Varsity: North tops King Philip in gutsy battle, 37-36

February 14, 2023

[Source: Tyler Hetu for the Sun Chronicle]

In a season where things may not have gone the way North head coach Nikki Correia expected them to go, Correia feels the momentum building at the end of the season, which is something the young team can build on. The Rocketeers improve to 6-13 with the win and cap the season on Friday at home against North Attleboro.

“The momentum we can feed off of from the end of the season,” Correia said. “The beginning of the season, what tended to happen was if we made a mistake or had a bad play, we would hang our heads and not get back on the defensive end. (Tuesday,) they kept fighting and kept playing. They never stopped. They executed. … Moving forward, this is huge.”

Through the second half, neither side held an advantage greater than three until the game-changing fourth-quarter move from the Rocketeers. Tightening up on defense and finishing at the rim, while also keeping their composure together in an emotional game, were key for the Rocketeers in the second half to stay in it.

“I told them at halftime, great team and great coach, they’re going to come out with adjustments,” Correia said in reference to King Philip. “They’re going to come at us a little tougher. … We kept our composure and made the right pass. … We were making the right reads tonight.”