PEABODY — The Peabody girls basketball team opened up its 2021 season with a bang, notching a 57-16 win over Northeastern Conference foe Gloucester at home Tuesday night. The Tanners went on a 15-0 run to end the first quarter and never looked back, coasting to a victory.
Senior Amber Kiricoples led the way for Peabody with 13 points –11 of them coming in the first quarter alone — with 10 rebounds and five steals. Junior Emma Bloom made a splash with 10 points in the win, while freshman Logan Lomasney and sophomore Lauren Mendonca scored nine points each. Sophomore Isabel Bettencourt (six points), freshman Abigail Bettencourt (four points) and senior Aja Alimonti (four points) also played well in the victory.
The Tanners gave up the opening basket of the game and then shut things down on the defensive end, rolling to a 15-0 run through the rest of the quarter. Kiricoples was the engine that ran the Peabody drive, scoring 11 of her 13 points in the opening frame. By the time the buzzer sounded at the end of the first, Peabody led 15-2.
The Tanners continued to play well from there, with Bloom earning several trips to the free throw line while Mendonca and Lomasney made plays on both ends of the floor. Peabody only allowed seven total points in the entire first half, and the Tanners took a 31-7 lead into the break.
The second half was much of the same, with Peabody getting a number of players out on the floor while continuing to hold the lead. The defensive intensity remained for the entire game as the Tanners cruised to a 39-point victory.
Peabody has a quick turnaround now, going up against Winthrop on the road Thursday night (7:15).
