Basketball Roundup: St. Mary’s overcomes slow start to beat Cristo Rey

After coming out a little sluggish in the first half, St. Mary?s beat Cristo Rey, 65-54. The Spartans outscored Cristo Rey, 39-26, in the second half to pull out a victory at home. St. Mary?s (7-3) got a great performance from Cooper Robbins-Lentz, who finished the game with 13 points and eight rebounds. Robbins-Lentz was starting in place of senior center Luc Zikianda, who missed the game with a mild concussion.One key to victory for the Spartans was getting to the free throw line. After only drawing four fouls in the first half, coach Dave Brown knew something had to change.?We really weren?t too aggressive in the first half, so we made an effort to get to the line more coming out of the half,” Brown said.The Spartans went on to draw 15 fouls in the second half and got some clutch shooting from Dennis Bailer and Robbins-Lentz to help them to victory. Bailer led all scorers with 25 points, adding six rebounds and four assists.Peabody 74, Bishop Fenwick 46The Peabody Tanners came out shooting against cross-town rival Bishop Fenwick Monday and blew out the Falcons, 74-46. After a quarter the game was still close, but the Tanners (5-3) quickly picked up the pace and extended the lead.
Matt Correale led the charge for Peabody with 21 points. Moise Irizarry handled the work in the paint on offense and defense, finishing with six points, 13 rebounds and six blocks. The Tanners were able to get out and run againstFenwick, which helped them on their way to victory.?We played some really good defense tonight, which led to some easy transition baskets,” said Tanners coach Thad Broughton. “I was really pleased with our effort tonight.”GIRLS? HOCKEYBulldawgs 4, Wayland 0The combined Lynn/Saugus/Winthrop girls? hockey team continued its winning ways Monday behind some great defense and goaltending.The Bulldawgs (7-0) were led offensively by Winthrop?s Flora English, who netted a goal early in the first period and then added an assist in the second on Lynn?s Olivia Shkliew?s powerplay goal. Winthrop?s Ashley Miles also scored in the first period on an assist from Lynn?s Cassidy Kosmas, and Winthrop?s McKyla Norris finished things off early in the third on an assist from Abby Stafford. Winthrop?s Caroline McKinnon and Essex Aggie?s Kasey Harris also contributed assists.Bulldawgs? coach Anthony Martucci was happy with his team?s effort.
?We came out strong early and the first line was really on it,” he said. “We were happy to get a powerplay goal, too. We?ve been working on that.”The Bulldawgs? shutout was the result of the combined efforts of starting goaltender Gretchen Howard and backup Victoria Kennedy, both of Winthrop. Howard had 14 saves and Kennedy had six saves in relief.?Our defensemen and goalies have been just great so far this year,” Martucci said. “And tonight was another good night.”BOYS? HOCKEY
Arlington Catholic 4, Bishop Fenwick 0
The Bishop Fenwick boyS? hockey team came up short against powerhouse Arlington Catholic on Monday night, but Crusaders coach Chuck Allen wasn?t too upset.
“Our kids played well tonight. It was a really good effort,” Allen said, “I think they (Arlington) are just more skilled and experienced right now.”
Arlington Catholic is one of the top-ranked teams in the state this season, and is generally a powerhouse in the hockey landscape.Arlington was led by Ryan Smith and Bernie McGovern, each of whom recorded a goal and an assist. Ivan Mikhaylov and Paul Frisoli added the other two goals, while Andy Somerville recorded two assists in the win. Charlie Pigot, Matthew Solviletti and Nick Silver each had one assist.