Boys basketball falls to Salem at buzzer

BY JOE McCONNELL

The boys basketball Magicians (7-3 in the Northeastern Conference, 9-5 overall) had a week off to ponder their heartbreaking loss to Salem on the road on Jan. 27, 58-57. To compound matters, they also had to cope with being sick.

But they bounced back nicely on Feb. 3 at Danvers, when they exploded past the Falcons to the tune of 81-47.

In the Salem game, the Marblehead boys led at halftime, 29-25, but then they were outscored, 23-12 in the third quarter to put the Witches on top. The home team was able to withstand a Marblehead recovery in the final period to hang on for the victory. The visitors won the quarter, 16-10, but lost the game at the buzzer.

“We came out soft to start the second half and let Salem take a 10-point lead,” said coach Mike Giardi. “We fought our way back and actually took the lead with a minute left but just couldn’t close it out. We ended up missing a runner at the buzzer.”

Tryone Countrymon led his teammates on offense against Salem with 16 points. Isaiah Makor and Nick Lemmond were next in line with 11 apiece. Ryan Commoss accounted for 10. Miles

O’Neill chipped in with five. Scott Campbell ended up with four. Girls basketball slows down Salem

The Marblehead High girls basketball team (5-5 in the Northeastern Conference, 7-6 overall) stymied the Salem offense on Senior Night, Jan. 27, to win the game going away at home, 41-15. After a week off, the Magicians got back to work to beat visiting Danvers, 44-23.

“We played a hard, stifling defense that created problems for the Salem offense,” said coach Paul Moran. “We hustled all over the place and chased after loose balls to disrupt their offense while setting up our own to help turn this game into a rout.”

The Marblehead seniors figured prominently in the offense. Captain Isabella Ferrante paced the offensive attack against Salem with eight points. Carla McGowan produced six points. Sarah Bosio tallied three. Captain Stella Monaco sank one bucket for two points, along with Giorgia Dalla Valle.

“It was a great night for our seniors, and I couldn’t be happier for them,” Moran said.