RallyNorth.net

Lowell simply too much for Methuen

Monday, February, 23 By Alan Siegel
Staff writer

LOWELL — Methuen's three captains quietly filed into the hallway at Riddick Field House.

No. 6 Lowell had just defeated the No. 11 Rangers 69-49 in the first round of the Division 1 North tournament. The players were disappointed, but they were plenty proud. 

"Nobody expected anything from us," said guard Edwin Gonzalez, who scored eight points. "Not even three wins." 

Gonzalez and his teammates finished 0-10 in the fall league. They finished the season 13-8. 

"It stinks we couldn't continue," forward Chris Murach said. 

The Rangers hung with the Red Raiders (18-5) for a while. Mike Gorman (12 points) even hit a buzzer-beating trey to give Methuen an 18-17 lead after a quarter. Lowell, however, opened the second half on a 14-0 run to turn what had been a nine-point cushion into a 51-26 advantage.

Methuen Guard Matt Richardson, the third of the tri-captains, scored a team-high 16 points. Coach Rich Barden's club used its outside shooting prowess — the Rangers made 10 of 24 attempts from beyond the arc — but in the end, it just quite enough.

Led by high-flying forward Nathan Simpson (16 points), who brought the house down with a big dunk in the fourth quarter, Lowell took care of business.

"This team's very good," Barden said of the Red Raiders. "This team is not to be underestimated." 

The question is, can they challenge Central Catholic? Next week, the two clubs could meet in the North final for the second straight year.

"It'll be a battle. They don't back down," Barden said. "Neither does Central."