Magicians advance in postseason

MARBLEHEAD – To claim that any sporting event was “over before it started” is poor judgment, but the Marblehead boys basketball team nearly made sense of the cliché in its 68-42 romp over Chelsea in the preliminary round of the Division 3 North tournament.After the teams traded three-pointers on their opening possessions, the No. 15 Magicians exploded for a 12-point run that all but buried the No. 18 Red Devils. The hosts? ensuing 27-3 advantage in the second quarter hammered the nail in the coffin.?We came out and executed our game plan to perfection after their opening three-pointer, and got really hot, really early,” explained first-year coach Mike Giardi. “This was a great way to kick off the state tournament for sure.”In the aftermath of Spencer Craig (game-high 14 points) and Chelsea?s Jorge Ramos? quick treys, the Magicians scored six consecutive baskets, including two apiece from senior Matt Millett (11 points), and his brother Will, a junior.The exclamation point of the period came at the 1:05 mark, when Craig drained a long three-pointer while drawing a foul shot he would miss.Marblehead?s Eliot Gregory followed with a basket after an offensive rebound and feed from Craig before the visitors? Erik Flores (team-high 11 points) hit a three-ball to end the quarter down 20-8.With all the momentum on their side, the hosts responded with as lopsided a quarter as you may see this postseason.Eight different Magicians would score in the second period, which opened with another 12-0 run by Marblehead. The elder Millett led the way with seven points while the Devils? only points came via a Victor Corrales lay-in and Flores? freebie.The lead would reach as high as 40 points in the frame, and ended on a successful long heave from Matt Millett following a vicious block from teammate Cian Saunders (10 points) at the other end.?We forced them into some tough shots, which allowed us to get out into transition,” said Giardi. “We had a considerable size advantage and forced them to shoot over us.”Chelsea coach Jay Siegal was in agreement that his team?s lack of size and poor shooting left it with not much of a chance.?It?s difficult for us without an inside game, which forces us to rely on our outside shooting,” he lamented. “Both of those factors hurt, but the biggest difference was that they knew what they had to do while we didn?t show up mentally ready.”With their reserves in, the Magicians were actually outscored in both the third (16-11) and fourth quarters (15-10) but the damage was already done.?I was very happy with our effort in the second half,” said Siegal. “Unfortunately, the type of fortitude we showed late was what we needed to start with.”Up next for Marblehead is a date with Northeastern Conference foe Danvers, who earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye after finishing the regular season at 17-3.?They?re a great team, obviously, being the back to back defending state champions,” said Giardi of his team?s next opponent. “We need to focus on the things we did poorly against them this season and what they did well against us.”The game will be in Danvers on Wednesday (7).?We?ll be coming off just one day?s rest, which is a little tough, but hey, that?s what the tournament is all about,” explained Giardi. “Our focus will be to play with a lot of heat and energy and I believe we?ll be ready for the challenge.”