Lowell runs into a giant buzzsaw
Red Raiders ripped by defending D1 state champs
WORCESTER >> The Red Raiders caught a nasty case of Northern exposure.
Senior center Joseph Okla netted 16 points, including 14 in the first half, to power the top-seed North boys basketball team past No. 9 Lowell, 98-52, in a Division 1 Round of 8 game Friday night.
The Polar Bears (22-0) advance to play No. 5 Xaverian (17-6) in the Final 4. The Red Raiders end their outstanding season at 16-7.
North, the defending Division 1 state champs, showcased its strength and agility from the opening tip, establishing a 31-8 lead by the end of the first quarter, and never looked back.
“They dominated us in every single aspect of the game tonight,” said Lowell coach Bob Michalczyk. “They’re very, very good. No shame in losing to them. They are the overall favorite to win it all, and their 1-12 is probably better than most teams.”
Lowell fell into an early 8-2 hole, backed by trey from North junior forward Amaren Minor. The Polar Bears continued to press backed by big blocks and timely steals by junior guard
Amir Jenkins (12 points). Meanwhile, Okla loomed large in the post, scoring off great second efforts. North’s Jaydon Kusi-sarkodie paced the attack with a teamhigh 10 first quarter points.
The Red Raiders showed a second-quarter spark fueled by a big block from junior John Soucy (five points), and a pair of clutch baskets by Tzar Powell-aparicio (team-high 11 points), embarking on a modest five-point swing. But unlike their heroics against Andover, Lowell was unable to maintain its offensive mojo. The run was quickly squelched by North’s
press and the hosts maintained a 55-22 lead by halftime.
Lowell turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, with the Polar Bears seemingly pouncing on each one, opening the floodgates, and by the end of the third quarter built a commanding 75-36 cushion.
“One of the keys for us was to stop them in transition,” said Michalczyk. “Much easier said than done. Defensive rebounding, they shot the (hell) out of the ball from the perimeter, and they absolutely dominated us on the glass. You can’t give up all three.”
The Red Raiders hung tough throughout. Senior guard Juan Beltres Diaz netted 10 points in the first half. Junior guard Jason
Kamau dug deep in the trenches, netting nine points. Rivera also tried to rally the squad, posting seven points.
It marked the first time Lowell had been blown out all season, a testament to the Polar Bears’ court savvy.
“They’ve got size, depth, speed, everything,” said Michalczyk. “They came out, set the tone, had us on our heels the whole time, and just kept adding on.”
Rivera, Diaz, Eric Mukiibi and Dylann Many played their final high school games for Lowell.
“We had a good group,” said Michalczyk. “Juan is literally the heart and soul of the team. Every practice, every game. He’s unbelievable. X is a big boy whose role is going to have to be filled. We had both the last three years. They’re going to go on and play in college somewhere. They’ll do well. Eric and Dylann will be playing football.”
As for the future, the nucleolus remains strong with Powell-aparicio, Kamau and Soucy all expected to return.
“We still have Jason, Tzar and Jack coming back,” said Michalczyk. “That’s a legitimate group coming back with Jaziel (Huertas) and Gino (Vega) coming off the bench. We have some stuff to work with, but could still use a couple 6-foot-7 guys.”