By DAN NUNN
Stung by Wildcats 41-18
HAVERHILL — The Lady Hornets girls’ basketball team was downed by the Wilmington Wildcats, 41-18, in the first round of the Whittier Christmas Tournament on December 28. Senior captain Frankie Elliott led North Reading with 8 points and 13 rebounds.
It was a slow first quarter. North Reading got off to a solid start and took a 3-0 lead at 6:20. But Wilmington fought back to tie it at 6-6 at the end of the quarter. Unfortunately the offense fell off in the second quarter. The Hornets hit one shot and found themselves down 13-8 at the half.
The offensive struggles continued in the second half. The Wildcats opened the third quarter on an 11-1 run to expand the lead to 24-9 at the 2:08 mark. The Hornets tried to make it a game but still found themselves down 24-13 to start the fourth. Wilmington continued their dominance in the fourth. The Wildcats outscored North Reading 17-5 to coast to victory.
Crush Burke 62-12
The Hornets crushed the Burke Bulldogs 62-12 in the Whittier Tournament consolation game on December 29. Junior Carli Eldridge led the way with 11 points and junior tri-captain Carly Swartz added 10 points.
The Bulldogs were clearly overmatched from the start. North Reading opened the first quarter on a 15-0 run and Burke’s only points came on a three with one second remaining in the first.
The Hornets continued to dominate in the second quarter and took a commanding 35-6 halftime lead. Nothing changed in the second half. North Reading outscored the Bulldogs 27-6 to cruise to the astounding 50-point win.
Upcoming games
The Lady Hornets finished 2014 at 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the CAL Kinney large division.
They hosted Masconomet Saturday and Pentucket on Tuesday, both after press time. On Friday night, they’ll travel to Manchester-Essex for a 7 p.m. tip-off followed by a game at Georgetown on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m.