Published in the December 24, 2015 edition
SENIOR TRI–CAPTAIN Justin Dorosh drives to the hoop in a thrilling OT victory over Masco in North Reading’s home season opener. (Deanna Castro Photo)
By DAN NUNN
Sneak Past Masco 66-61 in thrilling OT
NORTH READING — In their home opener the Hornets took care of CAL power Masconomet Chieftains, 66-61 in overtime on Dec. 15. Senior captain Adam Goldstein recorded a double–double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Junior point guard and captain Anthony Eldridge had 10 assists.
Both teams came out firing in the opening quarter. Goldstein hit two three pointers in the quarter but North Reading still found themselves down 22-18 at the end of the first. The Hornets offense kept rolling in the second quarter. They outscored the Chieftains 17–11 and took a 35–33 lead at the half.
The offense cooled off in the third quarter and had trouble defending the low post. Masco scored all their points in the paint and took a 47–46 lead into the final quarter.
The fourth was a back and forth affair. The Hornets switched to a 1–3–1 half court zone on defense and prevented the Chieftains from getting the ball inside. But struggles from the foul line down the stretch almost cost North Reading. Thankfully, Eldridge hit the tying free throw with 20 seconds left and forced overtime.
The Hornets controlled the extra frame. They went up by as much eight and cruised to the 66–61 victory.
Sink Clippers 65-51
Senior captain Justin Dorosh’s superb 27 point, 12 rebound performance helped lead the Hornets past the visiting Newburyport Clippers, 65–51 on Friday night. Junior Bob O’Donnell was the only other player in double figures with 10.
Much like the Masco game, the offense got off to a blistering start. Sparked by Dorosh and Nic O’Connell North Reading found themselves up 18–14 at end of the first quarter. The torrid offensive production continued in the second. Dorosh racked up 10 more points in the quarter to give him 18 for the half and after a layup at the buzzer by senior Billy Brandano the Hornets took a 38-25 halftime lead.
The lead quickly ballooned to 18 at the start of the second half and it looked like the game was headed for a blowout. Unfortunately, the Clippers did not go away and chipped away at the lead for the remainder of the third quarter. By the end of the quarter Newburyport had trimmed the lead to just four, 49–45.
The Hornets regained their composure in the fourth. Anthony Eldridge had two big hoops and pushed the lead back up to 10. North Reading cruised the rest of the way and came away with the 65–51 victory
Third win over Pentucket
Coach JP Casey’s team notched their third win over Pentucket Monday night, 72 to 58. The Cagers are off until Dec. 28, when they play Greater Lawrence.
