Published January 17, 2019

By DAN NUNN

LYNNFIELD — The Hornets traveled to Lynnfield on Friday night and pounded the rival Pioneers 61-46. Julia Howse was outstanding once again with 22 points and eight rebounds. Senior captain Casey McAuliffe scored 13 and junior Lauren Sullivan added 11 points. 

With the win, North Reading improves to 6-2 overall and they are currently in second place in the CAL Kinney Division with a 5-1 conference record.

Storm back to beat Manchester-Essex 

JULIA HOWSE blocks a Pioneer shot at LHS on Friday night. Howse had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead NR to a 61-46 win. (John Friberg Photo)

The Lady Hornets erupted with 20 points in the fourth quarter to turn a four point deficit into a 52-43 victory over the Manchester-Essex Hornets on January 8. Junior Allie Grasso led the way with 17 points and six steals. Sophomore Julia Howse, who was in foul trouble for a good part of the game, still managed to play great defense and score 11 points.

The game was tied up at halftime by a score of 22-22.  But by the end of the third quarter, North Reading trailed 36-32. Luckily, everything turned around for the Hornets in the fourth as their press defense suffocated the Manchester-Essex offense and forced multiple turnovers. The terrific defense allowed the NRHS offense to explode with 20 points in the final period to take the game 52-43. 

North Reading extended their winning streak with a win over Georgetown on Tuesday night after press time. A full story will appear next week. The Hornets travel to Newburyport (5-4) on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. and then to Masco (8-3) on Sunday at 3 p.m.