The Marblehead High boys basketball team suffered some defensive lapses against Beverly on Jan. 19, and as a result the Panthers were able to prevail, 74-67.
“We gave up two different runs against Beverly and lost sight of (Dylan) Crowley, who dropped 33 on us,” said coach Mike Giardi.
The Marblehead boys also trailed at halftime, 46-33. Tyrone Countrymon paced the offensive attack for the Magicians with 19 points. Isaiah Makor chipped in with 15, and Nick Lemmond accounted for 14. Other scorers were Scott Campbell (7), Miles O’Neill (6), Ryan Commoss (4) and Magnus McCarthy (2).
But the Magicians managed to put the Beverly loss behind them to defeat Winthrop on Jan. 24, 75-56.
“We bounced back with a great team effort against Winthrop, where 11 guys ended up in the scoring column,” said Giardi.
The Magicians led comfortably at the break, 43-20, after the defense limited the Vikings to just six first-quarter points.
O’Neill led the way in this game with 14 points. Campbell was next in line with 12. Lemmond had 10. Adrian Baron and Countrymon scored seven apiece. Cameron Comstock and Makor were each credited with five points, and Aven Denbow, Lupo Cabassi and Commoss each had four, while McCarthy tallied three.
Girls hockey snaps streak
In the last four games, the Marblehead High girls co-op hockey team (2-6 in the Northeastern Hockey League, 3-9 overall) earned its first two league wins of the year via shutouts, with the first one coming against Gloucester, 1-0, on Jan. 12. It was the second time this season they defeated the Fishermen.
“This was a great team win,” said coach Brittany Smith. “We played 45 solid minutes and then went into overtime, where we scored the game-winner just one minute into the extra period.”
Junior defenseman Ava Vautour of Hamilton-Wenham netted the overtime marker from seniors Riley Campbell and Hannah Tsouvalas. They, too, attend Hamilton-Wenham High School.
Two nights later, the Marblehead girls shut down Newburyport, 3-0.
Vautour scored the first goal of the game from Tsouvalas and Marblehead freshman defenseman Paige Waldman.
Freshman forward Teyah Fleming of Manchester-Essex notched the second tally, assisted by Tsouvalas.
Swampscott sophomore forward Samantha Demady closed out the scoring set up by Manchester-Essex seventh grade defenseman Melanie Earl and Hamilton-Wenham freshman defenseman Lara Dolan.
“This was another great team win,” said Smith. “It was also our annual mental health game, and the girls really did come to play. They didn’t let their foot off the gas pedal for the entire game, and we were able to shut them out. We controlled the play, and I would say this is our best game of the season so far.”
The game also raised $10,300 for the American Foundation on Suicide Prevention.
“We just hope to bring awareness and acceptance to mental health prevention, so that no one has to feel alone if they are struggling,” said Smith. “It’s an important subject, and there have been way too many amazing lives lost to this tragedy. Every life is precious, and we have to help each other fight through the toughest times. You never know what someone is dealing with on the inside, so that’s just another reason to spread awareness around this topic.”
The Magicians then traveled to Springfield to take on Pope Francis, where they lost, 2-0.
“They are a solid, hard-working, talented team,” said Smith about Pope Francis. “We played this highly ranked Division 1 team well. They have some really great hockey players, and for the most part I was happy with the way we played during that game.”
Against Leominster on Jan. 22, the locals continued to work hard in the first and third periods, only to lose, 3-1. Vautour scored the lone goal from Hamilton-Wenham freshman forward Maddie Graber and Fleming.
“We have a tendency to do that, and the other team capitalized on it,” Smith said of the mid-game struggles. “The one goal we scored in this game showed teamwork, which was great to see, especially because it was in the third period. It showed that we didn’t give up.”
Joe McConnell
