Roundup: Classical boys hoop gets jump on Danvers

The Classical boys basketball team used a fast start to put some distance between itself and Danvers on Friday at Classical as the Rams led 18-5 after a quarter and finished with a 66-49 win over the Falcons.”Our defense was very good in the first quarter,” Rams coach Tom Grassa said. “We moved the ball really well.”Classical (7-5, 5-4 NEC North) ran out to the 13 point lead after a quarter and led 34-20 at halftime. The Falcons hung tough but never could make a charge and get the gap under 10.Carlo Buono led all scorers with 17 points for the Rams. Nick Grassa and Keith Nance added 11 each while Wally Abraham had 10 rebounds and four blocks.GIRLS BASKETBALLDanvers 50, Classical 37At Danvers, the Rams were in this one until late in the fourth quarter, but a couple of turnovers allowed the Falcons to start pulling away down the stretch. Classical was forced to start fouling and Danvers converted from the line.”We obviously started out slow, but once we got going, we were right with them all night,” Classical coach Tom Sawyer said. “It was a three to five-point game until late in the fourth quarter.”Hannah Byrne led the offense with 15 points and Kristin Lauria had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Sawyer was also happy with the defensive effort of Tashanna Brown and Franki Galeazzi.Danvers; Kellie Macdonald led all scorers with 20 points.”She’s a really good basketball player,” Sawyer said. “She has a nice jump shot. She can handle the ball well. She’s a tough player. She’s tough to defend.”The Rams (8-4) are off until Friday when they play Gloucester.Marblehead 31, Salem 29At Marblehead, this one was a defensive battle with the Magicians (8-5) holding the Witches to only four first-half points. Marblehead struggled with turnovers (26), but a 16-point outing by Kathryn Digiammarino and a key lay up by Lindsey Cohen with the scored tied at 29 and time running out made the difference.