Duchane Jamboree: Tech’s McDormand has a tough start

LYNN ? While the last name’s the same, the school is different. Kevin McDormand, son of former Lynnfield coach Brian, made his coaching debut for Lynn Tech in the 16th annual Paul Duchane girls basketball jamboree Saturday at Classical.Unfortunately for him, the Tigers allowed the final 15 points of their scrimmage, falling to Marblehead, 31-7, where the Headers scored several of their points off fast breaks, coming off countless steals.”I pretty much expected it (the outcome),” said the coach, who served as an assistant under Tom Sawyer at Classical before replacing John Crowley at Tech. “It’s an entirely new program, as we lost a couple of 1,000-point scorers (due to graduation), we don’t have any seniors, and the numbers are an issue. But we have 12 good kids on the team, and we’re optimistic.”Marblehead scored the game’s first points, before guard Fanice Jean-Baptiste tied the game with a short basket. The Headers then utilized their defensive speed, scoring several points off steals to rattle off a 13-0 run. Tech’s Jenna Kulakowski momentarily stopped the bleeding by draining a three-pointer from the left of the Headers hoop, but Marblehead carried a 16-5 halftime edge.Jean-Baptiste opened the second half with another short hoop to cut the deficit to 16-7, but Marblehead did the rest of the scoring, closing the game on a 15-0 streak.Jean-Baptiste led the Tigers with four points, while Marblehead’s Olivia Raisner led all scorers with eight.Fenwick 21, English 14The Bulldogs trailed the entire way, never coming closer than three on a pair of occasions.Fenwick inched to an 8-3 halftime before English closed the gap to 14-11 on a layup by guard Lashondra Hogan.Yet the Lady Crusaders widened the lead to 19-11 on three field goals and a bucket by center Lizzy Trainor.Guard Jenicia Duggins led English with six, while Fenwick’s Laura Bruni was the game’s top scorer with seven.Beverly 20, N. Andover 19Forward Jen Ashton drilled a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.Trailing 19-17 in the final seconds, Ashton picked up a loose ball near midcourt, dribbled, then heaved the ball just outside the three-point circle and hit nothing but net.North Andover held a 19-12 lead late in the game, but Ashton connected on a three (she hit three overall), and the Panthers had a jumper go in before Ashton scored the game’s final points.The Knights scored the game’s first nine points just over a minute into the contest, before Ashton hit a three and a conventional basket to bring the Panthers to within 9-5. North Andover led 13-7 at the half.Ashton led all scorers with 11.Danvers 30, Wilmington 26The Falcons outscored the Wildcats, 7-2 in the final minutes. Forward Sarah Palazola ‘s short jumper put Danvers ahead to stay, 25-24, and teammate Bailey Potter extended the lead with a bucket of her own. The teams traded free throws, before forward Taylor Cross netted the game’s final points.Eleven players scored for Danvers.Classical 24, Saugus 15The Rams withstood a frantic comeback spearheaded by Saugus’ Liz Dean, who scored a team-high six points for Saugus. Pierina Mora was a force underneath the rim for Classical. The Senior Captain had a team-high 10 points and pulled down 15 boards.”Pierina always plays hard,” Rams coach Tom Sawyer said. “I thought she played well tonight.”Sophomore Shanece Berbavena scored all five of her points in the final minute of play, putting the game too far out of reach for the Sachems.”This was Shanece’s first taste of varsity play,” said Sawyer. “So I’m sure she was nervous at first. She is a talented kid. She just needs to stay calm.”Swampscott 23, Masco 22The Big Blue survived a dramatic finish, as a Masco drilled a deep two at the buzzer. It would have tied the game but her left foot was on the three-point line. Tara Nimkar had a very strong performance scoring 11 points, while have a strong performance on the defensive side of the ball.Reading 30, Peabody 26The Tanners could not find an answer for the shooting