RallyNorth.net

METHUEN — Pinkerton senior Laura Pierce couldn't quite describe the fancy spin move she made to score a basket after forcing a steal early in the second quarter against Lowell yesterday.

"I didn't even know what it was," she said, laughing. "I guess it was a spin combination with a pull-up jumper. I don't know. ...I was just focusing on finishing the basket and trying to get the team back in the game."

Pierce did get her team back in the game after the Astros trailed Lowell 13-2 entering the second quarter. She scored the first six points of the period as Pinkerton went on an 8-0 run that narrowed its deficit to three points. Two of her baskets came after she forced steals and dribbled down the court on the fast break.

Pierce and the Astros beat Lowell 38-28 in the first round of the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament and advanced to play powerhouse Central Catholic in the semifinals.

Central won the other first-round game yesterday 53-38 over North Andover.

"I was like 'Yeah, Laura,'" senior AJ Guidi said about watching Pierce's fancy move. "I like freaked out. I was behind her on the foul line and all of a sudden she just spun and it went in. That was just an amazing move."

The Astros earned some revenge after losing to Lowell in the championship game last year.

"We redeemed ourselves," Pierce said. "We proved ourselves a little bit more. It always feels good to beat who you lost to in the championship (the year before)."

Pinkerton had a rough first quarter, turning the ball over eight times. The Astros lost possessions on double-dribbles, stepping out of bounds and Lowell steals.

"The team needed to pick it up on defense especially which created offense for us," Pierce said.

Pinkerton played better defense the rest of the game. It forced nine Lowell turnovers while running a full-court pressure defense during the second quarter.

The Astros outscored the Red Raiders 17-4 in the second quarter.

And they then held Lowell to just 11 points in the second half.

"We picked up our intensity all the way around," said Guidi, who led her team with 12 points. "We were really frigid in the first quarter on offense. We started warming up a little bit, getting our open shots."

Pinkerton coach John Barry said his team must play much better on offense and adjust better to the 30 second clock, which does not exist in New Hampshire.

"Man, we've got a lot of work to do on offense," he said. "We're too impatient on offense. The 30 second clock gets to the kid's minds. Our kids think you need to come down and take the first available shot. ... If we start out (against Central Catholic) like we did today, it will be 50-0 in the first half. We need to run a good offense off screens."