The Marblehead High School boy’s basketball team lost to the archrival Swampscott Big Blue, 69-55, at Swampscott High School on Tuesday night.
“We let [Swampscott] get comfortable and get in a rhythm,” said Marblehead head coach, Michael Giardi. “Unfortunately, we let it get away from us and that’s why we’re on the short end of the scoreboard.”
After falling behind early, the Magicians would hit their stride late to lead 20-17 after eight minutes of play. Marblehead’s Cam Weaver made an early impact with six first quarter points while Finn Baron led the opening frame with 10 points including a pair of 3’s.
While an early Blake Golden triple would see Marblehead out to a six-point advantage in the early stages of the second quarter, Swampscott’s backcourt would begin to take over the game, knocking down three 3-pointers and going 5-of-6 from the line to take a 37-32 lead into the recess.
A lengthy scoring drought to begin the third quarter would finally be broken by a Swampscott 3-ball. The Magicians began to claw back a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter with a solid 7-2 run, but the buzzer would seem to come just a bit too soon for the momentum to shift.
Marblehead’s perimeter defense fell short as the clock wound down as Swampscott hit four 3’s in the final term, including a run of three deep balls.
The 10-1 Swampscott run would finally be broken on a three-point play by Marblehead’s Benjamin Ross. The Junior’s free throw would be the last point of the night as Swampscott handed the Magicians their third loss of the season by the score of 69-55.
The Magicians will look to right the ship on Friday night when they take on the Salem Academy Charter at Marblehead High. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
