Knights Heartbroken by Wakefield

North Andover's dream season came to a crashing halt last night at Woburn High School.

The Knights were the top seed in the MIAA Division 2 North tournament and last night they fell to 5th seed Wakefield 47-45.

In crunch time, North Andover got a huge defensive stop giving them one last chance to tie or win with 7.6 seconds left on the clock.

North Andover's play was foiled and just like that, a state championship contender was sent home.

"Unless you win the state tournament, it's a sudden and abrupt ending," said Knights head coach Mike McVeigh.

North Andover will be graduating five seniors including its two captains. Colby Smith,, Jimmy Warden, John Miller, and Mike Moroney will all be moving on.

"The seniors through fifth and sixth grade came up for each other and never lost their love for North Andover basketball," said McVeigh. "They were a special group," he concluded.

Zach Karalis led North Andover with 13 points. He was the only Knight in double figures.

The game was played at a feverish pace that saw the Knights down four at halftime.

Wakefield had grabbed the momentum in the second quarter but junior Derek Collins knocked down a three to re-energize North Andover going into the break.

Down the stretch, North Andover grabbed its final lead of the season when Karalis drained a three-pointer to make it 45-43 with under two minutes remaining.

From then on, it was all Wakefield. Their situational offense was crisp and their defense was stifling.

"I told the kids at halftime, there wasn't an ounce of me that thought we weren't going to win, and then I told them after the game there wasn't an ounce of me that had one problem with how hard our kids played," said McVeigh.

The defensive struggle actually suited the game that the Knights typically like to play. "The score was our kind of score to be honest; we're a defensive team," McVeigh said.

This year's edition of the Knights will go down in history as one of the most hardworking, consistent, and talented teams to call the Crozier Gymnasium its home.

"21-2, that's incredible consistency," said McVeigh. "They showed up every night, and they worked hard every day for me," he continued.

"I don't know what else a coach can ask for," McVeigh said.

Wakefield and its 17-6 record will move on to the North championship game which will be held at Lowell's Tsongas Center on Saturday. They will take on 3rd seeded Brighton.

Meanwhile North Andover can only take a step back and admire its remarkable season. Prior to last night's postseason disappointment, the Knights had won 19 consecutive games.

As for next year, sharpshooter and big man are early candidates for captaincy.