Spartan Classic kicks off

LYNN – Coming off a very strong win this past Friday night against Fenwick, the St. Mary’s girls hoopsters opened up to a 20-4 first quarter edge against Cape Ann League power Ipswich and never looked back. The Spartans rolled to a 71-50 triumph over the Tigers in the finale of Day 1 of the Spartan Classic at Conigliaro Gym yesterday.St. Mary’s (15-5) rolled off to a quick 7-0 lead, as co-captain Bria Tiro hit the first of her six three-pointers during that span.The Spartans were able to utilize their inside game as well, finding center Tori Faieta underneath the Ipswich basket for points throughout.”We played very well against Fenwick, and we wanted to sustain what we had from that,” said St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newhall, about his team’s rapid start against Ipswich. “We were able to move the ball very well.”Ipswich closed the gap to 15 late in the half, but a bucket by co-captain Cassi Amenta as well as another three by Tiro widened the lead to 39-19 at halftime. Tiro added a trio of threes in the third period, including back-to-back shots in the quarter’s first minutes, which pushed the lead to 49-24. St. Mary’s took advantage of its fast break, holding Ipswich away from second chances off the boards.Faieta, who netted the team’s only free throw (which incidentally was the last point of the contest by St. Mary’s), led all scorers with 25, and hauled down 17 boards. Tiro followed with 24, while Amenta chipped in with 12.Guard Kirsten Ferrari had 11 assists, while Tiro added five.”I thought we were sloppy on defense a bit,” said Newhall. “We were a little too aggressive at times, and we do have to tighten up a few things.”St. Mary’s will face Swampscott in the Division 3 final of the tourney today.Swampscott 61, Amesbury 45The Big Blue (10-8) blew open a 20-20 halftime tie by outscoring the Indians, 25-12 in the third quarter.Swampscott took advantage of several turnovers by the Indians, leading to several fast break baskets.”We didn’t play well in the first half, and we came out flat,” said Swampscott coach Jack Hughes. “We had trouble with the press, but we were able to get some things straightened out at halftime, and got our energy.”Kara Gilberg led all scorers with 18 points, while teammate Ara Talkov contributed 13.The Big Blue will take on St. Mary’s in the Division 3 championship of the tourney.Andover 56, Peabody 50The Tanners (16-3) came up short against one of the best squads in the state.Peabody fell behind by 10 points (19-9) early in the second quarter, but rallied to take a 24-23 lead late in the period on a short runner by co-captain Ginny Fleming. However, the Golden Warriors were able to roll to a 31-28 halftime edge.The Tanners were able to work inside in the beginning of the third, taking a 35-33 lead, yet Andover outscored Peabody, 14-3 for a 47-38 advantage entering the fourth.Peabody’s deficit grew to as much as 13 (53-40) early in the final stanza.”I thought our girls might have been a bit overwhelmed going up against Andover and its reputation, but we played very well against them, and there was no quit in the girls,” said Peabody coach Jane Heil. “In the third quarter, we settled for outside shots instead of inside, and that hurt us.”Fleming led Peabody with 15 points, while teammate Hayley Dowd added 12.Peabody will face English in the Division 1 consolation game this afternoon.St. Mary’s (Bayview, RI) 57, English 53 (OT)The Bulldogs came up just a little short against the third-ranked team and defending champion of Rhode Island. Jenicia Duggins put together another masterful performance, picking up a triple-double: 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. However, English struggled from beyond the arc, only going 4-for-14.Click here for a photo gallery.”We knew they were a good team,” Bulldogs coach Fred Hogan said. “We knew they had some shooters.”English tied the game up with 25 seconds remaining, and then had a big defensive stop at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.”They outplayed