Marblehead nips Classical boys hoop by one point

LYNN – All season long, the Marblehead boys basketball squad has prided itself with its defensive play, and last night’s affair at Classical was no exception.The Magicians (10-3) allowed just 21 points in the second half, stifling the undermanned (due to injuries) Rams, 50-49, at Classical. As a result of the victory, Marblehead clinched a tourney spot.Leading 50-47 with just under 10 seconds remaining, the Magicians saw Classical attempt to deadlock the game, with forward Jasper Grassa (game-high 22 points, with a trio of three’s) saw his shot bounce off the far rim. The rebound was snared by teammate Chris Francois, who was stationed underneath the basket. He put the ball in for the game’s final points at the buzzer, but couldn’t draw the foul, thus ensuring the win for Marblehead.The Rams were without Quivari Jackson and Cameron Smith.”It was a case of fatigue for us,” said Classical coach Tom Grassa, who saw his team fail to register any fourth quarter points until three and a half minutes were gone. “We got the shots we wanted, but they weren’t dropping. There was a three-minute spell when we went up by three (40-37 entering the final period to down by six (48-42 with 3:07 left), and we got tired.”With the game tied at 42 (4:30 to go), the Magicians put together an impressive run to hold the lead for good. Forward Taariq Allen took a feed off an inbound pass, hitting a short jumper to give the team a 44-42 edge. Grassa missed a three-pointer that would’ve pushed Classical (9-6) back ahead, yet Marblehead took advantage, extending its lead (46-42) when guard Pat Song connected on a backhanded flip shot from the paint (ten-footer) off the glass. Allen hit another short jumper to complete the 6-0 run, ending when Classical’s Luis Ayala drilled a three as the shooting clock expired. Marblehead’s Damola Abu and Johnson then traded buckets, setting up the final scene.”It’s always tough to win on the road, but to hold them to 21 (in the second half) was great to see,” said Marblehead coach Wayne Hanscom. “We executed defensively, and made some stops as well. And Jasper (Grassa) was their key guy; he’s one of the best shooters in the state. He was tired (in the final quarter), and he missed some shots. But we were turning the ball over quite a lot, and their offensive boards really killed us all night.”The Magicians raced out to an early 8-2 lead, fueled by three-pointers (the team connected on seven in the evening) by Allen and Song. Classical closed to within 10-7 near the end of the period, but Marblehead guard Eric Steen drilled a straightaway three for a 13-9 edge after one.Marblehead maintained a six-point lead (18-12 early in the second, but the game quickly became the Jasper Grassa show. He hit his first three-pointer to bring the Rams to within 20-18 midway through the period, then added another three moments after Marblehead’s Brandon Lee (the Magicians top scorer with 15) had one of his own (Grassa totalled 11 of the Rams 19 points of the stanza).With 1:22 remaining in the quarter, Marblehead had its biggest lead (30-23). Grassa was fouled as he hit a short jumper, and his three-point play closed the gap to 30-26. Johnson netted the half’s final points with 30 seconds to go, trailing 30-28.Classical changed its style of play at the half, going on an 11-2 run, and taking its biggest lead (39-32) with 3:21 left in the period. Grassa gave the Rams its first lead (32-30) with a long jumper, then after Marblehead center Damola Adu tied the score, a pair of buckets followed by another three by Grassa gave the Rams that seven-point cushion. And the Magicians were ice cold from the floor as well.”They hit six three-pointers in the first half,” said coach Grassa of the Magicians. “At the half, we went man-to-man (defense) instead of the zone that we were playing in the first half. Chris Francois, for example, did an outstanding job covering (Taariq) Allen, keeping him scoreless for a good stretch of the second and third quarter