Tuesday’s Sweet 16 boys basketball game between Marblehead and Pope Francis was tied 57-57 with seconds remaining. A three-point shot from the Magicians bounced off the rim and into the waiting hands of Miles O’Neill. The rest is history.
O’Neill scored at the buzzer, positioning himself perfectly for the rebound and finishing the layup to win the game for Marblehead 59-57.
“He did a great job grabbing the rebound, and an even better job putting it back in,” Marblehead coach Mike Giardi said.
It was a designed play with Marblehead getting exactly what it wanted. That said, despite the initial miss, it all worked out in the end.
“Sometimes hustle and heart are a little better than the best designed plays,” Giardi said. “Our kids stayed poised and didn’t panic at the end.”
In case you were wondering how it got to that point, Marblehead held a strong lead heading into the third quarter, but Pope Francis wouldn’t go away.
“We missed a couple of big shots that could’ve extended it,” Giardi said. “They just kept chipping away and attacking the hoop.” Giardi said.
Marblehead’s leading scorers were Nicholas Lemmond (19 points), Ryan Commoss (14), and Tyrone Countryman (9) as the team is moving on to the Elite 8.
BOYS BASKETBALL
St. Mary’s 73
Dedham 33
The Spartans collected a 40-point victory against Dedham Tuesday night, dominating from beginning to end inside their home gym. Now, they set their sights on Tech Boston in the Elite 8 of the Division III tournament.
The first quarter had the Derrick Coulanges effect, aka, heart and hustle. In the first quarter alone, he scored, recorded steals, and dove on the floor for a loose ball before calling a timeout.
“I actually said that to my assistant coach,” St. Mary’s coach David Brown said. “Derrick was very active today with rebounding [and] loose balls… he got to a lot.”
And in case you were wondering what David Brown Jr. can do, a sequence in the second quarter said it all. Brown pinned the ball off the glass for a block, brought the ball down for an assist, then recorded another block off the glass as the ball went the other way – all to the roar of the St. Mary’s faithful.
The Spartans led 25-8 at halftime.
“In the first half, we defended very well but we didn’t score too much,” David Brown Sr. said.
But in the second half, St. Mary’s forced several turnovers and dominated in transition. And in the end, the Spartans sent their fans home happy.
“We got a lot of points that way,” David Brown Sr. said. “We knew, going into the game, we were a bit more athletic than them.”
David Brown Jr. (15 points), Nick Sacco (13), and JJ Martinez (12) led the way for St. Mary’s.
Pioneer Valley Regional 60
KIPP 59
Vic Mafo scored 20 points while Trosky Pena followed with 12, but it wasn’t enough as KIPP was bested on the road by Pioneer Valley Regional 60-59 in a heartbreaker.
Despite the loss, first-year head coach Moody Bey couldn’t have been happier with his team.
“Turning a team that went 3-17 to a team whose season ended in a one-point loss in the Sweet 16,” Bey said. “This is a group I will ride with 365 days of the year.”
It was certainly a season to remember for the Panthers who won 13 games this season (two in the postseason).
“They did not buy into anything; they built this,” Bey said. “They defined the culture of this team through their actions daily.”
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Bishop Fenwick 55
Watertown 36
The Fenwick girls basketball team has been on a tear as of late – that didn’t stop Tuesday. The Crusaders won 55-36 on their home-court against Watertown, earning them a spot in the Division III Elite 8 where they’ll go up against Archbishop Williams.
The Crusaders won by 19, but it wasn’t like that early on.
“We started out slow, it was 0-0 for the first five minutes,” Fenwick head coach Adam DeBaggis said. “Just a lot of nerves from us… but we sort of settled down.”
That they did. Fenwick exploded in the third quarter and the rest followed. Cecilia Kay led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Caitlin Boyle followed with 14 points and four blocks.
DeBaggis also called Celia Nelson “fantastic” as the freshman had 12 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and four steals.
“We’ve really seen a big growth spurt the past month or so,” DeBaggis said of freshmen Boyle and Nelson.
