BELLA CANNALONGA had 6 points and 6 steals in a win over Triton and 5 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in a win over Stoneham to help the Hornets move to 6-2 on the season. (Eric Evans Photo)

 

NORTH READING — The North Reading High girls’ basketball team won three games over the past week, improving to 6-2 on the season.

On Jan. 3, the Hornets won a hard-fought battle with Triton, 52-45, at NRHS.

North Reading took a 20-18 halftime lead and extended it to 37-30 with a strong third quarter.

Faith Newton led the way with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 4 blocks. Brianne Slattery (12 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals), Bella Cannalonga (6 points, 2 assists, and 6 steals) and Sami Patch (4 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals) all made significant contributions in the CAL win.

On Saturday, North Reading had a convincing road win in Stoneham 58-42. A strong, 17-6 run in the second quarter opened up a 28-17 advantage.

Stoneham made a third quarter run to close the gap down to 34-31 but the Hornets finished the game with a 24-11 run on some huge 3-point shots from Newton who scored a career high 30 points along with 13 rebounds to lead the way for North Reading.

Halee Torra (7 points, 5 rebounds), Slattery (7 points, 3 assists, 3 steals) and Cannalonga (5 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists) provided plenty of support.

Freshman Kiersten Higgins was a spark off the bench playing great defense on the Stoneham point guard while contributing 5 points of her own.

On Tuesday, the Hornets exploded for a 26-9 second quarter to open up a 38-18 lead on their way to a convincing 64-34 win over Ipswich at NRHS.

Slattery scored 13 of her 19 points in that decisive second quarter. She also added 5 rebounds, 5 steals and 6 assists.

Newton had 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Julia Scammon (4 points, 4 rebounds) and Caitlin Reilly (5 points, 3 steals) were key contributors off the bench. Sophia Patch did a great job filling in for the injured Torra providing solid defense along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals.

The Hornets host Newburyport on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.