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North Andover, Andover advance to semis

Thursday, December, 22 By Jeff Hamrick

NORTH ANDOVER — After dropping its first two games of the season, the North Andover girls were just looking for a win. Yesterday, they found the perfect time to break into the win column.
Playing host to the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament, the Scarlet Knights opened the tourney with a convincing — if not pretty — 41-28 victory over perennial New Hampshire power Pinkerton. In Tuesday’s 5:30 p.m. semifinal, North Andover (1-2) will take on undefeated Andover, which routed Lawrence 54-21 in yesterday’s second quarterfinal.
“We needed a win,” said North Andover junior Morgan Lumb, who scored 10 of her game-high 14 points in the final five minutes. “Especially at home in the Christmas tournament. We had to hold our ground.”
With both teams shooting poorly, combining to make only 12 of 70 field goals the first three quarters, North Andover held a slim 24-18 lead with 5:19 remaining. That’s when Michaela Mello ignited the Knights with a lay up off an assist by Alex Medlock.
Lumb then took over, scoring seven points and assisting on a Medlock basket over the next two minutes as the Knights opened a 35-22 advantage with 3:19 left.
“We go through droughts,” North Andover coach Sue Breen said. “Our third quarters have just been terrible scoring wise, and I don’t know what the deal is on that. Obviously, if I did we’d fix that. We just need more consistent scoring. I think we were just a little nervous.”
Neither team scored in double digits the first three quarters while combining for 28 turnovers as North Andover took a 22-16 lead into the final period.
Pinkerton, which converted eight of 12 free throw attempts in the fourth, never did find a shooting touch, going 7 for 47 from the floor in the game. Sarah Goodwin, one of only two seniors in a 10-man rotation that features six sophomores and one freshman, scored a team-high six points.
“The ball wouldn’t go in the basket,” Pinkerton coach John Barry said. “We had plenty of opportunities. We got the ball inside, and we had all kinds of shots. If it doesn’t go in the basket, you don’t win.”