RallyNorth.net

Fri, Jan 11, 2008 07:30 PM @ Lowell

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Andover	9	8	13	12	42
Lowell	8	13	16	14	51

Lowell strikes back

Saturday, January, 12 By Alan Siegel
Staff writer

LOWELL | This one didn't quite live up to the high standard Andover and Lowell have set over the past few seasons.

But the Red Raiders will take it. They pounded the Golden Warriors inside down the stretch, pulling out a 51-42 victory last night in front of a crowd of about 300 at the Riddick Field House.

"We'll get a couple more shots at them," Andover coach Jim Tildsley said. "A loss isn't the end of the world."

The two squads, the class of the MVC so far, traded runs | as they usually do | before Lowell built a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. With a supportive home crowd, the Red Raiders (8-1, 6-0 MVC) cruised, stopping briefly to celebrate senior point guard Ashley Rivera's 1,000th career point.

Still, there wasn't really a sense of finality to the result. After all, they'll meet again in Andover Feb. 5. A state-tournament matchup is also likely.

"At home, it's ours," said senior guard Laura Renfro, who only scored three points, but held Rivera to five points on 1-for-10 shooting, "But it'll be a battle as always."

Lowell 6-footers Brianna and Whitney Wilson | Whitney missed the Golden Warriors' win over the Red Raiders during the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament with an ankle injury | combined for 19 points and 11 rebounds.

"Their big girls played well," said Renfro, who looked spent after blanketing Rivera all night, "but I didn't see their half of the court."

Senior guard Meghan Thomann scored 11 of her team-high 13 points in the second half, but Andover (8-1, 4-1 MVC) struggled down the stretch. The Warriors shot only 31.3 percent from the floor (15 for 48).

And with the Wilson twins in the middle, Tildsley's club wasn't getting many second chances.

"With them," he said, "you only get one shot."

In the end, Tildsley didn't appear too frustrated. Lowell opened the fourth on a 7-0 run to double its 37-30 lead. Andover didn't have enough to come back.

"We stopped their best player," he said. "We just didn't hit the shots."

Odds and ends

Freshman point guard Natalie Gomez-Martinez played 27 strong minutes, finishing with 11 points and eight rebounds.

"She's getting better and better," Tildsley said.

Ilana Cohen also made an impressive return. The senior guard played in her first game since fracturing her finger during the Christmas Tournament final against Pinkerton.

"It's nice to have her back," Tildsley said.