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Commonwealth Classic: Andover defense rolls over Central Catholic

Sunday, December, 21 By David Willis
Staff writer

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.”