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Jillian Webber scored 10 of her 18 points in the second half and Alyssa Casey had 12 of her 17 points after the break as Andover bested Tyngsboro 57-40.

ANDOVER — To her credit — and her coach's — Talia Dellatto did her best to play off the bucket as just another layup in a team-effort victory.

"I mean, really, it was the whole team throughout the whole game," Dellatto said after getting hugs from pretty much the entire Andover booster section. "That was just one little play there that happened to change the game. It could've been anyone out there, but I was just glad we won."

Sure, Talia, it was just one of 16 Golden Warrior field goals — the only one of your night, in fact — but that layup unquestionably proved to be the biggest shot in what could prove to be one of the biggest wins of what is becoming another season of high expectations.

With Chelmsford holding the ball in a tie game, Dellatto stepped in front of a Lion pass about five feet above the arc. The senior guard hauled in the ball she punched free and converted the game-winning layup with 15 seconds remaining. And when teammate Rachael Cormier nailed a couple free throws moments later, the Golden Warriors had a key 45-41 victory over the previously undefeated and ninth-ranked Lions.

"It definitely is a big thing," Dellatto said after being pushed to expand on the play. "It was a great moment, especially after not playing last year.I got three concussions my sophomore year, so I had to sit out all last year. I'm just thankful to be back this year."

But after that brief moment of self satisfaction, the only substitute Andover coach E.J. Perry used last night reverted back to recognizing the team.

"The past week of practice, we've been working on deny (the pass)," said Dellatto, who has scored in only seven games this season, including a season-high 11 in a Christmas tourney victory over North Andover. "So I just owe it all to coach and the other girls on the team."

Dellatto's play was part of an Andover defense that needed to bounce back after allowing a pair of 22-point quarters in the Warriors' loss to North Andover their last time out. Although they held the Lions to eight points in the opening quarter and 20 in the half, the Warriors could not keep Chelmsford (9-1) off the boards, allowing 11 offensive rebounds.

And when the Warriors (10-1) turned over the ball on eight of their final 11 first-half possessions while going scoreless the final 4:50, they found themselves in 20-17 hole at intermission. A more consistent offensive effort in a 19-point third quarter helped Andover claim a nine-point advantage going into the fourth.

"We had a great heart to heart about that," Perry said about the week board play. "Then Jillian (Webber) and Alyssa (Casey) stepped up ... I knew these girls had the heart of a championship. I tell them all the time it's about preparation, so I took responsibility for that loss on Friday. But I left it up to them tonight, and I don't think (Chelmsford) got 22 in a half tonight."

Three Andover points over the first 6:41 of the fourth, however, allowed Chelmsford to take a 41-39 lead with 1:45 left. A field goal by Jillian Webber, who scored a game-high 14, with 1:19 remaining set things up for Dellatto's heroics.

NORTH ANDOVER — North Andover scored the final 17 points of the first quarter to take a 22-8 lead and Andover never recovered. The Knights won 62-56.

With Andover unbeaten (9-0) and ranked No. 3 in all of Eastern Mass., this will go down as one of the great wins in North Andover girls basketball history.

Senior Colleen Caveney scored 21 points and sohomore Jillian Webber continued to emerge with a career-best 14 points as Andover rolled past Tewksbury 63-38.

Senior Colleen Caveney scored 21 points and sohomore Jillian Webber continued to emerge with a career-best 14 points as Andover rolled past Tewksbury 63-38.

Sophomore Jillian Webber scored 10 points and added 10 rebounds as Andover led just five points at halftime then pulled away for a 53-34 victory over archrival Central Catholic. Rachael Cormier scored seven of her nine points in the third quarter and Talia Dellatto added eight points for the winners. 

Carissa Reming scored a season-high eight points and starred on defense while Alyssa Casey scored 24 of her 26 points in the first half as Andover rolled past Haverhill 71-32.

Colleen Caveney hit two 3-pointers on her way to 14 points and sophomroe star Alyssa Casey continued to dominante with 21 points as Andover rolled over previously-unbeaten Billerica 57-35.

NORTH ANDOVER — As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Andover co-captain Rachael Cormier did everything she could to subdue her excitement.

“Once we stole the ball with about 30 seconds left and were just passing it around I was trying so hard not to smile, but I was just so happy,” said the point guard. “We were down, but we just had to play the best five minutes of our lives, and once we finally put it together we pulled it off.”

NORTH ANDOVER — The painful feeling was still fresh in the minds of the Andover girls basketball team.

Through the entire offseason, the Golden Warriors were forced to deal with the agony of the two losses to archrival Central Catholic, particularly the 38-point defeat at the home of the Raiders. After a 10-month wait, the Warriors were ready to earn revenge on Sunday. “We spent so much time thinking about last year,” said sophomore star Alyssa Casey. “After that (38-point) loss some people said the rivalry was over. We just wanted to beat them, and after (Sunday), I think we showed that this definitely is still a rivalry.” Led by a dominative defensive effort that allowed Central just 12 points through three quarters and another big night for Casey and senior stalwart Colleen Caveney, Andover rolled past its rival Raiders 54-29 in the semifinals of the Stephenson Division of the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic at Merrimack College. “This is absolutely huge,” said Caveney. “We did not play well against them last year, so this year we were determined and everything just came together. We love this rivalry and it is always fun to beat Central.” The win sets up a matchup between the Golden Warriors and new Thanksgiving football rival North Andover in the Stephenson final on Dec. 29 at 6:15 p.m. back at Merrimack. “We have been waiting for this game since we lost to them last year,” said point guard Rachael Cormier. “Losing to them is like getting a knife stabbed into your heart every time. So we were pumped and we have been looking forward to this game since the preseason. There is really nothing like this.” Andover used an aggressive, smothering defense to simply dominate the Raiders. The Golden Warriors allowed just a single basket to Central Catholic in each of the first three quarters, leading 25-7 at halftime and 47-12 after three quarters. The Warriors sent the backups out to play the whole fourth quarter. “Last year our defense was kind of iffy,” said Caveney. “This year we are doing a much better job on defense. We did well on the press and we were able to make some steals. Pressure was definitely the key.” Caveney, a returning Eagle-Tribune All-Star, put the game away in the third quarter, scoring 10 of her game-high 17 points after the half, leading the Warriors on a 21-3 run. “Colleen just went off,” said Casey. “She really stepped up. The Jungle (Andover’s fan section) really helped us get pumped up. We collaborated well as a team and brought it all together.” Casey continued her outstanding run, added 16 points and pacing a dominant effort on the boards while Cormier added eight points and directed the offense from her point guard spot. “Last year everything was new and we were still adjusting,” said Cormier. “Now we are really ready to trust each other. We know what we are able to do and how we can play. After we held them to seven points in the first half we were very confident.” The Warriors are now take a second straight Christmas Tourney title, after winning the Hyde division last year. “We are pumped,” said Casey. “We are ready to compete against North Andover. I know some girls on that team so we are excited.”