THE NRHS girls’ basketball team lines up before their state tournament game against Medway on Tuesday night. The Hornets fell to the Mustangs 40-31 after beating Arlington Catholic 48-23 at home in the first round. (Eric Evans Photo)
MEDWAY — The North Reading girls’ basketball team entered the D3 State Tournement as the No. 9 seed after completing a 15-5 regular season. The Hornets won their Round of 32 game over 24 seed Arlington Catholic but followed that with a Sweet 16 loss at 8 seed Medway on Tuesday night.
On Friday, in a packed North Reading High gym, the Hornets came out fast and furious against AC, jumping out to a 17-3 first quarter lead.
North Reading continued to build the lead heading into halftime up 28-11 on their way to a 48-23 final.
Leading the way for the Hornets was Faith Newton with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Sami Patch (4 points, 5 rebounds), Caitlin Reilly (5 points, 2 steals), and Halee Torra (6 points, 2 rebounds) provided plenty of support in the big win.
“A combination of our very large and loud crowd and our fast start really took Arlington Catholic out of the game right away and they never really recovered,” said North Reading head coach Bob Romeo. “Our energy level was really boosted by the crowd. It was great for our team, led by our five seniors, to experience playing a home game in this great environment.”
FAITH NEWTON led a strong postseason effort by the Hornets. The senior captain had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks in a first round win over Arlington Catholic at home on Friday night and 17 points and 12 rebounds in a Round of 16 loss to Medway on the road. (Eric Evans Photo)
On Tuesday, the Hornets traveled to Medway High for their Sweet 16 Round game against the Mustangs. Medway jumped out to a first quarter 17-11 lead in a fast paced first in front of a loud and energetic crowd. The two teams played an even second quarter and Medway held a 28-22 halftime lead.
North Reading made a run in the third quarter cutting the deficit to 28-27 with 2 minutes left in the quarter but a quick 7-0 Medway run to close out the frame left the Hornets trailing 35-27 heading into the fourth.
Despite their best efforts and shut down defense, North Reading just could not generate enough offense to erase the deficit and lost 40-31, ending their season. Once again, it was Faith Newton leading the way with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Brianne Slattery added 7 points, Caitlin Reilly scored 5 and Bella Cannalonga added 2 points. Sami Patch, Halee Torra, Sophia Parrett and Maggie Schulz were all outstanding on defense.
“We adjusted defensively at halftime and held them to only 12 second half points but unfortunately our offense abandoned us and we were only able to score 9 points ourselves,” said Romeo. “Credit to Medway for their defensive efforts in not allowing us any easy points.
“This loss does not diminish a great season for our team, finishing with a 16-6 record. We will miss our five seniors (Faith Newton, Brianne Slattery, Sami Patch, Halee Torra, Sophia Parrett) and wish them the best going forward.”
