FILE PHOTO
Tommy O’Neil, left, scored seven points for St. John’s Prep in its win over Marblehead Tuesday.
By MIKE ALONGI
The season opened with a bang at the St. John’s Prep gym on Tuesday as the Eagles boys basketball team and Marblehead went back and forth until the final whistle, but in the end the Prep topped the Magicians, 58-51.
It was a combination of some defensive lapses by Marblehead and some great scoring from the Prep in the final minutes to give the Eagles the win.
Nate Hobbs scored 21 points to lead St. John’s, while freshman Jarnel Snow contributed 13 points in his first varsity start. Brett McNiff added eight points, while Tommy O’Neill had seven.
Next up for the Eagles is a home game against Pope John on Saturday afternoon.
For the Magicians, it was senior big man Bo Millett leading the charge with 14 points and sophomore Derek Marino right behind him with 13 points.
“They guys went out there, played hard and played pretty well,” said Marblehead coach Mike Giardi. “But there were a couple stretches where we lost our focus, and you just can’t do that against a team like St. John’s.”
The Magicians will look for their first win on Friday night when they travel to Gloucester to take on the Fishermen.
Everett 82, Lynn Classical 76
The Rams got a great performance from Erick Solis, who scored 20 points in the loss on Tuesday. Dyrrell Rucker was right behind him with 17 points.
Classical will host Peabody on Friday for its home opener.
Georgetown 66, Swampscott 55
The Big Blue fought back from an early deficit on the road at Georgetown, but it wasn’t quite enough to notch their first win of the year. Swampscott fell behind 15 points early and was down 11 at the half before fighting back to within two points late in the third quarter. But then Georgetown was able to outscore the Big Blue by double-digits in the final frame to run away with the win.
“We got off to a slow start tonight and we didn’t handle them well physically early,” said Swampscott coach Dave Born. “But I liked the way we fought back in the second half. We just ran out of gas at the end.”
Junior forward Tony Broadnax gave Swampscott a spark off the bench, leading the way with 17 points and eight assists. Senior captain AJ Venuti was a big part of the second-half comeback, scoring all 11 of his points in the final two quarters. He also contributed three assists and two steals on the night.
Next up for Swampscott (0-2) is a road game against Lynnfield on Friday night. The Pioneers are having their home opener in their brand-new gym, so Born is ready for a great atmosphere.
“It’ll be a big game, I’m sure the crowd over there is going to be jacked up with the opening of their new gym,” he said. “We’ve just got to come out ready from the opening tip and play hard the whole way.”
Stoneham 61, Bishop Fenwick 55
Fenwick fell in a non-conference game in Stoneham to open the season on Tuesday. Isaiah Cashwell-Doe put up a double-double to lead the way for the Crusaders, notching 20 points and 10 rebounds. Ryan Veguilla added 15 points for Fenwick.
“We put forth a tremendous amount of effort on our part, which was good to see in the first game,” said Fenwick coach Kevin Moran. “We’ve got to work on our execution on defense and on the glass, but we’ve got time. It was a good effort to open the year.”
The Crusaders will host Cathedral on Friday night for the team’s home opener.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Northeast Tech 28, Lynn Tech 22
The Tigers fell on the road in their first game of the season despite solid contributions all around. Jamila Constantine led the way with seven points for Tech, while Arianna Anaya scored six points and Alondra Sanchez had four points.
The Tigers are back in action on Friday for their home opener against Chelsea.
SWIMMING
Bishop Fenwick 92, Arlington Catholic 73
Fenwick opened up the season with a conference win on the road at Medford High on Tuesday. Siblings Connor and Catherine Christuk had big days for the Crusaders, with Connor winning the 50-yard freestyle (25.44 seconds) and the 100 backstroke (1:14.10) and Catherine taking the 200 freestyle (2:05.65) and the 100 butterfly (1:03.13). The two also combined with Sophia Lumino and Rowan Emerson to win the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 4:05.
Emerson also won two events for Fenwick, taking the 100 freestyle (58.68) and the 100 breaststroke (1:07.16), while Lumino won both the 200 individual medley (2:19.94) and the 500 freestyle (5:49.69).
The team of Garrett Collins, Michael D’Iorio, Connor Christuk and Emerson won the 200 medley relay (1:55.15) and the team of Joie Dillon, Bryce McCarthy, Catherine Christuk and D’Iorio won the 200 freestyle relay (2:00.06).
Fenwick (1-0) will hold its home opener tomorrow afternoon when it hosts Marian at the Salem YMCA.
Peabody 102, Swampscott 72
Conor McCarthy had a big day for Peabody in the win, placing first in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke. McCarthy was also part of the first-place 200 medley relay team along with Cana Teague, Kirsten Currie and William Connelly. Isabella Forte placed first in the diving competition, Cana Teague won the 100 butterfly and Cailin Currie won the 500 freestyle. The team of Cailin Currie, Kirsten Currie, Cana Teague and Millie Teague won the 400 freestyle relay.
“This was an excellent showing by a relatively new team,” said Peabody coach Maureen Shea. “They came prepared to compete and did very well for so early in the season.”
The Tanners are back in the pool tomorrow afternoon for their home opener against Northeastern Conference foe Beverly at the Torigian Family YMCA.
Marblehead 108, Salem 74
The Magicians got some solid diving performances on Tuesday, with three divers earning scores to qualify for sectionals. Katie Walker finished in first place with a score of 257.30, followed by Ryann Driscoll (194.90) and Carter Murray (157.00). Tom Lockett also notched a first-place finish for Marblehead, winning the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.69 seconds.
Marblehead will have a day off before a road meet against Lynn English on Thursday afternoon.