MIAA Hoop Roundup: Swampscott girls, Fenwick boys ready for next step

Same bat time. Same bat channelThat’s all Swampscott High girls basketball fans need to know heading into tonight’s Division 3 North semifinal game. The Big Blue will face Pentucket, the same team they played a year ago in the semifinals. It’s at the same place, St. John’s Prep, and once again, Pentucket is seeded second and Swampscott is third.The one thing Swampscott coach Jack Hughes is hoping will change is the outcome. Last year, Pentucket won the game, 50-40, and ended up making it to the TD BankNorth Garden before losing to the eventual state champion, Archbishop Williams.The Big Blue didn’t have to wait until the state tournament for a rematch with the Sachems. The two teams met in the championship game of the Haverhill holiday tournament this year and once again, Pentucket came away with the win, 51-35.That game was up for grabs most of the way, with Pentucket only leading by a couple of points with about five minutes remaining.”They hit us with six or seven points in a row. We couldn’t get back in, started fouling and they made their shots,” Hughes said.Last year, Pentucket surprised more than a few teams because of its youth. This year, the Sachems are on everyone’s radar. Pentucket has the heart of last year’s team back, including 6-3 center Kirsten Daamen, now a junior; sophomore guard Erin McNamara; and sophomore guard Ashley Viselli.Hughes said that his team had a tough time getting inside against Pentucket last year, and that “we had a very rough night shooting, to put it mildly.”Although the Big Blue have some new faces in the lineup this year, Tara Nimkar and Allie Beaulieu were right in the mix last year. Junior Marissa Gambale also played. Nimkar leads Swampscott with 19 points per game this season. Beaulieu is averaging 15 points and sophomore Kara Gilberg has been a force with 12 points per game.Although Pentucket has people who can hurt you from the perimeter, Hughes said it seemed to push the inside game even more this year.”They’re physical. They’re big. That’s our challenge. They’re a lot bigger than us in probably every position out there,” he said. “We have to be aggressive. We can’t lay back. We have to be tough on the defensive end and we have to force the action.”BOYS BASKETBALLFenwick vs. WilmingtonAt North Andover tonight at 7 p.m., the Crusaders (13-9) earned a return trip to the Division 3 North semifinals with a win over North Reading, only to find No. 1 seed Wilmington waiting in the wings. Last year, Fenwick lost to top-seeded Watertown by five points, the killer blow coming on a Red Raider three with three seconds remaining.Last year it was John Squires, who scored 27 points in the Watertown loss, and Ryan Sasso providing the bulk of the Fenwick firepower. Both have graduated, but the Crusaders are not without a go-to guy in Mike Clifford. The center scored 26 points and pulled down 18 rebounds against North Reading. He’s averaging 24 points and 17 rebounds compared to 11 or 12 points per game last year.”He’s now our main option,” coach Sean Connolly said. “He’s improved a lot, even from the beginning of the season.”Connolly is expecting Wilmington to be tough.”Wilmington is 19-1. They’re a very good team,” he said. “They don’t have many weaknesses. Their center is a good player. It’s tough to scheme against them because they have so many big weapons.”If the Crusaders survive Wilmington, they’ll face the winner of Watertown (the No. 2 seed this year) vs. Bedford. The Crusaders (13-9) are seeded thirteenth.