RallyNorth.net

Sifferlen leads North Andover

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.

Her jumpers from the elbow were smooth, and her lone 3-point attempt of the night was a swish.

And when a loose ball was sailing out of bounds, Sifferlen went head first into the stands, crashing hard but saving the ball for a layup.

Fortunately for North Andover, Sifferlen walked away from the bleachers just fine.
“Emily is really emerging and getting better for us every day,” said Scarlet Knights head coach Megan Ryan. “She slashes to the hoop, she is aggressive on defense and she works so hard. She is going to be a lot of fun to watch.”
Against Lawrence on Friday, Sifferlen delivered more than her share of  wow moments.
The North Andover High sophomore scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 12 steals and six rebounds despite barely playing into the third quarter of the Knights’ 72-23 victory over Lawrence High.
“I think this was a very good night,” said Sifferlen with a smile. “I had a pretty good performance and so did the team. We wanted that first win and I am proud of what we did.”
With the name Sifferlen, of course, becoming a star athlete is a birthright, with the pressure to go along with it.
The tradition began with her father Brian, a standout guard for North Andover (Class of 1981) and a Greater Lawrence Christmas Tourney All-Star.
Next up was Emily’s oldest brother Ryan, a scoring machine for North Andover that won the 2008 Eagle-Tribune hockey Player of the Year. Following him was brother Matt, a two-time All-Cape Ann League guard for the Knights (class of 2010).
The flashiest was hockey star Tyler Sifferlen, who first starred at North Andover as an eighth grader before becoming an All-Scholastic at Malden Catholic. The UMass Lowell hockey recruit is now playing junior hockey for the Islanders Hockey Club of the United States Premier Hockey League.
 “I hear about the accomplishments of my father and brothers all the time,” said Emily. “It doesn’t bother me, but it can be tough. I just have to forget about it and show that I am my own athlete.
“All of my family played varsity when they were freshmen, so I felt like I had to do it too.”
Emily did just that last winter, playing in every game for the North Andover varsity hoops team and averaging 5.7 points a game.
“I really had a lot to learn last season,” she said. “The speed of the game was tough, but it was the pressure that was even harder. Pressure from the defenders and the crowd. I worked hard to get to where I am now, and I want to show how I have improved.”
She scored just three points in Tuesday’s opener, but wasted no time showing her stuff on Friday.
Sifferlen opened the game with a steal and slash to the basket to draw a foul. She then made another steal, sunk a layup and added a free throw.
It went on from there, as the 5-foot-6 guard scored North Andover’s first eight points of the game. By halftime she had 14, then played just a few minutes into the third before earning a rest.
“She loves to cut to the hoop and isn’t afraid to take contact,” said Ryan. “She is motivated and she has worked extremely hard at her game.”
And nothing motivates Sifferlen more than the 64-40 state tournament loss to Andover last season.
“We have thought about that the entire offseason,” she said. “We are doing everything we can to make it even further in the tournament this season. Then who knows.”