MARBLEHEAD — When you play in a hostile environment against your traditional rival, it’s easy for players to become, frankly, too excited.
Thursday night, Big Blue freshman Teddy O’Neill introduced himself to the Marblehead vs. Swampscott rivalry, scoring 19 points in his team’s 79-63 win against the Magicians.
“His poise sticks out. He’s one of the most mature freshmen I have ever coached. We have a very good youth program that’s led by Jerry Cerrutti – shoutout to him,” said Swampscott coach Jason Knowles. “He prepares his kids and they come in with high IQs. Our freshmen have high IQs and a lot of it is because of him. They come in prepared and it makes my job a lot easier.”
O’Neill scored 10 points in the first half, but Swampscott trailed, 39-37, at the break.
Although Knowles isn’t afraid to put freshmen on the court, he also relies on his upperclassmen to get the job done.
In the second half, Swampscott turned up the pressure. Connor Chiarello (23 points) and Chase Groothuis (16) took control in the third quarter to put the Big Blue on top by nine points (65-56).
Marblehead started to run out of gas – and bodies – according to head coach Mike Giardi.
“Being down Finn Gallup hurts a little bit in terms of our rotation. Finn Baron got hurt during the game and Sam (Thompson) got banged up a little bit,” Giardi said. “Then, we also lost focus and against a good team like that, you’re giving up points.”
One example came midway through the third quarter. Swampscott was in the transition and no one picked up O’Neill, who stepped into an open 3-pointer and buried it.
In the fourth quarter, Chiarello stepped up again with a few steals and fastbreak layups.
“They’re a really good team,” Giardi said. “They play hard and our guys need to do a better job of staying focused and staying poised down the end.”
Although the Magicians didn’t get the win, there were some players who stuck out, including Thompson (16 points). He made life difficult for the Big Blue in the second and third quarters on the glass.
“He’s a really good leader. Ran out of gas at the end, but we have to do a better job of getting better rotation with him,” Giardi said. “His leadership out there is everything. He doesn’t have to score to make his presence felt. He commands everything out there and he did a great job.”
Earlier this week, Swampscott lost its first game of the season. One reason why Lynn Classical got the win was because it controlled the glass. Against Marblehead, despite being the shorter team, the Big Blue held their own on the boards.
“That game against Lynn Classical prepared us for tonight. Playing against bigs like that prepared us for Marblehead’s bigs. They have guys who can push around down there and set hard picks, box out, and get rebounds,” Knowles said. “He has a really good team. For us to come out with a victory at Marblehead is tough and I’m proud of my guys.”
Swampscott returns home Tuesday when it hosts Salem at 7 p.m. Marblehead looks to bounce back Friday, Jan. 17 in a home game against Danvers at 7 p.m.
