The Big Blue jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held on to defeat Rockport 4-3 in the championship game of the Lynn Christmas Tournament. Aidan Sprague and Ronan Locke each finished with a goal and an assist, while Derek Faia and Jackson Bartram also scored. Kody Langevain, Will Roddy, and Ben Tolosa all dished out assists, and goalie Jason Bouffard recorded 27 saves in the narrow win. Swampscott improved to 4-1 on season, as momentum is on its side heading into the New Year.
BOYS HOCKEY
Lynnfield 3 Latin Academy 2
The Pioneers struck first when Lucas Cooke scored a short-handed goal on the penalty kill to give Lynnfield a 1-0 lead. Latin Academy tied the score later in the first, but Lynnfield forged ahead 2-1 five seconds into the second period when Drew Damiani lit the lamp. Latin Academy tied the score 2-2 later in the second period, but the Pioneers, again, answered 56 seconds into the third period when Jack Carpenter scored the game-winning goal on a power play, assisted by Damiani. Lynnfield improved its record to 4-0-1 and will take the ice again on Saturday against Gloucester.
St. Mary’s 7, Weymouth 0
The Spartans’ boys hockey team secured its spot in the Serino Tournament championship on Tuesday, defeating Weymouth 7-0. Joey Calder registered a hat-trick, and Brady Bullock, Nick Thornton, Jack D’Alelio, and Maddox Jacobsen scored the others. As he’s accustomed to doing, Anthony Palmer snagged another shutout
GIRLS BASKETBALL
St. Mary’s 61, Stang 29
Led by Niya Morgen’s 23 points, St. Mary’s girls basketball team picked up a 61-29 road victory against Bishop Stang on Tuesday. Returning from their tournament victory in Florida, the momentum never stopped for the Spartans. A 21-0 run from the second into the third quarter put things out of reach. Kellyn Preira (11 points), Yirsy Queliz (10 points, seven assists, five steals), and Reese Matela (six points, 10 rebounds, five blocks) all contributed in the win.
Peabody 72, Amesbury 31
On a night when three Tanners scored 15 points, Peabody’s girls basketball team ran away with the win against Amesbury, 72-21, at the Peabody Field House. Logan Lomasney led the way with 15 points and seven steals, Abby Bettencourt had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and six steals, and Isabel Bettencourt tacked on another 15. Taylor Bettencourt scored nine points to go along with seven assists and five steals, and Lauren Mendonca and Sophia Coburn each played well in the win, especially defensively. “Our fastbreak worked out really well tonight,” Peabody head coach Stan McKeen said. “Some good outside shooting at times, and we controlled the game really.” The Tanners moved to 3-0 with the victory.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Lynnfield 57 Stoneham 51
Lynnfield’s boys basketball team was tied 13-13 at the end of the first quarter against Stoneham, but controlled the game the rest of the way and never trailed beyond that point. The biggest reason for the change – after such a tight opening quarter – was the Pioneers’ defense according to head coach John Bakopolues. “Our defense really took it to another gear after the first quarter, and It was very impressive to see,” Bakopolues said. “The defense was very active, got their hands on a lot of balls, and really made it tough for Stoneham to feel comfortable. Stoneham is a good team, which makes what the defense did even better.” Leading the way for Lynnfield was junior Chris Daniels (18 points, 12 rebounds), sophomore Lain McCarthy (13 points) and senior Cam Marengi (10 points). The Pioneers improved their record to 3-2 and take on Essex Tech on January 3.
Lawrence 82 St. John’s Prep 55
St. John’s Prep found itself down 19-13 at the end of the first quarter against Lawrence on Tuesday, unable to recover once falling behind. Leading the way for the Eagles were Mike O’Brien and Liam Buys.
BOYS TRACK
St. John’s Prep had three athletes invited to the Boston Holiday Tournament at the Reggie Lewis Center, where there were over 1,000 athletes invited from all around New England. The Eagles may have had three athletes participating, but they all had strong performances. Leading the way for the Eagles was Aithan Bezanson, finishing second overall in the pentathlon race. Fellow St. John’s Prep teammate Callum Brown also was in the pentathlon race and finished fourth. Chris McDonough ran the 55-meter dash for the Eagles and finished fifth. St. John’s Prep’s next meet will be in 2023, taking on Catholic Memorial on January 6.
