LYNN — The Swampscott girls basketball team got off to a bit of a slow start Thursday night, but the Big Blue quickly put it together and battled to a 49-45 win over Northeastern Conference foe Lynn Classical on the road. After falling behind by as much as eight points in the first quarter, Swampscott switched things up on defense and started to make plays.
“We got off to another slow start, but we just focused on the defensive end and getting stops,” said Swampscott coach Katelyn Leonard. “We changed up some things on defense and we were able to get something going, and then we started hitting some shots and took things from there.”
Nikki Rosa led the way in all phases for Swampscott, putting up a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. But even more impressive than the scoring output, according to Leonard, was Rosa’s effort on the defensive end.
“Obviously she scored well and did well on the boards, but her defensive effort is what was huge for us,” said Leonard. “The amount of deflections she had was just crazy. I can’t say enough about the heart that she plays with.”
Ella Sprague also played well in the win, just missing a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. The sisterly duo of Grace DiGrande and Sophie DiGrande each scored seven points.
For Classical, Amber Crayton was the top scorer with 13 points and four rebounds. Jazzmine Masse was right behind with 12 points, while Jean Gupton-Morrison had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Skyler Crayton added 10 points and eight rebounds.
“It’s a shot-making game, and they went out and made more shots than us tonight,” said Classical coach Tom Sawyer. “But it wasn’t for a lack of effort. The girls played really hard out there, and while there’s a couple things we’d like to have back, that’s how the game goes sometimes.”
The Rams got off to a solid start, driving the lane early and taking an eight-point lead right off the bat. But about halfway through the quarter, things changed. Rosa started to heat up for Swampscott, scoring nine points in the quarter and bringing the game to a 14-14 tie at the end of the first.
The second quarter was the most back-and-forth of all, and it was also the lowest-scoring with 16 total points getting scored. There were five lead changes and one tie over the course of the quarter, and it was a small run by Masse and Classical at the end of the half that gave the Rams a 24-20 lead at the break.
But that lead didn’t last long. The Big Blue quickly tied the game and took the lead, eventually extending that lead to as much as seven points. But once again Classical was able to rally late to make it close, and Swampscott held a slim 35-33 lead going into the fourth.
The final quarter was up and down for both teams. Swampscott went up by as much as eight at one point, but by the time there were 30 seconds left in the game Classical had cut it to just three points. The Rams even got the ball back with a chance to tie with under 20 seconds left, but Grace DiGrande came away with a big steal and hit a game-clinching free throw to give the Big Blue the win.
Now at 9-6, Classical stands just one win away from a state tournament berth. The Rams have a quick turnaround with a game against Medford Friday night.
“You’ve just got to go out and compete and try to make plays,” said Sawyer. “At the end of the day it’s all about making plays, so we’re going to have to find a way to do that if we want to win tough games.”
Swampscott (11-2) also has a quick turnaround with a game against Winthrop Friday night. The Big Blue, already in the tournament, are focused on improving every day as the tournament draws closer.
“We have a tough stretch of games coming up with some good teams in the league,” said Leonard. “I think we just have to take it one game at a time, build towards a good seed and hopefully get a home game in the tournament.”
