MARBLEHEAD — High school basketball seasons have come to an end for Marblehead’s girls and boys teams. The boys went 13-8 and earned the No. 20 seed in the Division 2 state tournament, while the girls were the No. 38 seed and finished 13-9.
Throughout the regular season, both teams got off to fast starts. On the girls side, after dropping their first game of the season to Danvers, the Magicians went on a four-game winning streak against Beverly, Saugus, Revere, and Shawsheen Valley Tech. Meanwhile, the boys also won four of their first five games after beating Danvers, Salem Academy, Saugus, and Bishop Fenwick.
Boys coach Mike Giardi had his team compete in the 4th Annual Zach Markowitz Memorial Tournament, where the Magicians prevailed and smashed Salem Academy 72-40. Tommy McGovern scored 15 points and was named to the All-Tournament Team, while Cameron Weaver (9) was named Tournament MVP.
And when schedules get released, you could say everyone keeps an eye out for Swampscott.
Unfortunately for the boys, they came up winless against their traditional archrivals, but on the girls side, they took care of business and won home and away matchups.
In the first meeting at home, the girls won 48-36 with coach Paul Moran describing it as a “total team effort.” Tessa Andriano recorded eight points and eight rebounds, while Greta Sachs (12 points) and Lucy McDonald (10) reached double digits.
Then, a month later, the girls traveled to Swampscott and walked out of enemy territory with a 40-33 win. Marblehead trailed by one point at halftime before Andriano caught fire. The senior netted 21 points.
Toward the tailend of the season, the boys went on a three-game skid, losing to Beverly, Masconomet, and Salem to put them at 8-6. The Magicians then put together a five-game winning streak (Peabody, Bishop Fenwick, Gloucester twice, Bedford) to qualify for the postseason.
The boys also claimed the Larry McIntire IAABO Board 130 Classic championship with a victory against Gloucester, in which Finn Baron was named MVP after finishing with 33 total points. McGovern was named to the All-Tournament Team.
In the postseason, both teams were beaten as underdogs. The girls forced overtime against No. 27 Notre Dame Academy (Hingham), but came up short 50-44. The boys faced No. 13 Doherty Memorial and were defeated 83-70.
