Basketball roundup: Spartan boys edge Spellman

The St. Mary’s boys basketball team didn’t fare very well in its first meeting with Cardinal Spellman this season, losing by 25 points on its home court.It was a different story in the rematch with the Spartans pulling out a dramatic 56-55 win at Brockton. Senior forward John Bakopolus, who wasn’t feeling well all night, scored 15 points including the game-winning basket with about 26 seconds remaining. Spellman had plenty of time to get back down the court and go for the tie, but the St. Mary’s defense stood tall.Tyler Grillo was the big gun for St. Mary’s with 24 points. The Spartans (7-9) still have a hill to scale, needing three wins out of their next four games to reach the postseason. The road won’t be easy, with North Cambridge Catholic up next and then the St. Mary’s tournament.Fenwick 63, NCC 53At Cambridge, the Bishop Fenwick boys basketball team clinched at least a share of the Catholic Central League title Monday with the win..Mike Clifford had another monster game for the Crusaders (15-1), scoring 30 points and pulling down 25 rebounds.”He’s been doing that all year for us,” Fenwick coach Mike Kane said.Fenwick plays Austin Prep Friday at home. The Crusaders can clinch the title outright with a win.Phil Eagan (7 points, 10 rebounds) and point guard Nick Cotoia (6 points, 9 assists) also played well, as did Nolan DiPanfilo, who finished with 17 points.Malden 68, St. John’s 64At Malden, the Eagles (10-7) came up short despite strong play by Pat Connaughton (21 points) and Sam Baker (15 points). The Prep led by five at the end of the third quarter, but Malden caught fire in the fourth.Cathedral 68, Peabody 52At Peabody, Cathedral proved a little too much for the Tanners to handle despite a strong performance by Ryan English, who led the team with 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Peabody (4-15) wraps up its season tonight at home against Classical.Essex Aggie 46, Norfolk 36At Danvers, Keith Mercurio of Lynn had 14 points (4 threes) to lead the Essex Aggie boys basketball team to a win. The team is now 7-10.GIRLS BASKETBALLLynnfield 69, Man.-Essex 56At Manchester-Essex, the Pioneers (9-9) only won three games last season, but with two remaining, they still have a shot at going to the tournament. Lynnfield’s latest win came against a quality Manchester-Essex team that is 14-4.”They are a nice team,” Lynnfield coach Bill Adams said. “They have a great point guard (Lizzie Ball) and a good team around her.”Ball (29 points) proved tough to contain, but Lynnfield countered with some firepower of its own. Ali Newell led the charge with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Jamie Harris had 18 points and Sam Harris had eight points, all in the second half when the game was still on the line. Nicole Crawford also came up big with 15 points.Lynnfield wraps up the season with games against Ipswich and North Reading. The Pioneers need to win one of the two.Fenwick 67, Matignon 42At Matignon, Bridget Dullea scored 16 points and Lauran DiCarlo chipped in with 11 (9 rebounds, 3 steals) as the Crusaders improved to 11-5. Laura Bruni also helped the cause with nine points, seven rebounds and four blocks.