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Andover is golden

Just a few quick notes from Andover's 63-57 win over Lawrence on Tuesday night.

1. It was as physical a game as I've seen this season. Lawrence is one of the few teams that actually try to force the ball into the post through their offense. Andover's Bobby Hughes, usually the biggest and meanest player on the floor, found himself continually flung about by Lawrence's Danny Rodriguez and Daniel Singh.

2. There was no love lost between Andover and Lawrence. Three separate times, play had to be stopped to break up extracurricular activity. Twice in the second half Lawrence senior Miguel Suarez was in the middle of things. The first time he was nailed by an Ian Dempsey elbow in transition. A foul was called on Dempsey, who received retaliation in kind from Suarez. The next trip down the court, Suarez and Andover sharpshooter Casey Cosgrove exchanged a silly array of chest bumps and creative expletives.

3. Andover committed 20 turnovers in the game, but coach Dave Fazio was not concerned.

"We can play better obviously, but we have good enough guards to get us through that stuff," Fazio said.

While 20 turnovers is alarming whether you have Cosgrove and Vetrano or Scottie and Michael, Andover can withstand that kind of display. Andover is in attack mode on every possession, so turnovers are to be expected. But mistakes don't linger with Vetrano and Cosgrove at the helm, a truly special quality that comes with experience, talent and very, very short memories.

4. Finally, a quick analysis of Lawrence.

A. They're tough. Guards Alex Oviedo and Cesar Espinosa are powerful players with finesse speed and agility. Same goes for forward trio Danny Rodriguez, Daniel Singh and Gabriel Gonzalez. In the paint, the big guys are just plain mean. That's quite a good thing.

B. They're active. The sign of a team with a great coach, the Lancers are very active on both ends of the floor, especially on defense. While not a full-court pressing team in the mold of Charlestown and Brockton, Lawrence is stifling in half court with the combination of an athletic front line and feisty guards.

C. Where's the focus? No team should be judged on one game, but Lawrence had a big hand in their demise last night. Oviedo and Espinosa had played nearly flawless games until the last 4 minutes. The Lancer offense was unfocused and broke down after one or two rotations of the ball. Oviedo, while a very talented scorer, had trouble keeping the Lancers in their offensive sets, a major no-no for a point guard. In crunch time, the aforementioned Gladiator Miguel Suarez was subbed out by Lancer coach Paul Neal after back to back showdowns with Andover players.

That's all for now. I'll have more as the week rolls on.

-- Zach