BOSTON – By all accounts, it would be accurate to say St. Mary’s is an up-and-coming player in Division 3 girls basketball.And as such, once in a while, a school like that has to reach out and take a risk. And the Spartans took a huge one Saturday on the campus of Emmanuel College, taking on one of the premier powers in the division in Pentucket, winner of the sectional in 2007 and 2008, and runner-up to Swampscott last year.The Spartans lost, 57-45, and while coach Jeff Newhall would be the first to tell you his team didn’t play its best game, he also feels his team will benefit – in the long run – from the game.”It would be real easy to schedule easy nonleague games and boost our record, but we’re not interested in that,” Newhall said. “I’m not saying we don’t want to win, but it’s good to play a real good team like Pentucket, and see where you stand ? see what you have to work on.”You don’t get that playing weak teams,” Newhall said. “The only way you’re going to get exposed – and get to work on those things – is to play good teams.”The loss was only St. Mary’s third of the season ? but the Sachems haven’t lost any. And a lot of that comes down to balance. Three of Pentucket’s players were in double figures, and seven of them scored. On the other hand, Cassi Amenta and Tori Faieta accounted for 33 of St. Mary’s 45 points.However, don’t tell John McNamara, Pentucket’s coach, that the Spartans are to be taken lightly.”Jeff runs a good program,” McNamara said. “And I’m pretty sure, if things break right for both of us, we’ll see them again in the tournament. I don’t see how we won’t.”If the Spartans learned anything about Pentucket – at least – it’s that they won’t be facing too many guards any better than Erin McNamara, the coach’s daughter, who poured in 26 points and added eight assists. Time and again, McNamara, a senior, would take one step forward to get a Spartan defender back on her heels, and then step back and swish a jumper – including four three-pointers.McNamara went to work right away, scoring 10 of those points in the first quarter, as Pentucket set the tone for the evening by taking an 18-10 lead. From then on, St. Mary’s would try to cut the lead down, and Pentucket would respond by building it back up.But the Spartans staged their most significant rally early in the third quarter, coming out of the locker room behind, 28-20. Amenta scored four points and Faieta two as St. Mary’s quickly climbed to within two (28-26). But McNamara responded by scoring two straight hoops – a two and a three – to get it back up to seven. And, after an Amenta bucket, Pentucket reeled off six more points to go back up by nine (39-28).By the time the quarter ended, it was 45-34, with Pentucket firmly in control.Faieta was a force in the paint, finishing with 18 points even though she was harassed and doubled in the second half. Amenta chipped in with 15 – seven of them from the line (the Spartans outscored Pentucket, 20-5, on free throws).For the Sachems, besides McNamara’s 26, Ashley Viselli had 10, her sister Nicole had eight, and freshman Tess Nogueira came off the bench to score 10 points – eight of them in the third quarter.”It was nice to win a game here,” said McNamara. “Last year, we wondered whether the ball would ever go in the basket.”