Published January 21, 2021
By DAN NUNN
NORTH READING — Cody Cannalonga shot the lights out as he erupted for 36 points and nailed six 3-pointers as the Hornets cruised by the Lynnfield Pioneers 85-71 to pick up their first victory of the season on Jan. 11.
Senior captain Will Taylor had 14 points and senior captain Brayden Scribner and junior John Jennings both chipped in eight points. NRHS led from start to finish and were up as many as 30 in the first half.
Stung by strong H-W squad 56-46
The Hornets took on the consensus top team in the CAL in Hamilton-Wenham and suffered a 56-46 season opening defeat on Jan. 5. Junior captain Cody Cannalonga led all scorers with 20 points.
NRHS got off to a poor start. They did not have a field goal in the opening quarter and were in a 20-4 hole after one. The Hornets switched to a man-to-man full court press which caused Hamilton-Wenham to commit seven turnovers in the second stanza but the Generals still led 32-20 at the half.
The excellent defense continued in the third as North Reading forced six more turnovers. By the end of the quarter, the lead was down to seven. NRHS chipped the deficit to 49-46 with just under two minutes left to go but never got any closer.
Upended by Georgetown 63-57
The Hornets’ home opener on Jan. 8 was spoiled as Georgetown escaped with a 63-57 victory. Senior captain Will Taylor scored 18 points and Cannalonga added 16 including four 3-pointers.
North Reading was down 17-11 after one quarter. The second quarter was even and the Royals still led by six at halftime. Sparked by Taylor’s eight points, NRHS briefly took the lead in the third but Georgetown responded strongly and turned the deficit into a six point victory.
The Hornets dropped to 1-5 with losses to Newburyport (63-48) last Friday and Manchester-Essex (67-50) on Tuesday. They travel to Pentucket on Friday night at 6 p.m.
