Boys’ basketball lost to Natick 48-63 at home last Friday, Jan. 31 after the team “got out hustled, outplayed, outcoached, out-toughed, and everything across the board,” as special education teacher Paul Connolly, the head coach, said.

Boys’ basketball lost to Natick 48-63 at home last Friday, Jan. 31 after the team “got out hustled, outplayed, outcoached, out-toughed, and everything across the board,” according to special education teacher Tom Connolly, the head coach.

The disappointing loss is North’s second of the season. North struggled on both sides of the ball throughout.

The first-quarter looked promising for North as they went up 14-12 to start off the game thanks to smart and quick plays by the team. Senior Tom Andreae, a captain with seniors Tyson Duncan and Grayson Hargens, had one of the better-looking plays of the night when he stole the ball and then passed it up to a teammate who scored. On the next offensive possession, Andreae swished a three to keep the momentum going. In spite of a strong start, North was trailing by the end of the first quarter 14-20. 

Natick then kicked off the second quarter with eight unanswered points. North spent the rest of the night trying to dig themselves out of a gaping deficit. However, between sloppy plays and Natick’s overpowering offense, they were unable to gain their momentum again.

“We didn’t play together at all, we were all on different pages,” said Hargens. “It just spread across the team and it didn’t help that we didn’t make a lot of shots either.”

The start of the second half saw North play with more hustle and aggression. Duncan got hot early in the half, making a layup while still being fouled. A few minutes later, he drained a three-pointer. Duncan scored six in the third quarter and 15 in the game.

Still, scoring was bleak for North in the last half of the game and Natick outplayed North on all fronts. 

“We faced a little adversity tonight,” Connolly said. “Things didn’t go well for us. That team was better, they outdid everything on us.”

Despite the loss, North is focused on improvement in future games. Hargens said that moving forward, the team will work on “staying together as a team, keeping our heads up after the loss and continuing to play hard.”

The disappointing loss is North’s second of the season. North struggled on both sides of the ball throughout.

“We played a little better in the second half than we did in the first half, though,” said Connolly. 

The first-quarter looked promising for North as they went up 14-12 to start off the game thanks to smart and quick plays by the team. Senior Tom Andreae, a captain with seniors Tyson Duncan and Grayson Hargens, had one of the better-looking plays of the night when he stole the ball and then passed it up to a teammate who scored. On the next offensive possession, Andreae swished a three to keep the momentum going. In spite of a strong start, North was trailing by the end of the first quarter 14-20. 

Natick then kicked off the second quarter with eight unanswered points. North spent the rest of the night trying to dig themselves out of a gaping deficit. However, between sloppy plays and Natick’s overpowering offense, they were unable to gain their momentum again.

“We didn’t play together at all, we were all on different pages,” said Hargens. “It just spread across the team and it didn’t help that we didn’t make a lot of shots either.”

The start of the second half saw North play with more hustle and aggression. Duncan heated up early in the half, making a layup while still being fouled. A few minutes later, he drained a three-pointer. Duncan scored six in the third quarter and 15 in the game.

Still, scoring was bleak for North in the last half of the game and Natick outplayed North on all fronts. Natick made 16 of their 22 free throws and capitalized on North’s mistakes while North struggled.

“We faced a little adversity tonight,” Connolly said. “Things didn’t go well for us. That team was better, they outdid everything on us.”

Despite the demoralizing loss, North is focused on improvement in future games. Hargens said that moving forward, the team will work on “staying together as a team, keeping our heads up after the loss and continuing to play hard.”

“We just gotta regroup,” Connolly said. “Hopefully the guys will bounce back.”

Boys’ basketball, currently 13-3, were able to soundly beat Wellesley 59-39 last Friday, Feb. 7 and will play Needham next Tuesday, Feb. 11, at home.