The Newtonite
A buzzer-beating alley-oop by junior Noah Neville at the end of the end of the first quarter assisted by senior Chris Matthews was not enough for the Tigers to win as they fell 78-72 to South Wednesday night in the first round of the state tournament.
“We didn’t play the way we would’ve liked to in some areas, but South deserves a lot of credit for the way that they played,” said junior Ethan Wright, a captain with senior Matt Mackowski, and Neville.
The Tigers led by as much as 8 in the second quarter, but the Lions stayed in the game, turning the 8 point deficit into an 11 point lead at one point in the third quarter.
Wright added that the team “fouled too much and our transition defense was an issue.”
North finished second in the Bay State Conference, behind Needham.
“It’s tough losing to any team in the first round of the playoffs, especially a team I think we could’ve beaten,” said Wright.