PITTSFIELD — The North Reading girls’ basketball team was eliminated from the MIAA Tournament in the round of 16 with a road loss at Pittsfield on Tuesday night, finishing their successful season with a final record of 18-4.
On Friday, the No. 12 Hornets advanced to the MIAA D3 State Tournament round of 16 with a come-from-behind, exciting 41-37 win over No. 21 Dennis Yarmouth at NRHS.
The first round game was closely contested all night with the Hornets taking a 10-8 lead in the first quarter. The teams were tied at 21 at halftime.
The Dolphins used a 14-9 third quarter to take a 35-30 lead into the final eight minutes of play. That is when North Reading did what it does best: play shut down defense.
The final quarter saw the Hornets hold its opponent to only 2 points while putting up 11 points of their own for the exciting 41-37 win. Leading the way for North Reading was Sophie Gallivan (16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals), Kiersten Higgins (13 point, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists) and Ariana Demetri (5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals). Aiding in the stellar defensive effort were Addie Hajj (3 points, 6 rebounds), Makenzie Murphy (2 points, 3 rebounds), Grace Higgins (3 rebounds, 2 assists) and Sara Suny (2 points).
“We worked all season to secure a home tournament game and tonight the home court crowd was huge for us in the fourth quarter comeback,” said head coach Bob Romeo.
On Tuesday, the Hornets took the long 155 mile bus ride out to No. 5 Pittsfield for their round of 16 matchup. Unfortunately, North Reading really struggled to score against a tenacious Pittsfield defense.
Trailing 15-5 after the first quarter and 29-10 at halftime, North Reading continued to struggle in the second half enroute to a season-ending 53-17 loss.
Demetri led the Hornets with 10 points.
“We really ran into a buzzsaw in Pittsfield,” said Romeo. “We had success there in the state tournament in two of the past three seasons but tonight was just not our night as we struggled and Pittsfield was terrific all night long.
“One game does not make a season and the Pittsfield loss does not define our season. We won 18 games this season and with possibly the exception of the 2016 team, I do not recall another North Reading girls’ basketball team that has accomplished that win total in my 23 years of coaching in the CAL.
“We had a terrific season with great leadership from our senior captain Grace Higgins.”
The Hornets ended the season at 18-4 overall.