LYNNFIELD —The Lynnfield Pioneers are creeping closer to state tournament play, and if there’s something they can bring with them from Friday, it’s their three-point shooting and defense. Lynnfield made seven threes and played aggressive defense en route to a 59-30 victory over the Crusaders.
“[Defense] has been our calling call all year,” Lynnfield head coach John Bakopolus said. “It’s all on the kids – they play incredibly hard. They grind it out and take pride in their defense. They want to make the other team’s life difficult at that end.”
The Pioneers got out to an 8-2 run to start things off, and set the tone with their defense. If the Crusaders got the ball in the paint, they were met with Lynnfield players immediately. The Pioneers were smart with traps and jumped passing lanes, leading to transition points.
“That display from the turnover perspective was unacceptable,” Bishop Fenwick head coach Kevin Moran said. “They did a great job and they’re very athletic, so they caused a lot of problems.”
Moran was complimentary of the growth of Lynnfield since playing the Pioneers towards the beginning of the season.
“They’re growing and going in the right direction. They’re getting tournament ready,” Moran said. “Coach Bakopolus is doing a great job with them and they’re looking pretty good. They utilized their size today and their defensive effort was very good.”
The Pioneers held a 27-14 lead going into halftime. And when they stepped back onto the court to begin the third quarter, their defensive intensity continued.
After a three-pointer from Chris Daniels (eight points), Alex Gentile (seven points) stripped the ball from the opposition before finishing with a layup.
Lynnfield pushed its lead to 14 (38-24) entering the final quarter. In the fourth, senior Cam Marengi (14 points) was lights out. In quick succession, Marengi got fouled while attempting a layup, but was strong enough to score. On the next possession, he found himself in the corner and buried a three-pointer. Marengi was feeling himself as his next shot was a one-dribble pullup from beyond the arc – one that hit nothing but net.
“I thought he [Marengi] played great. Cam has been a great senior this year,” Bakopolus said. “He’s done so much for us; I was really happy for him to have the game he had today.”
It’s always nice for the seniors to win on Senior Night in front of a packed house. Bakopolus said he’s going to miss this group of seniors.
“I’m going to miss being around them. They’re just awesome kids. They bring energy and just positive attitudes every day,” Bakopolus said. “I’m lucky to be around them. They made me a better coach and person.”
Bishop Fenwick’s next game is Sunday when it participates in the Larry McIntire Tournament at Marblehead High with tip-off scheduled for 4:15 p.m.
