Danvers boys fall to New Mission in D2 North final

LOWELL – It may have taken a little longer than it did earlier in the week, but New Mission ultimately imposed its will on the Danvers boys basketball team Saturday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, defeating the Falcons, 61-50, in the Division 2 North final, and ending their two-year tournament winning streak.Danvers had won the previous two state championships at the Division 3 level, but moved up to D2 this season. The Falcons were seeded second, behind New Mission, and the game promised to be a good test for both squads.And it was, especially in the first half as the Falcons did their best to slow the high-flying Titans down. The Danvers coaching staff had been to Malden High two days earlier to see New Mission totally dominate Classical, and really succeeded in the first 16 minutes in forcing a half-court game. And after the first two quarters the Falcons actually had the lead, 25-23.But that wasn?t to last. Early in the third quarter, after Danvers had taken a 31-27 lead, New Mission reeled off 13 straight points to turn a four-point deficit into an 11-point bulge, 40-31. Peter Merry (11 points) hit a traditional three-point play to make it an eight-point game, but Asante Sandiford (18 points) got it back up to 10 (42-32) at the end of three.From that point on, Danvers could never get the New Mission lead down below seven points, and by the halfway point in the fourth quarter, the Falcons were reduced to fouling the Titans every time they had the ball. New Mission?s final nine points were on free throws.Junior Devan Harris led the way for Danvers with 25 points while Kieran Beck had nine.Shaquan Murray (22) was high man for New Mission, which will play South champion Milton Tuesday at the TD Garden (7:30).