Joe McConnell
The Marblehead High boys basketball team (6-2 in the Northeastern Conference, 7-4 overall) was able to prevail in two close games against rival Swampscott (61-60) and Masco (61-58).
Even though they ended up winning both, coach Mike Giardi understands there’s still much room for improvement.
“Both games were extremely close, and both opponents came to play, but we were not ready to play them,” he said. “We had to dig ourselves out of holes in both games to win them.”
The Magicians then lost to Beverly on Jan. 19, 74-67. It was only a three-point game with 45 seconds left in regulation.
“While we played with much more intensity against Beverly, we still had some lapses that allowed Beverly to go on a couple of runs,” Giardi said.
Swampscott led, 23-21 at halftime, and 43-40 after three. But Nick Lemmond and his teammates got to work in the fourth quarter to overcome those deficits.
Lemmond ended up pacing the offensive attack with 23 points. Magnus McCarthy was next in line with 16 points. Isaiah Makor chipped in with nine, Tryone Countrymon tallied five, and Lupo Cabassi accounted for four. Cameron Comstock and Matthew Sherf scored two apiece.
Against Masco, the Magicians trailed at halftime, 40-27, and 51-42 after three. But then, they outscored the Chieftains 19-7 in the fourth to pick up another triumph.
Lemmond (16), Countrymon (14) and Scott Campbell (11) were the top three scorers in the Masco game. Ryan Commoss had 10 points. Makor netted eight. Miles O’Neill ended up with two.
As of Jan. 20, the Marblehead boys are ranked 19th in Division 2. Malden Catholic is on top at 11-0.
Girls basketball wins low-scoring game
The Marblehead High girls basketball team (4-4 in the Northeastern Conference, 5-6 overall) was able to survive a low-scoring game against rival Swampscott, 16-14.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well, but we played really good defense,” said coach Paul Moran. “Both teams played hard and with heart, and I give credit to Swampscott coach Katelyn Leonard, who had her team ready to play us.”
Sarah Bosio was credited with the game-winning basket with a minute to go and ended up with seven points. Junior Samantha Dormer accounted for four points, three assists, two rebounds and two blocks.
“It was her best game of the year,” said Moran.
The Magicians dropped a 49-30 decision to Masco on Jan. 17. Bosio paced the attack again with five points. Kate Burns and Carlin McGowan scored four apiece. Isabel Ferrante tallied three. Stella Monaco collected two points and four rebounds.
“We’re getting better all the time,” said Moran. “I like the fact that we’re moving the ball better and taking better shots. This is a fun group to work with.”
The Marblehead girls then bounced back to beat non-league Essex Tech, 45-30.
The Marblehead girls are ranked 47th in Division 2 as of Jan. 20. Walpole, at 8-1, is the top seed.