LYNN — Last year, when St. Mary’s and Newburyport met late in the regular season, it took a JJ Martinez buzzer-beater to snip the Clippers. Tuesday night, the Spartans didn’t let it get there and won the Spartan Classic title 79-55.
It wasn’t easy, though. The hosts trailed 35-33 at halftime after a 12-0 Newburyport run.
But during the third quarter — the story of the game — St. Mary’s (19-3) outscored Newburyport (17-2) 32-8.
“We didn’t feel great about that first half,” said first-year St. Mary’s coach Josh Keilty. “We needed to guard.”
Defensive intensity increased and St. Mary’s balanced attack became too much for Newburyport.
“I thought Gabe Makuwa-Sykes was unbelievable defensively, shutting down all those drives,” Keilty said. “Jason Perry, Rowan (Merryman), and Johnny Chareas all did a great job on No. 2 (Zayd Leanna) and 3 (Cal Atherton) all night. Defense and rebounding were the difference.”
Makuwa-Sykes was the second-half spark. He buried two triples and scored a putback during the run. But the play that energized the St. Mary’s faithful was a charge midway through the third quarter.
“We were down two (points), but I wanted to instill my hard defense,” Makuwa-Sykes said. “As a team, we talk about the stuff that helps us win like diving on the ball, cutting, help defense — all stuff that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.”
Merryman was fouled on a 3-pointer and converted all three free throws. The next possession, Makuwa-Sykes drilled a transition three to force a Newburyport timeout after a 19-5 run.
Although Newburyport was hard to stop in the first half, Keilty said he didn’t have to say much at halftime. His players knew the first half wasn’t acceptable.
“By now, we know what we have to do. No one was happy with that first half,” Keilty said. “Everyone knew, collectively, we had to bring it up as a whole. We have enough leaders on this team that they know.”
Tournament MVP Rolky Brea Arias (20 points) couldn’t be stopped offensively or on the glass. However, early in the first quarter, Keilty had a decision to make with Arias picking up his second foul. Instead of subbing him out, Keilty let him play with two fouls and Arias didn’t pick up his third until the fourth quarter.
“I think Rolky has been playing with four fouls all year,” Keilty said. “He’s one of our leaders and he’s our toughest kid and one of our hardest-playing guys. We need him on the floor and we’re going to trust him and we’ll roll the dice with whatever happens.”
Jake Fortier made the All-Tournament team and finished Tuesday’s game with 19 points, while Newburyport’s Atherton also made the All-Tournament team after netting 16.
“What I love about this (Spartan Classic) the most is the atmosphere. This gym gets packed, it’s loud, and it’s a great environment for the kids,” Keilty said. “I think it helps prepare us. It’s really well-run and I can’t say enough about it. I’m really happy to get Lynn Tech and then Newburyport as great opponents.”
St. Mary’s turns its attention to the postseason and awaits Saturday’s seedings (1 p.m.). The Spartans were ranked No. 1 and Newburyport No. 10 as of Tuesday’s Division 2 power rankings.
“I’m very excited for this tournament run. There’s going to be a lot of good teams coming up. This will not be a breeze or anything like that,” Makuwa-Sykes said.
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
