MARBLEHEAD — With the help of a 16-point first half from Derek Marino, the Marblehead boys basketball team grabbed an early lead and never lost it as the Magicians took down Winthrop, 72-49, at Marblehead High on Tuesday night. Marblehead relied heavily on its defensive gameplan to get the win, and the Magicians were able to contain Winthrop’s two best players, Devin Pulsifer and Tayjuan McKenzie.
“We came in with a gameplan, and we’ve been doing that for the past couple of weeks and really striving to stick to that,” said Marblehead coach Mike Giardi. “Today, we were going to make McKenzie and Pulsifer work hard for every basket, try to get the ball into the hands of other guys and then really harass those guys defensively.”
Marblehead was led by Marino, who had a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Sean McCarthy added 17 points in the win, while Dan Doherty contributed 10 points. Dewey Millett had nine points and four rebounds and Seamus Keaney had six points.
For Winthrop, it was David Diaz who led the way with 15 points. McKenzie and Alex Dernier each had nine points and three rebounds, while Pulsifer had eight points and 12 rebounds. Elliot Frank added four points and 10 rebounds.
“We know coming into the game that they were going to make it tough for Devin and Tayjuan, so it was really all about getting good looks and making shots,” said Winthrop coach Dave Sacco. “And we did that for a little bit, but we got away from it. Marblehead did a great job defensively, credit to them.”
Marblehead was hot to start, opening the first quarter on a 14-4 run in the first five minutes. But Winthrop was able to stay in the game, responding with a 10-5 run to end the quarter only down by five, 19-14.
The second quarter, however, is where Marino took over. He netted 10 points in the second, battling through smaller defenders in the paint for hard-earned buckets. He also made plays on the glass and on the defensive end, sparking a run that saw Marblehead increase its lead to as many as 18 points. The Magicians took a 39-25 lead into the half.
“Derek did a nice job inside today, he really played his game well,” said Giardi. “And that’s what we’ve been telling him, if he goes out and plays his game he can be a great player every night. He did that tonight.”
Winthrop came out and started the third quarter on an 8-0 run to get back in the game, but Marblehead was able to hit a couple threes in a row and quell the run. Winthrop simply couldn’t hit enough shots to keep pace with the Magicians, who were getting consistent production from guys like McCarthy, Doherty and Marino.
Marblehead was able to extend its lead to as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter, winning the game by that same margin.
Now at 5-9 on the year, Winthrop needs a late-season push to snag a tournament spot.
“We’ll see some more teams in the second half of the year that try to do the same thing to Devin and Tayjuan,” Sacco said. “So it’s all about getting more consistent and being able to get production from other guys so teams can’t blanket our two best players.”
The Vikings host Swampscott Friday night.
For the Magicians (8-5), it’s time to move on to the next game. With two more wins needed to make the state tournament, Marblehead isn’t looking too far ahead.
“The focus is just on the next one,” Giardi said. “We’ve got a tough week ahead with an extra game due to a snow cancellation, so we’ve just got to take it one game at a time and keep playing smart basketball.”
Marblehead visits Peabody Friday night.
