Joe McConnell
The boys basketball Marblehead Magicians (5-2 overall, 4-0 in the state, 3-0 in the NEC) are back from their trip to the Sunshine State, where they participated in Orlando’s KSA Holiday Classic just before Christmas. They were joined by their girls basketball counterparts, and together they saw how the game is played throughout the rest of the country.
It turned out to be a three-game tournament for the local boys, who ended up losing to Cullman, Alabama (87-44) and New Castle, Pennsylvania (75-59), before defeating Tennessee High School in double overtime, 69-67.
The trip made for a great experience for both Marblehead varsity teams, and something they will never forget, according to Giardi, who started the process to organize the trip.
The Marblehead girls defeated Affton High out of Missouri, 28-18. They then fell to Fouke, Arkansas in the second round of the Red bracket, before losing to King Parks (New York) in the third-place game, 46-32. Golden High School (Colorado) upended them in the consolation game, 35-16.
“Overall, our Florida trip went well,” the veteran coach said. “Both the boys and girls teams had a great experience while down in Orlando. We stayed at the Cabana Bay Hotel and Resort, which is a part of Universal Studios. While the players still had to do remote schoolwork, they were still able to get to go to Disney World on three separate occasions. We also got a chance to play some great basketball. While the boys went 1-2 in the Black bracket and the girls 1-3, we learned a lot about ourselves and what we need to work on.”
Upon returning home, the boys regained that winning feeling at Danvers on Dec. 30, 78-56. The Magicians outscored the Falcons, 37-22, in the second half to secure that win.
Senior guard Tyrone Countrymon (22 points) and junior forward Nicholas Lemmond (14 points) led the Magicians against Danvers. Ryan Commoss accounted for 10. Miles O’Neill was close behind with nine, and Scott Campbell chipped in with eight. Isaiah Makor netted seven. Matthew Sherf produced four points, and Aven Denbow and Cameron Comstock scored two apiece.
Coach Mike Giardi’s squad then went on to beat host Saugus on Jan. 3, 75-56.
Against Saugus, O’Neill was the top scorer with 19 points. Commoss was next in line with 15. Makor and Countrymon were credited with 11 apiece. Lemmond poured in nine. Campbell produced eight points, and Comstock had two.