SWAMPSCOTT — Tuesday night brought heroics for one side — heartbreak for the other.
Swampscott’s boys basketball team, hosting its second Division 3 state tournament game in four days, seemed to be in a good spot late in the fourth quarter. In the end, however, the No. 4 Big Blue fell to No. 13 Norwell 43-42.
After Swampscott’s Connor Chiarello tied the game 40-40 with 1:20 remaining, Teddy O’Neill buried a mid-range jumper from the free-throw line to put the hosts ahead 42-40 with 10 ticks left.
Norwell advanced the ball past half-court before calling a timeout. After the break, right near the center-court logo, Nick Fein swished a fadeaway three to complete the upset.
The Clippers stormed the court and advanced to the Elite 8, where they’ll play the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 5 Sci-Tech of Springfield and No. 12 Greater Lawrence Tech at 6 p.m.
In front of its dedicated student section, Swampscott jumped to an early 13-3 lead and set the tone with aggressive defense and balanced scoring, according to coach Jason Knowles. Norwell battled back to take a 26-22 halftime lead.
It was a back-and-forth second half before Fein’s dagger.
Chiarello (15 points) and O’Neill (14) led the Big Blue’s offense, while Chase Groothuis added seven points and Mike Lutko another six. With his strong paint presence, Sam Moscoso anchored the defense.
Swampscott bowed out of the tournament with a 17-5 record under coach Jason Knowles, whose team defeated No. 29 Nantucket last Saturday in the Round of 32.
Knowles announced his retirement postgame after seven seasons.
