RallyNorth.net

Tue, Jan 13, 2009 07:30 PM @ Methuen

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Andover	24	14	29	9	76
Methuen	20	12	15	14	61

Andover back on track, runs away from Rangers

Tuesday, January, 13 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

METHUEN - Your basic, run-of-the-mill 29-point third quarter will remedy even the most desperate losing streak.

Andover High, sluggishly trudging through a three-game mini-skid, finally kicked it into gear out of the halftime intermission, rolling out a 29-15 third quarter to starch host Methuen, 76-61, last night.

"That was great, we needed it," said Warrior senior captain Connor Arnold who tossed in 11 of his game-high 18 points in the decisive frame. "It's the defense. We played very poorly the last couple games on defense.  We have a lot of athletic guys, who can do a lot of great things. We just have to get more confidence. This helped a lot. We're building confidence."

 Kevin Polanco added 15 points for the balance Warriors, who placed all 10 regular rotation players in the scorebook.

 For much of the night, the offense came easy for Andover, which shot a sizzling 30 of 61 from the field. Of course, Warriors  coach Dave Fazio pointed to the other end, primarily, as the reason for all those clean looks.

"Again, the 29-point third quarter because of defense. You steal the ball, you get run outs, you play with confidence, you're deflecting, and you're getting easy shots because you're getting things in the flow," explained Fazio. "If you play 32 minutes of making people work, people don't like pressure. You're going to wear teams down."

Meanwhile, Methuen tried to match basket for basket, often trading 2s for 3s, and succeeded for a while.

Sophomore Michael Gorman netted 11 of his 14 points before the break and the Rangers looked up at a very manageable 38-32 halftime hole.

Andover's pressure kept mounting, and Methuen, which shot 21 of 48 from the field (9 of 22 outside the arc), turned the ball over 18 times, ultimately leading to the Ranger demise.

Edwin Gonzalez paced the Rangers, now 4-5, with 17 points and Matt Richardson added 14 for the cause.

Andover, 6-3 with two losses to EMass No. 1 Central and the other to No. 15 Lowell, steps up the ladder again Sunday (3 p.m.) when undefeated No. 2 Brockton hits the Dunn Gymnasium floor.