Physical Worcester North wears down Beverly
>> Division 1 state title contender Worcester North remains unbeaten in Massachusetts.
The sixth-seeded Polar Bears (21-2) captured a 6944 state tournament second-round win over No. 11 Beverly.
The win was highlighted Tuesday night at the start of the fourth quarter as the team pushed the pace off a contested miss and lobbed the ball to Joseph Okla for a roof-blowing dunk in transition. Okla (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Teshaun Steele (12 points, 18 rebounds) led a brutally physical defensive performance, much to the enjoyment of a 1,200-person sellout crowd, giving Panthers stars Ryder Frost and Dylan Crowley fits in long stretches while the visiting team’s shooting sputtered from deep (3-for-19).
Beverly’s own defensive prowess had enough holes in the paint to allow the Polar Bears 20 offensive rebounds, slowly separating from an otherwise close first half.
North moves on to the state quarterfinals for the first time in over a decade as a result, set to play No. 14 Brockton.
“All I talk about is defense,” said Polar Bears head coach Al Pettway. “We didn’t shoot the ball well, but defensively, we played well. I told the guys that offense wins games but defense wins championships. All year long, we’ve just been grinding on defense. That’s what we’ve got to do every day. Defense, defense, defense.”
Equally loose officiating on both sides gave North all the invitation it needed to bump, bruise and grab Beverly up and down the court, playing to its overwhelming height and athletic advantage. Crowley had the Midas touch early on for the Panthers, overcoming small slivers of shooting space to knock down nine of his 15 points in the first quarter. Okla and Steele didn’t allow much to Frost in the meantime, and North’s own shooting woes finished the first quarter with a mere, 16-15 lead as Beverly matched the physical intensity.
Noe Diaz stepped up with seven first-half points as Frost (15 points, 10 rebounds) scored just four for Beverly, but the Polar Bears’ defense only got more intense as the game progressed. The Panthers turned the ball over eight times in a five-point second quarter, while Ty Tabales (10 points), Amir Jenkins (15 points) and Tahlan Pettway buried several transition layups to start the North separation.
“I know they pulled away late and that game was much closer than the score dictated, we just ran out of gas,” said Beverly head coach Matt Karakoudas. “There was a lot of shirtgrabbing, pushing, pulling, elbows — but that’s what you want in this type of environment, I have no beef with the officials at all. Their physicality absolutely wore us down.”
Frost eventually caught up with a triple and a few buckets in the paint, but Okla and Steele made everything a struggle. Both turned each North offensive possession into two or three shot attempts by crashing the glass, pushing its lead to double digits for all but less than one minute of the second half.
“(Okla) played great … he’s hungry,” Pettway said. “We’ve got to get to practice tomorrow and get better. We’re on to Brockton (now).”