HORNET VS. HORNET. Junior Tri-Captain Nic O’Connell chases down a loose ball and heads to the hoop duringa tight matchup between the North Reading and Manchester–Essex Hornets, won by North Reading, 70–69. (Deanna Castro Photo)
By DAN NUNN
NORTH READING — The Hornets boys’ basketball team got back to the .500 mark with their second consecutive victory, downing the Georgetown Royals 57-50 on Jan. 13. Junior captain Justin Dorosh had a strong game on Kipnes Court with 19 points. North Reading improved to 5-5 on the season with the victory.
It was a relatively close first quarter with the Hornets holding a 13-6 lead at the end of the quarter. North Reading outscored the Royals by six in the second and maintained a 30-17 lead at the half.
Georgetown outscored the Hornets 33-27 in the second half. But thanks to the 13-point halftime cushion North Reading won by seven.
Pounded by Rockport 69-43
The Hornets lost another road game, this time getting blown out by the host Rockport Vikings 69-43 last Friday night. Justin Dorosh was the only North Reading player in double digits with a solid 16 points.
The offense struggled mightily in the first half. The Hornets were outscored 39-12 in the half by the Vikings and the game was pretty much over at halftime.
The offense improved in the second half, but the huge halftime deficit proved insurmountable for the Green and Gold. The loss dropped the Hornets’ Cape Ann League record to 3-5 and their overall record to 5-6.
Upcoming games
The Hornets traveled to Amesbury on Monday (after press time) where they picked up a 56-42 league win. The confidence-booster will come in handy Friday night when they host rival Lynnfield at 7 p.m. at Kipnes Court. Then they’ll travel to Ipswich next Tuesday, Jan. 27 for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.
