Marblehead boys hoop bounces Gloucester 64-41

MARBLEHEAD ? The fifth-seeded Marblehead boys basketball team ended a tournament drought that spanned well-over a decade, as it handily defeated Northeastern Conference rival Gloucester (the 11th seed) 64-41.Marblehead plays the Chelsea-Reading winner in the Division 2 North quarterfinals on Saturday at 7.”We weren’t happy when we drew Gloucester,” Magicians coach Wayne Hanscom said. “It is always hard to beat a team three times in a season. But we played well out there tonight.”Not only did Marblehead defeat the Fishermen for the third time this year, but it was the third time that it was a double-digit win.After a slow start shooting the ball, the Magicians used an impressive transition game to start to take control of the game. Point guard Eric Steen and swingman Brandon Lee caused a large amount of havoc on the defensive zone, which led to some easy baskets. Lee finished with 12 points, while Steen picked up nine points.”Our defense is super active,” said Hanscom. “To be honest, I think they (Gloucester) may have started to panic and were making some unforced errors.”Marblehead started the second quarter in style, going on a 14-1 run to give itself a 26-7 lead. Once again, forcing turnovers was the key. Gloucester seemed to not have any answer for the stifling defense and transition game. Taariq Allen highlighted the run by making a one-handed slam dunk after stealing the ball and streaking right to the basket. Allen finished with a team-high 19 points.”He (Allen) is one of our best players,” said Hanscom. “He has a nose for the ball and is an excellent scorer.”The third quarter started with an even more impressive 17-1 run for the Magicians, which gave them a 48-26 lead with a little over 12 minutes remaining.Ian McKinnley had a strong game from outside for Marblehead. He hit three three-pointers en route to 13 points.Adam Philpott accounted for the majority of Gloucester’s offensive production. He scored a game-high 23 points.Marblehead had a decent game at the charity stripe, going 9-14, good for 64 percent. The Fishermen fared slightly worse percentage-wise (58 percent), but did get 14 points from the line.