Boys Basketball: Salem outlasts Classical

The Salem High boys basketball team led by seven points heading into the final quarter and hung on for dear life in a 77-76 win over Classical at Salem.”It was a very well played high school basketball game,” Salem coach Tom Doyle said.”It was back and forth all night long. It was really anybody’s game to win. I am just happy my team found a way to leave on top today,” Doyle said.Nick Grassa was the story for Classical (12-7), hitting nine three pointers and finishing with 28 points. Ariel Ligonde chipped in with 18 points for the Rams.Salem got a strong performance from Antonio Reyes, who shared high-scoring honors with Grassa with 28 points. He also had 10 rebounds and five assists. Raphy Medrano chipped in with 21 points.Salem (14-5) plays English Friday.English 69, Peabody 57At Peabody, it was senior night for Peabody, and it was a strong senior-led performance despite the result.Ryan Woumn had 21 points in a game that saw 11 different Bulldog players figure in the scoring.Peabody coach Domenic Coleman was very proud of his team.”My team played its best game of the season. All my kids played very aggressive all game long,” Coleman said.Senior captain Alex Marc-Aurele had a team-high 12 points for Peabody. Senior Brian De’Angelis had 10 points. English is 16-1, 13-0 Northeastern Conference. Peabody is 6-13.Saugus 76, Swampscott 55At Saugus, the Sachems built a 16-point lead at the half and never looked back. Brian Boyajian had 10 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Joe Lowe had a strong game with a game high of 19 points. Omar Benabicha chipped in with 15 points. Saugus (9-8) plays Georgetown Thursday in an attempt to clinch a spot in the state tournament.Beverly 73, Revere 48At Revere, Beverly’s Curtis Manuel, Mike Clayton, and Zach Zigelbaum led the way recording double doubles. It was a close game at the half with Beverly leading 36-27. Beverly had a big second half outscoring Revere 37-21. Manuel had a game high 20 points and 10 assists. Clayton had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Zigelbaum had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Beverly is 9-7.Fenwick 74, Cathedral 60At Cathedral, Cathedral had a dominant first half and never looked back. Fenwick started getting it together late in the game but it was too little too late. Leading the way for Fenwick was Trevor Grace with a team high of 19 points. Pat Lyons had a strong game off the bench with 10 points and seven rebounds. For Cathedral, Ernest McNeil had a strong game with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Fenwick is 4-12.Gloucester 61, Marblehead 49At Gloucester, the Fishermen’s domination of the boards was the key to their success. Gloucester out-rebounded Marblehead 41-22. Leading the way for the Fishermen was Adam Philpott with a game high 23 points. Mike Tomino chipped in with 15 points. For Marblehead, Matt Temme had a strong game with a team high 19 points. Marblehead (9-9) plays Saugus Friday.Winthrop 68, Danvers 39At Danvers, Winthrop’s Dino Mallios set the tone. Mallios scored all of his game-high 18 points in the first half, with eight assists and eight rebounds. Mark Jenkins chipped in with 14 points. Jake Connors had a strong performance with 10 points. Winthrop is now 17-2.