PEABODY — It was a tale of two halves Wednesday evening as Marblehead’s boys basketball team entered Peabody and walked out comfortably with a 64-48 win.
Although Marblehead won by double digits, the game was tied, 22-22, in the first half with both teams struggling to get anything going on the offensive end.
But in the second half, they became Magicians.
Marblehead’s Sam Thompson scored 12 of his 21 points in the second half and was a constant presence on the glass, giving the Magicians multiple second- and third-chance opportunities.
“We got on him a little bit to stay confident. We said easy shots are going to create some opportunities for you and I think he’s been pressing a little bit and kind of fighting himself,” said Marblehead coach Mike Giardi. “We said just get to the board and finish at the glass and not worry about finishing at the rim. Finish at the glass and you’ll be able to get in there. He did some nice stuff tonight. Declan (Gibson) and Rylan (Golden) did a great job in the high-low action.”
Peabody was without Jimmy Festa, who rolled his ankle during practice, which allowed Marblehead to use its size to its advantage.
Both coaches recognized Festa’s absence.
“Them not having Jimmy Festa tonight, I think, helped us a bit because he’s not going to outrebound you, but he’s going to take up a lot of space and occupy a lot,” Giardi said. “He’s a big, strong kid. You’re not going to move him off the block.”
“We hung with them for a half and then I thought the rebounding advantage tilted toward them in the second half. They were outrebounding us on most of the plays and that’s a credit to them. We’re a bit small tonight without Jimmy,” said Peabody coach Thad Broughton. “I thought they got a bunch of easy looks and converted. On the other end, we’re just scoring to score right now, so it’s been tough.”
Marblehead took a 41-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
There, Marblehead sophomore Finn Baron took over. He scored five straight points before gaining more confidence each possession, whether it was from behind the arc or down the lane.
Baron scored 20 points with 13 coming in the final eight minutes of regulation.
“It was defense-into-offense for us and him being able to get out on the break and get to the backboard and rim was huge for us. When he plays with confidence, he’s tough. To think he’s only a sophomore, that’s a big thing for us,” Giardi said.
Broughton said his team’s defense wasn’t at the level he wanted.
“In the first half, I felt both teams struggled offensively. The difference was, in the second half, they converted and we didn’t,” he said. “That’s been an Achilles’ heel right now. We just need to get going offensively. Conversely, we struggled defensively and we’re usually a pretty good defensive team.”
One player who stepped up in Festa’s absence was Aneudy Medrano. The senior scored 12 points, including two threes in the fourth quarter .
“Before the game, we talked to Aneudy and told him that without Jimmy, he needed to step up down low and I thought he played amazing tonight,” Broughton said. “He’s given us amazing minutes all year long. He hit some big threes to try and make a comeback, but ultimately, we came up short. I’m very proud of his effort.”
Marblehead’s (7-7) focus is to qualify for the postseason, but Giardi knows that’s a tall task with games winding down.
“We’re fighting an uphill battle to try and get into the tournament right now. You have to get 10 wins, but you can’t get 10 until you get that next one,” Giardi said. “This is a big one for us, especially after the first game that we had against them where we really didn’t play well because we didn’t hustle or get after it.”
Peabody looks to rebound Friday night at Danvers with tip-off slated for 7 p.m., while Marblehead hosts Salem Academy on the same day and at the same time.
