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Karalis, North Andover run away from Salem

Friday, March, 02 By Hector Longo

LAWRENCE — A major upset brewing with No. 1 seeded North Andover clinging precariously to a 37-34 fourth-quarter lead, Mike McVeigh looked at one player in the huddle.

Cape Ann League MVP Zach Karalis.

"I looked at him, and told him no matter what anyone else did on the floor, he had to be big for us," said McVeigh.

Karalis, just 2 for 9 from the field to that point, answered with authority.

Back-to-back Zachs — that is two straight Karalis threes — disintegrated No. 16 Salem's spirit and propelled the Knights to a runaway 53-34 Division 2 North first-round win.

"Coach told me, be ready with my shot," said Karalis, who finished with a game-high 16 points on 6 of 14 shooting. "The first couple quarters, we were trying to work it to the big guys, and my shot wasn't working very well either. Coach pretty much told me be ready to shoot, and that means a lot because he has a lot of trust in me."

Karalis and the Knights earned another date with a Northeastern Conference challenger. Sunday (4 p.m.) here at its home-away-from-home, 20-1 North Andover will host 14-7 Beverly in the sectional quarterfinals.

Karalis late heroics told only half the fourth-quarter story last night as North Andover ultimately found the formula to slowing down Salem waterbug Christian Dunstan.

The final tally in the fourth was 16-4 for North Andover, impressivle considering a pair of Dunstan hoops had sliced the margin to three with 5:49 left.

Salem wouldn't score again.

"We played defense in the fourth quarter the way we needed to the entire game," said Karalis.
North Andover collapsed and helped everywhere.

"We played with five (guys involved) more," said McVeigh. "We were helping each other more out there. We took care of the ball, defended, and everybody had to be involved. We did things offensively, we did things defensively. And that's how runs happen."

North Andover exploited its height advantage all night long with some nifty high-low passing work between Isaiah Nelsen (10 points) and Mike Moroney (12).

The senior Moroney also owned the glass, yanking down a career-best 15 boards.