Spartans outgeneral Hamilton-Wenham

DANVERS – The St. Mary?s boys basketball team is heading to the Division 4 North final thanks to a 60-51 win over Hamilton-Wenham in the semifinals Monday at St. John?s Prep.Although it ended up being a nine-point game, this one was up for grabs until the final two minutes of the game. Trailing 51-49, the Spartans went on an 11-point run in the final two minutes to leave the Generals in the dust.Dennis Bailer (15 points) scored nine points in the final quarter, none bigger than the back-to-back jumpers inside the two-minute mark. The first one tied the game at 51-51 and the second gave the Spartans a lead they would never relinquish. Bailer followed up with two of the prettiest assists you?ll see, the first to Curtis Lockett (16 points) and the second to Anthony Silfa (18 points) for a 57-51 lead with 35 seconds left.?I called a timeout and told them we?d faced good competition all year long. Let?s finish this the way we?re supposed to play,” St. Mary?s coach Dave Brown said. “We got some stops and some rebounds, which was huge.”Bailer?s performance down the stretch was big.?Bailer took over the game,” Brown said. “That was good to see. He had a tough game last year in the state tournament, but he really stepped it up and showed the guys what he?s capable of doing.”Brown said coming into the game, he knew his team was more athletic, but he also knew Hamilton-Wenham is well coached.?They played a great half-court defense,” Brown said. “We didn?t get the three-ball off like we normally get it off. They were up in our face. We had to out-rebound them and try and get in transition.”There were a couple of key points in the game. When Hamilton-Wenham?s Marcus Zegarowski buried a three in the second quarter to put the Generals up by four, 24-20, the Spartans, sparked by back-to-back baskets by Luk Zikianda, went on a 9-3 run to take a two-point lead at the half.In the third quarter, fueled by two quick steals, Hamilton-Wenham went on a 10-0 run to take a 37-31 lead with 3:27 left. Silfa stopped the bleeding with a three and that seemed to turn the tide a bit. St. Mary?s got the lead back on 5-for-6 free throw shooting to end the quarter.The fourth quarter didn?t start out all that well for St. Mary?s. The Generals went on a run and with 5:32 left, had built up a 49-45 lead. When Zegarowski picked up his fourth foul 20 seconds later and went to the bench, St. Mary?s seized the opportunity.Bailer hit a free throw, scored off a steal and then tied the game at 49-49 with two free throws. The Generals answered with a basket, but Bailer?s back-to-back jumpers proved to be the backbreaker.Hamilton-Wenham coach Doug Hoak knew coming in it would be a challenge.?We knew they were going to be more athletic than us, bigger on the boards,” he said. “We figured we had to rebound, keep them out of transition … I thought we did a good job changing up the defense. We kept them off guard a little bit, but you have to tip your hat to them. They made the plays.Hoak said when Zegarowski picked up his fourth foul (5:12 left in the game) it changed the momentum.?You?ve got to give them credit. They went right after the matchup,” he said.Jimmy Campbell was top dog for the Generals with 22 points. Marcus Zegarowski had nine points and Nikos Lara, 10 points. Henry Eagar had seven.St. Mary?s (17-3) will play the winner of tonight?s St. Clement/Manchester-Essex matchup Friday night at 8 p.m. at Emmanuel College in Boston.Hamilton-Wenham finishes its season 17-3.