SENIOR FRANKIE ELLIOTT goes up for two hard earned points to give North Reading a lead against Masco. (John Friberg Photo)
By DAN NUNN
NEWBURYPORT — The Lady Hornets scored 21 points in the fourth quarter for a come-from-behind road victory over the Newburyport Clippers 54-45 on Friday night.
Sophomore Katerina Hassapis had her best game of her varsity career, scoring 20 points. Junior center Jess Lezon added a double-double with 16 points and 13 boards.
It was a tight first quarter with neither team holding a lead larger than three points. At the 2:47 mark the score was tied up at 8-8. The game would remain tied at 13 at the end of the first.
The battle continued in the second. After a bucket from Lezon at 3:31 the Hornets clung to a slim 20-18 lead. The lead was short lived however. The Clippers closed the second on a 10-4 run to go up 28-24 at the half.
Pull through at crucial juncture
North Reading found themselves down 32-26 at the 5:02 mark of the third. But they didn’t panic and battled back to within one by the end of the quarter.
The Hornets responded when the game mattered the most in the fourth. After Newburyport took a 41-38 lead North Reading went on a 16-0 run to go up 54-41 with 39 seconds left in the game. They went on to a nine-point victory.
Upcoming games
The victory improved the Hornets’ league record to 7-3 in the Cape Ann League’s large school Kinney Division, tying them with Masconomet for second place. Undefeated Pentucket remains in first place in the league standings at 11-0. North Reading is 9-4 overall.
They played Triton at home Wednesday night, after press time, in a game that was postponed from Tuesday due to the snowstorm on Monday. They’ll host Hamilton-Wenham Friday at 7 p.m. and head to Masconomet next Tuesday, Feb. 10 for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.
