Tournament Roundup: Lawrence runs away from Peabody

A bigger, faster and stronger team.
In a nutshell, that was what the Peabody boys? basketball team ran up against in the first round of the Division 1 North tournament against Lawrence on Tuesday. The Tanners hung tough for a half before Lawrence put the pedal down and pulled away to a 71-47 victory.
?Lawrence has so many weapons,” Peabody coach Thad Broughton said. “If you don?t score and execute, they will go down the other end and get points on you.”
The biggest weapon for the Lancers was forward Kevin Vanderhurst, who finished with 23 points and pulled down 21 rebounds as he generally dominated the paint all game.
Despite that inside dominance by Lawrence, the Tanners (10-11) hung tough thanks to solid efforts from a number of different players. Matt D?Amato led Peabody with 13 points while Moisse Irizarry and Brendan Morrison each added eight points.
?I was so proud of our effort as a team,” Broughton said. “We left everything we had on the court.”
Lawrence led, 15-11, after one quarter and pushed that to 35-23 at the break. But, in the third, the wheels came off Peabody?s wagon as the Lancers ran off a run of 11-0 en route to a 52-27 lead after three quarters.
?Our goal at the beginning of the year was to get back in the tournament,” Broughton said. “And we were able to do that. Hopefully, the younger kids can build off of this season.”
BOYS? BASKETBALL
Marblehead 74, Wilmington 53
The No. 18-seeded Magicians (12-10) had to go on the road for their preliminary round game in the Division 2 North tournament. That didn?t phase Marblehead one bit as four players scored in double figures, led by Teddy Bostley?s 19 points, to earn a date with No. 2 Arlington on Friday night.
?We got a lot of great contributions from a lot of players,” Marblehead coach Mike Giardi said. “We put it together offensively and defensively.”
It was a close game at halftime as the Magicians held a scant 30-29 lead. But tough defense from Cian Saunders led to breakaway layups and a 26-11 third quarter scoring edge for Marblehead that put the game out of reach.
In addition to Bostley?s 19 points, Marblehead got 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists from Spencer Craig, 10 points from Angel Perez and 12 points, nine boards from Saunders.
Perez?s main job was to try to shut down Wilmington?s Connor Bennett. For the most part, that?s what Perez did. Bennett scored 26 points to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for his career, but the rest of his teammates combined to net only 27 points.
Lynnfield 57, Stoneham 28
The Cape Ann League/Baker champions opened the Division 3 North tournament with a bang as Traverse Briana buried four three-pointers en route to a team-high 14 points for the No. 4 seeded Pioneers (16-5).
Lynnfield led throughout as it turned a 10-9 game after one quarter into a 32-21 halftime lead. The Pioneers tacked on a difference of 18-5 in the third quarter to blow the game wide open.
Stoneham?s Devon Chase had a game-high 17 points. Brendan Sullivan added eight points for the Pioneers, who had everyone on their roster score.
Lynnfield advances to face either Pentucket or Weston in the North quarterfinals, with a time and date to be determined.
North Andover 59, Beverly 50
The Panthers? (12-11) loss in the preliminary round of the Division 2 North tournament was a microcosm of their season. After getting into an early hole, Beverly clawed its way back into the game by cutting a 14-point deficit to five in the fourth quarter.
That?s where North Andover?s Wabessa Bede took over. The state?s leading scorer poured in 12 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth to get the Scarlet Knights over the finish line.
?I am so proud of how this team fought all year long and in this game,” Beverly coach Scott Lewis said. “I thought that we did a great job on Bede all game. But when we had to extend our defense in the fourth, he was the difference. He was able to get a lot of easy baskets.”
Senior Gavin Sparkman led Beverly with 15 poi