PEABODY — Peabody’s boys basketball team used its home-court advantage to take down KIPP Academy, 66-53, Friday night. Despite the Tanners’ double-digit win, the game was a “classic” if you ask Peabody coach Thad Broughton.
KIPP led, 15-12, after the first quarter with nine points coming from behind the arc.
The sharpshooting continued, but not in KIPP’s favor. Peabody went on a 15-0 run in the second quarter, which included two threes from guard Mark Mendonca (15 points).
“He was a huge bright spot for us tonight and he’s been really solid for us all season. We rely on him,” Broughton said. “He’s a phenomenal 3-point shooter, but he does so many other things. He’s a really good defender and we rely on him to get the ball up the court as well. He hit some big shots for us.”
Peabody took a 53-33 halftime lead and didn’t look back.
Broughton went with a zone defense, which made it hard for KIPP’s players to get off clean shots.
“I thought we put a bit of pressure on KIPP and forced turnovers, which got us going. They’re a tough matchup. They gave us some serious matchup issues that we had to deal with. All of their guys can really play,” Broughton said. “We built that lead because of the turnovers and getting hot at the right time.”
According to KIPP coach Moody Bey, his team lost because its effort level didn’t match Peabody’s.
“It was the controllables. I think we let them win all of the effort plays. They got more possession than us because they’re stronger inside and outside. We turned the ball over too much and gave up too many offensive rebounds,” Bey said. “When you play against a team of their caliber, if they shoot 60 shots and you get 40, they’re going to win nine times out of 10.”
In the second half, Peabody received a boost from senior guard Jariel Tolentino and freshman guard Thad Broughton Jr. Tolentino scored 14 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, while Broughton – showing off his overall game – connected on three 3-pointers and made plays at the rim.
KIPP continued to battle behind Viccee Howard, who scored 17 points to lead the Panthers. Howard, late in the game, went on a 6-0 run that included three steals. His mini-run made it 57-44, but with 2:29 remaining, there wasn’t enough time to mount a comeback.
“We found out that we’re not good enough to just show up and beat people. We have to play 32 minutes and take pride in things that matter,” Bey said. “Take pride in boxing out, help-side defense, take charges. We know we can’t just show up and win just because we’ve been rolling lately.”
KIPP’s next game is Monday when the Panthers travel to Saugus at 6:30 p.m. Peabody is back on home court Tuesday when it hosts Danvers at 7 p.m.
