Boys Hoop: Lukanda, English start season strong

The English boys basketball team started its season with an impressive 75-54 win over Peabody at home Friday night.?It?s always important to get that first win of the season under your belt,” English coach Mike Carr said. “We are satisfied with the win, but we definitely have to improve as a team. Depth has been our biggest question mark this season and hopefully that question will be answered in due time.”English (1-0) wasted no time and jumped out to a commanding 39-23 lead at the half. This English team is known for its great guard play, but big man Danny Lukanda set the tone for the Bulldogs (16 points, 20 rebounds). Stevie Collins and Erick Rosario chipped in with 20 points each for English.St. Mary?s 85, M?head 77At Tony Conigliaro Gym, the Spartans were hitting just about everything they threw up there with sophomore Anthony Silfa leading the way with 31 points, 24 of them coming in the first half. Dennis Bailer also came out strong with 21 points, including four threes in the first half.St. Mary?s bumped the lead up to 18 at the half, but Marblehead wouldn?t go away, cutting it to 10 or 12 points a couple of times. Cian Saunders had 25 points for the Magicians and Matt Millett, 22 points.St. Mary?s is 2-1 with St. John?s Prep on tap for Monday.Saugus 62, Newburyport 48At Newburyport, the Sachems (2-1) were without head coach Paul Moran due to an illness. The Sachems held a 29-25 lead at the half. The Sachems dominated the third quarter, as they outscored Newburyport 21-5. Senior captain Joe Bertrand stepped up in a big way for Saugus, as he recorded a monster double-double (32 points, 19 rebounds). Saugus has won two straight.Gloucester 65, S?scott 56At Swampscott, Swampscott (0-2) was down 54-29 in the early stages of the third quarter. Swampscott opened the fourth quarter with three straight three-pointers that cut the lead to five. Gloucester had one last run to pull away from Swampscott. Freshman Andre Reeves (12 points, 5 steals) and Chad Nelson (11 points, 8 rebounds) led the way for the Big Blue.Fenwick 64, Williams 51At Williams, Fenwick (2-1) clung to a two-point lead at the end of the first half. The Crusaders turned the tables in the second half, as they outscored Williams by 11.?It?s always tough to win on the road, but we were able to accomplish that today,” Fenwick coach John Preziosa said. “The adjustments we made in the second half were the difference.”Leading the way for Fenwick was Matt Costello (26 points). Devon Graham chipped in with three clutch three-pointers for the Crusaders (12 points).Amesbury 62, Lynnfield 44At Lynnfield, the Pioneers (0-2) took a 27-23 lead into the half. It was a much different story in the second half, as Lynnfield was outscored 30-10 in the third quarter. Leading the way for the Pioneers was Adam Buchanan (13 points, 14 rebounds).Salem 66, Beverly 62At Salem, the Witches (1-0) were in a battle with the Panthers, but were down 36-28 at the end of the first half. Salem was able to make a big run in the third quarter, and took a 49-45 lead at the end of the third. Salem never trailed again. Leading the way for Salem was Rashad Keys (17 points, 7 rebounds). Nick Cross (20 points) and Josh Berchoff (16 points) led the way for Beverly.