NORTH ANDOVER — It’s not often that a high school basketball game of this caliber shows up on the schedule before Christmas arrives.
So many Merrimack Valley hoop fanatics had Friday night’s North Andover vs. Lawrence boys basketball clash circled on their calendar for months, anticipating a battle between two of the best teams in the Merrimack Valley Conference.
And the game did not disappoint.
Led by returning Eagle-Tribune Super Teamer Zach Wolinski, the Scarlet Knights edged the Lancers 50-46.
“We really immediately got thrown into the fire,” said North Andover head coach Paul Tanglis. “We were trying to get our footing with things, but I think we handled it really well.
“We were able to get out and transition in the beginning, but once they switched to that zone, our offense went stagnant. Our defense was able to grind out stops throughout our rough offensive stretches, and it’s a big win against a talented local team.”
With Crozier Gymnasium packed with fans, Bryan Gyorda ignited the North Andover section with a 3-pointer in the opening possession, while the Knight held the Lancers to only six points in the first quarter.
But each time the Scarlet Knights’ lead grew, Lawrence kept battling back, led by captain Joendy Rosario, who finished the evening with 19 points.
After Lawrence’s Amos Vachier hit a 3-pointer with seconds remaining in the first half, North Andover’s lead was down to five points.
Wolinski then began to assert himself, with a steal and layup at the third quarter buzzer, maintaining the Knights’ five point lead heading into the final quarter.
Wolinski, who only had five points heading into the fourth, took over down the stretch. Scoring nine points, and sinking every crucial free throw, Wolinski was able to keep North Andover in front, despite the Lancers continuing to battle.
“My mentality is that I’m not going to stop shooting, no matter what,” said Wolinski. “Every shot I put up looked good despite the result, so I kept letting them fly. Everyone around me was hitting their shots, which was huge, and took a lot of pressure off of our defense.”
Added Tanglis: “Zach is battle tested, he did it last year in the state tournament, and was huge down the stretch here tonight.”
With the game tied at 35 apiece, Zach DesRochers hit a 3-pointer, before Wolinski drained his second three of the night immediately after, putting the Knights up 6 with just under two minutes remaining.
Despite Rosario scoring ten in the fourth for the Lancers, North Andover hit big shots in the final two minutes, erasing a potential comeback.
“We have a lot of work to do, but going up against Lawrence was a big first test for us,” said Tanglis. “It’s one small step with a tough schedule and being in a hard conference, but we are trying to put one foot in front of the other, and I think we did that tonight.”
Follow Evan Applebaum on “X”, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, at EvanApplebaum2.
North Andover 50, Lawrence 46
NA – Zach Wolinski 14, Cam Bethel 10, Niko Catalano 8, Jake Saalfrank 6, Bryan Gyorda 6, Trey Martin 3, Zach DesRochers 3
Lawrence – Joendy Rosario 19, Obbie Luciano 10, Francisco Santana 9, Igor Gonzalez 4, Amos Vachier 3, Courage Agbekpornu 1