After press time:
#39 North Reading at #26 Springfield H.S. of Science and Tech on Wednesday, February 26 @ 5:30 p.m.
Follow the latest MIAA state tournament updates here.
DANVERS — The North Reading High boys’ basketball team punched their ticket to the Div. 3 state tournament with a 62-37 road win over Essex Tech on Feb. 13. The Hornets concluded their regular season with a 63-54 win over Pioneer Charter at home on Sunday to finish at 11-9.
North Reading is currently ranked No. 44 in D3 but they will automatically qualify with a record above .500.
The Hornets are certainly playing their best basketball of the season. After starting 3-6, NR has gone 8-3 over their last 11 games.
“I’m proud of the effort that this squad has given throughout the season,” said head coach Joe Casey. “Qualifying for the state tournament is a testament to their efforts and perseverance. We could have thrown in the towel when we were 3-6 and didn’t.”
The Hornets raced to a 21-8 lead after the 1st quarter against the Haws behind 7 from senior captain Matt Myette while sophomore Cole Bakr continued his strong play of late with 4 points.
North Reading had a 45-25 lead at halftime, an advantage that increased to as much as 30 in the second half.
Bakr and senior Parker Griffin led the way with 10 points while Myette added 9 and senior Connor Gattusso had a season-high 8 in a strong effort off the bench.
The Hornets needed to come back to beat Pioneer Charter. After a sluggish start, NR trailed 19-17 going into the 2nd quarter but were in the game thanks to another 8-point 1st by Myette.
The torrid pace slowed down in the 2nd as the lead skipped back-and-forth with the majority of Hornet points coming off of 3-pointers from junior captain Jason Berry, Bakr and Gattuso.
After trailing 33-31 at the half, NR’s defense tightened up in the 3rd when they switched to a 2-1-2 half court zone but the offense still struggled as the game was tied 47-47 heading into the 4th.
Berry led the offensive explosion in the final quarter with 12 points in the frame. That combined with terrific defense allowed the Hornets to go up 11 and win going away, 63-54.
Berry finished with a game-high 19 points followed by 17 from Myette.
The pairings for the state tournament will be announced on Saturday as the Hornets are expecting to be on the road, likely for a preliminary round game next week.