A win is a win, and the Andover girls’ basketball team will take them any way they can get them.
The No. 1 Golden Warriors squeaked out a 53-52 home win over Merrimack Valley Conference rival Billerica last night to improve to 13-0.
“I’ll take the blowouts any day,’’ said Andover coach Jim Tildsley. “Billerica is a real good team, they played us tough. We were lucky to come out of here with the win.’’
The Indians (11-2) trailed by 3 with 36 seconds to go, but missed a 3-pointer and then two foul shots.
“They don’t quit, they play hard,’’ Tildsley said of Billerica. “We had a 7-point lead with a minute and a half to go and we made mistakes.’’
Both teams got off to a slow start with unforced turnovers aplenty in the opening minutes. Once the teams calmed down they traded baskets, ending the first quarter at a 15-15 tie.
Andover went on a 11-0 run to start the second quarter. The Golden Warriors came out in a strong full court press, forcing Billerica into uncharacteristic turnovers.
“We tried to throw a lot of different presses at them and they did turn it over a lot,’’ Tildsley said.
The Golden Warriors eight first-half threes helped build a 33-28 halftime lead.
The Indians battled back with a fast-paced offense and pesky defense to take a 41-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Andover regained the lead early in the final quarter but couldn’t put Billerica away. A last-second field goal from the Indians’ Joslyn King, who led her club with 14 points, pushed the final score to 53-52, but it wasn’t enough for the Indians to steal the win.
Andover was led by senior guard Nicole Boudreau’s 23 points.
Duxbury 58, Marshfield 43 - Junior forward Michela North had 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks for the Green Dragons.
Boy’s basketball
Charlestown 86, Snowden 78 - The 17th-ranked Townies were led by 6-foot-6-inch senior center Tyrik Jackson who collected 12 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. Junior guards Omar Orriols and Tyrese Hoxter each scored 20 points.
Madison Park 81, South Boston 53 - Junior forward David Stewart led all scorers with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 7 Cardinals (12-1). Sophomore guard Patrick Muniz added 15 points and six assists.
Newburyport 53, Greater Lowell 51 - Senior Brett Fontaine had 20 points and junior Ian Michaels put in a layup as time expired to win it for the Clippers.
Winthrop 68, Beverly 64 - Senior forward Joe D’Amore (18 points) scored 14 points in the second half and junior guard Joshua Babb (18 points) added 12 in the second half to lead the Vikings (10-4, 9-1).
