Wildcats Bounce Back After Loss, Beat North Andover 62-56

The boys basketball team stormed into North Andover’s packed Crozier gymnasium and owned the ball beating the Scarlet Knights 62-56.  

After suffering a crushing loss last Tuesday against Ipswich in what Wildcats' coach Joseph Maiella called the worst defeat in his tenure as Wilmington’s coach, the Wildcats bowled over North Andover, ending their seven game win streak.

“Tonight probably doesn’t happen if we beat Ipswich,” said Maiella, who added that coming in to North Andover and winning is “what it’s all about.”

The first quarter saw the Knights and Wildcats playing a very even game.  At the four minute mark, a three-pointer by Knight junior captain Zach Karalis put the team up 10-7.  Both defenses would take over for the rest of the quarter and hold the score to a 12-7 Knight lead.  Karalis had seven of those 12 points for North Andover.

The second quarter looked much like the first with the two defenses going back and forth at each other. North Andover’s lead would get as high as seven with just around five minutes left in the second.  Knights junior Mike Moroney kept the team ahead by driving to the basket and scoring four times for eight points. 

However, the Wildcats never let up.  Wildcats’ junior Vinny Scifo scored 10 points of his own in the second.  Scifo would tie Zach Karalis as the top scorer in the game with 22 points.

“Scifo can get in the lane any time he wants,” said coach Maiella. “He’s a kid that just has that ability, that quickness, that first step to get in the lane.”

The Knights continued to miss shots and failed to get distance between a Wildcats team that slowly creeped up the scoreboard in the second quarter.  At the end of the half, the Knights led by only four, 29-25.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Wildcats attacked the net and took the lead for the first time in the game within the first two minutes, 30-29.

North Andover coach Mike McVeigh said he felt the third quarter was the game, adding, “The first half we were going down hill, and then they took that momentum away in the third quarter.”

The Knights continued to miss shots and allowed the Wildcats to keep inching ahead.  With two minutes left in the third, Wilmington had stretched their lead to five, 42-37.

“Space was everything. When we created a little more space to stop the drive, they shot it pretty well,” said McVeigh. “When we got up on them, they penetrated pretty well.  It hurt us going to the hoop.”

In the fourth quarter, Wilmington stayed ahead, knocking lay up after lay up and keeping second shots for North Andover to a minimum.

“Defense has been our achilles heel,” said Maiella, who also said his team had the best defensive night of the year. “If we hold teams in the mid fifties, we’re gonna win every game.”

The Knights kept it close with key three pointers from Zach Karalis and senior Derek Collins, they even managed to tie the game 48-48 with five minutes left.  But the Knights never retook the lead.

The Wildcats stayed ahead by two to four points for the rest of the quarter.  The Knights stayed close by making key free throws, but they couldn’t stop Wilmington from running the ball back up and scoring.  The Wildcats beat North Andover for the first time in two years.

The game had added significance as this will be the last regular season match-up for the two teams.  The Wildcats will be moving to the Middlesex league next year. 

“We love playing North Andover.  They are a class program,” said Maiella. “We’re going to miss playing North Andover. We had great games with them.”

The Wildcats improved their record to 13-3.  The team moves on to play another important league match at Masco.  The Wildcats tip the ball off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.