North had a gauntlet of a schedule this season which attributed to some tough stretches throughout the year. North however was not about to end a season with excuses, as there Cinderella run came to an end this weekend. Last Tuesday North took on Neptune on the road the same place they lost by double digits early in the year. The Lions came up with the upset victory 52-49 to advance.
On Thursday they then traveled to number 2 seed Woodbridge in the state tournament second round. The Lions led by Mike Barber’s hot three point shooting blew out Woodbridge by 10, 77-67. North had won two games both on the road to surprise the shore up to this point and would travel to North Burlington on Saturday. Both Colts Neck and North, the two members from last year’s championship were alive and still fighting.
On Saturday the bid to return to the state championship for the Lions was ended along with their season. In the group semi’s, north was unable to hold a lead at the half and was down by 5 point, 52-48. North was down by more than 10 in the second half but was able to close the lead to 2 late in the fourth quarter. Unable to gain the lead back North suffered a crushing defeat only hours after last year’s opponent Colts Neck lost by 3. North rallied to end the season on a positive note finishing multiple games above .500.