runs had to be longer than their runs. We were flying, running and just going. Rocker, Shaw, they were shooting great and we were rolling.”
Latin cut the lead to just 58-50 with 2:07 left. But Aidan Cammann hit a pair of free throws and Kirkpatrick knocked down a jumper to give Andover back control. The Warriors were 7 of 8 from the free throw line down the stretch and locked down the win.
“I’m proud of the team and so proud of (Kim, Shaw and Kirkpatrick),” said Andover head coach Dave Fazio. “They’ve been with me for four years and they’re total character kids. You can count on them for everything on and off the court and they’re playing big. And the whole team is getting confidence and we’re finding a way.”
Andover will next look to earn an upset over Lynn English, which topped Lawrence 82-63 on Saturday.
“This is amazing,” said Kim. “We’re excited for the next round. Bring it on. Survive and advance.”
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Boys Basketball, 03/03/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Emmett Kim was the star with 21 points with a pair of 3-pointer as No. 12 Andover beat No. 5 Waltham, 47-39, in the first round of the Division 1 North tournament. The Warriors will either play Boston Latin or Haverhill in the quarterfinals.
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Boys Basketball, 02/26/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Andover's bous closed the regular season on a high note, crushing Marlboro 68-34 to snap a five-game losing streak. Kyle Rocker led the way with 22 points and Emmett Kim added 14 for the Warriors (12-8) and they combined for seven 3-pointers.
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Boys Basketball, 02/18/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Andover led Tewksbury just 27-25 at the half, but Kyle Rocker (24 points) was the difference in a 55-48 win.
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Boys Basketball, 01/29/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
The beat rolls on for Andover (10-3) and coach Dave Fazio. The Golden Warriors tripped Methuen, 67-51, to make the state tourney for the 30th year in a row under Fazio, who has made the tourney every year at AHS. Kyle Rocker had 17 points and Stephen Shaw 15 points while Methuen's Mitchell Crowe had 15.
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Boys Basketball, 01/25/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
LAWRENCE — Leave it to veteran Andover coach David Fazio to succinctly sum up things:
“Gutsy, that’s what I call it from our guys … Gutsy, that’s a good headline.”
Despite three starters fouling out – two of whom combined to play fewer than four minutes of the second half – Fazio’s Golden Warriors put themselves squarely in the MVC Large mix with a 71-62 win at Central Catholic.
The win snapped a seven-game Andover losing streak to the Raiders. Andover won 62-55 on Jan. 8, 2016.
“This is big, very big,” said Kyle Rocker, who poured in a game-high 26 points. “In my three years here, I haven’t gotten a win against Central, so this is special. … Having this momentum right now is great.”
Andover (5-1 MVC, 7-2 overall) built a 14-point lead early in the third by harassing the Raiders, who had trouble shooting over the Warrior zone. In the first half, the Raiders were 4-of-18 from distance while missing 19 of 27 total field goals.
But Central (4-1, 7-2) clawed back with a press which forced 11 turnovers the final 12 minutes. Back-to-back buckets by Kevin Constant had the Raiders within three at 56-53 with 4:20 left.
Colin Kirkpatrick, who scored all eight of his points in the fourth, sandwiched a 3-pointer and two free throws around an Aidan Cammann layup to restore order at 63-53. Central was unable to get within six the remainder of the way as the Warriors scored 25 in the fourth.
“Both teams had a lot of guys in foul trouble,” Fazio of the 42 fouls – 27 on his Warriors. “We lost our starting point guard (Emmett Kim) on the second play of the fourth period, and he’s been running the point for us for three years. And, all of a sudden, we have young guys in there, and they were just gutsy.”
One of those young guys was the 6-foot-5 freshman Cammann, the first player off the Warrior bench who scored his team’s final five points from the line and finished with eight points.
“These kids play a lot of basketball, and they know if they’re on the floor for us that we have confidence in them,” Fazio said. “That’s obviously the best game of (Cammann’s) early career. He’s going to be a great player.”
Central ice cold
The fouls didn’t hurt Andover much, however, as Central converted only 10 of its 31 attempts from the line. The Raiders also shot just 33.9 percent from the floor (21-62).
Andover, meanwhile, had a strong shooting night, making 22 of 43 attempts. Stephen Shaw was the second Warrior in double figures with 17.
“We can shoot the ball,” Fazio said. “There’s no doubt. I thought Kyle Rocker was immense tonight. He made big shot after big shot and was strong with the ball. He made great plays for us, and I think he grew up a lot tonight.”
Andover, which also won at Lawrence on Tuesday to avenge a Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic loss, gets a reprieve from conference play Sunday against Lexington before playing host to North Andover on Friday.
Central was paced by George Smith’s 19 points while Kevin Constant and freshman Xavier McKenzie added 13 and 11, respectively.
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Boys Basketball, 01/11/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Andover handed prevously unbeaten Lawrence it's second straight loss, 64-59. Kyle Rocker (19), Stephen Shaw (16) and Colin Kirkpatrick (14) led the 6-2 Golden Warriors. Eagle-Tribune MVP Luis Reynoso did not play for Lawrence. According to coach Jesus Moore, he hurt his back during Sunday's practice after landing awkwardly after a dunk, but "will be back on Friday."
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Boys Basketball, 01/08/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Kyle Rocker knocked down four 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 22 points and Andover rolled past Bishop Guertin 64-48 in the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic fifth place game.
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Boys Basketball, 12/30/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
NORTH ANDOVER — Trailing by 10 at the break, the Andover boys basketball team turned it on in the second half to beat Londonderry 46-41 in the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic consolation round.
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Boys Basketball, 12/28/18 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
