After press time:
North Reading defeats Essex Tech 51-22 (Feb. 13)
WEST NEWBURY — In a week impacted by weather, the North Reading girls’ basketball team played only one game, a rematch with Pentucket for first place in the Cape Ann League. A North Reading win and the two teams would have been tied for first place but the Panthers secured the CAL title with a 43-34, hard-fought win.
Pentucket closed the first quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 15-9 lead and extended it to 24-16 at halftime.
North Reading trimmed the lead to 34-27 after three quarters and got as close as 34-31 but could not sustain any consistent scoring.
North Reading had balanced contributions from Sophia Gallivan (7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals), Ariana Demetri (7 points, 1 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal), Addie Hajj (6 points, 3 rebounds), Kiersten Higgins (6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) and Makenzie Murphy (5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks).
This game followed a 38-23 loss to Malden Catholic on Feb. 4 marking the first time this season that the Hornets have lost consecutive games, dropping their season record to 14-3.
“Now that the CAL title has been finalized, we are resetting our focus on finishing our final three games with strong performances and working to secure a first round home game in the State Tournament,” said head coach Bob Romeo.
North Reading was ranked No. 11 in the latest Div. 3 power rankings. The top 16 teams earn a first round home game and the top eight guarantees two home games should a team advance.
The Hornets host Essex Tech on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for Senior Night.
The final two games are Tuesday hosting Stoneham at 6 p.m. followed by a road game at Newburyport on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.