Girls hoop: St. Mary’s clinches league crown with win over Fenwick

For the first time since 1987, the St. Mary’s girls basketball team is going to hang a league championship banner on the walls of the Tony Conigliaro Memorial Gymnasium.Friday, the Spartans steamrolled their way to the Catholic Central League/Large title via a 68-42 dismantling of Bishop Fenwick on home turf.”This was definitely one of our goals coming into the season,” St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newhall said. “It’s been a long, difficult season in this league and to be champion of a league that is as tough from top-to-bottom as this one is great.”This one was basically over in the first quarter when the Spartans ran out to a 22-2 lead and led 40-14 at the half on the way to their first title since winning the Catholic Suburban League in 1987.”Our defense was tremendous,” Newhall said. “We came out with tremendous intensity.”Tori Faieta led the way for St. Mary’s (16-4, 9-3) with 12 points while Cassi Amenta added 10. Kirsten Ferrari, Brianna Rudolph, Jennie Mucciarone and Ann Marie Idusuyi added eight each.Revere 52, Peabody 44At Revere, the Patriots (20-0) wrapped up a perfect regular season, although the Tanners made them work for it. Revere led by a scant 46-44 with under two minutes remaining, but the Patriots scored a basket to pull away. The Tanners had to start fouling and Revere mae it hurt.Revere coach Diana DeCristoforo said her team didn’t set out thinking a 20-0 season was in the works, but rather just tried to go into every game as prepared as possible.Marisa Parent led the Patriots with 17 points and Morgan Jenkins had 15 points. Peabody’s MaryKate Helas had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and she turned in an excellent defensive effort in keeping Revere’s Gena Restiano (6 points) from causing too much pain.Peabody is 7-10 and needs to win its final three games.Marblehead 50, S’scott 40At Marblehead, freshman Emily Freedland had 15 points (her second game in a row hitting double figures) and senior Carly McIver helped out with 12 points for the Magicians, who finished the regular season at 11-9. Kathryn Digiammario ,11 points, , also came up big. Nikki Laskaris led the Big Blue with nine points, followed by Caroline Murphy with eight.Danvers 54, Gloucester 51At Gloucester, the Falcons (15-4) made it back-to-back Northeastern Conference South titles, but it wasn’t easy. Danvers had clinched at least a share of the title heading into the game, but the Fishermen had a shot at taking a share as well, but needed to come out with the win and then beat Peabody.The Fishermen were down 20-1 right off the bat, but got back into it in the second and third quarters.The Falcons’ Sarah Palazola (18 points) took control in the fourth quarter with a 10-point scoring spree to put Danvers ahead.In other Northeastern Conference action, Winthrop defeated Saugus, 58-56, and Salem defeated Beverly, 50-40. Salem needs one more win to qualify for the tournament. The loss knocks the Panthers (8-11) out of tournament contention.