DANVERS — For all of their on-court success so far this winter, there’s been one knock on the Masconomet Regional boys basketball team: they aren’t tough mentally or physically.
Out to prove those slanders false, the Chieftains came out blazing Monday night at both ends of the court. They hit well over 50 percent of their shots in the opening half, crashed both the offensive and defensive boards to make the most of their height advantage, and hustled for every loose ball and defensive possession in a complete 85-63 victory over host Danvers.
“It’s been something I’ve been preaching to these guys all year: we haven’t been the team that’s come out and thrown the first punch,” Masconomet head coach Jaycob Morales said after his squad’s sixth win in seven games. “But tonight we threw the first, second and third punch and were ready to go right away. We set the tempo for what we wanted … and what we demanded from ourselves.”
Junior captain Jimmy Farrell had the hot hand, scoring a season-best 31 points by both canning outside jumpers and slashing to the lane for two points. Fellow junior Jamason Vella, the Chieftains’ 6-foot-5 big man, gobbled up more than a dozen rebounds while pouring in 21 points.
“Our on-court play and bench energy carried us through,” said the 17-year-old Farrell, who hails from Middleton. “Plus, we were talking a lot on defense, something we hadn’t always done. But now we do, and it makes a huge difference.”
“When you see a height difference like the one I had,” added Vella, a Topsfield resident, “you want to dominate down low and kill the other team’s motivation.”
Echoing a basketball adage that goes back 135 years, Danvers head coach Jabari Clarke — whose team was playing just its second home contest — let out a small sigh before admitting, “You coach size.”
The Falcons (now 5-4) had battled one of the Northeastern Conference favorites, Beverly, for the full 32 minutes in a loss last Friday. Against another NEC bigwig Monday in just their second home game, they fell behind early, cut the lead to six (32-26) midway through the second quarter, but them fell victim to a 17-1 run by the visitors.
“They’re just bigger, and they have some really good players who can shoot,” Danvers coach Jabari Clarke said of Masconomet. “They’re poised, hit shots over our people … kudos to their players and coaches.
“We brought energy and didn’t quit, but we have to stay composed,” he added. “There was a sequence were I saw three of their guys dive for a loose ball in front of our bench … we need to have that. When you’re down 20 points, it can be fight or flight … we have to keep fighting.”
To its credit, the Falcons never stopped trying to drive to the net, even though they were often met with an array of arms looking to block their shots and/or impede their progress. Captains Kevin Sillars (15 points), Kevin Ahearn (13) and Zach Calabro (13) were all leaders by example, said Clarke, whose club finished with 10 three-pointers.
“We’re trying to rebuild the program,” said the second-year coach. “We went from two wins to five to eight when we got here last season … but we don’t want to celebrate that. What we’re noticing is things like, ‘Hey, it’s loud in here, the defense is talking, kids on the bench are involved, the students are showing up the stands … those are all parts of building it back up.”
All told, 46 of Masconomet’s points came on drives to the net or offensive putbacks. Sophomore Thomas Denton and junior Cal Weidman both had 11 points to help lead an efficient attack offensively.
“We preach sharing the ball and trusting your teammates, knowing that we have pieces everywhere,” said Morales. “We’re ready to show our talent.”
Masconomet 85, Danvers 63
at Danvers High Fieldhouse
Masconomet: Farrell 12-6-31, Weidman 4-0-11, O’Brien 1-0-2, Denton 4-1-11, Vella 9-3-21, Richardson 0-0-0, Pinelli 1-0-3, Rollins 0-0-0, Green 1-0-2, Karas 0-0-0, Doherty 0-0-0, Hannigan 1-0-2, Sanger 0-0-0, Rossi 1-0-2. Totals 34-10-85.
Danvers: DiTomaso 2-0-5, Calabro 5-2-13, Ahearn 4-3-13, Sillars 5-2-15, Randall Martin 2-0-6, Tirella 2-2-6, Bourote 1-0-2, Gaudino 1-0-3, Scarpaci 0-0-0. Totals 22-9-63.
Halftime: M, 49-29.
Three-pointers: M, Weidman 3, Denton 2, Farrell, Pinelli; D, Sillars 3, Ahearn 2, Martin 2, DiTomaso, Calabro, Guadino.
Records: M, 6-1; D, 5-4.