Published in the February 23, 2017 edition
By DAN NUNN
BYFIELD — With their 43-37 road victory over the Triton Vikings last Friday night, the Lady Hornets qualified for the state tournament for an impressive fifth year in a row.
Bested by Masco 41-31
The Hornets’ two-game winning streak was snapped by the Masconomet Chieftains with their 41-31 victory at NRHS on February 14. Senior captain Katerina Hassapis was the only North Reading player in double figures with 15 points.
The first quarter was all Chieftains. They scored 12 points and were up 12-5 after one. North Reading whittled down the lead in the second quarter and were down by just five at 19-14 by halftime.
The Hornets stormed back in the third quarter. They outscored Masco 12-6 and took a 26-25 lead into the fourth. Unfortunately the lead evaporated in the fourth. The Chieftains caught fire and ran away with the game outscoring North Reading by a 16-5 margin.
Down Triton 43-37
Freshman Ali Grasso was fantastic with a career- high 15 points to help lead the Hornets past Triton, 43-37. Sophomore Casey McAuliffe had a strong game as well with 12 points.
Both offenses got off to a great start in the first quarter. The Vikings scored 13 points and the Hornets scored 11 in the first.
North Reading played better on both ends of the floor in the second. They outscored Triton 12-7 and went into halftime with a 23-20 lead.
The Hornets maintained a slim lead for most of the second half and escaped with a monumental road victory.
Final regular season game
North Reading boasted an overall record of 11-10 and a CAL Kinney Division large school record of 6-9 entering the final regular season game of the year Wednesday night (after press time) at Austin Prep of Reading. A win against the Cougars could boost their seeding in the North Sectional tournament.
Tourney seedings
The MIAA is expected to release tournament seedings for the North Sectional tournament on Friday. Go to www.MIAA.net for bracket updates.
