PEABODY – A very young Bishop Fenwick girls hoop squad came painstakingly close to knocking off one of the top teams in the state last night in first-round action of the Tanner City Holiday Tourney at Peabody High.The Crusaders (1-3), who had trailed by as many as eight (44-36 midway through the third quarter), battled back to bounce into a 63-61 lead on a leaning runner by forward Bria Tiro with only 56 seconds remaining. However, the Red Raiders took advantage of Fenwick fouls down the stretch to offset the Crusaders, 66-63.”They played very hard against a very good club,” said Fenwick coach Tim Harrington of his charges. “We play a lot of young kids, and we’re younger than we look.”The Crusaders trailed, 60-55, with just under five minutes to go, but got it to within three on free throws by Lauren DiCarlo (the team’s leading scorer with 20) and Lizzy Trainor. Fenwick took advantage of several Melrose (4-1) misses, with forward Kristen Krom converting to bring the Crusaders to within 60-59 with 2:36 remaining. Emily Clark extended the Red Raiders lead to 61-59 with a free throw, yet DiCarlo made a pair from the line to even the game at 61 with under two minutes left.Fenwick bolted to a 15-10 edge at the end of the opening quarter, yet Melrose took advantage of several Crusader turnovers to lead 34-30 at the half. Red Raiders guard Meaghan Kirwan (the game’s leading scorer with 24) had 14 points, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer just seconds after guard Amy Pelletier brought Fenwick to within 31-30. Kirwan’s basket took momentum away from the Crusaders for the time being.”I thought we lost the game on the defensive side,” added Harrington. “Melrose had a lot of inside hoops in the third quarter, and they’re just a tough team.”Guard Bridget Dullea finished with 19 points for Fenwick, while Siena Mamayek had 13 for Melrose.Winnacunnet (NH) 56, Peabody 42In the nightcap, the Tanners (4-1) jumped out to a quick lead before Winnacunnet (5-0) took control.Peabody used its size to its advantage early on, as the taller Tanners pounded the ball inside to establish the early lead. However, Winnacunnet was able to speed up the tempo of the game, which favored the quicker Warriors.Heading into the second quarter trailing 13-7, Winnacunnet scored the next 19 points to take a 26-13 advantage. The turnaround was highlighted by the long-range shooting of Tiffany Ruffin and Lindsey Mahoney, who combined for 10 of the points.Peabody finally scored with just 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter, bringing the halftime score to 26-15.After the game, Peabody coach Jane Heil said that after the first quarter her team tried to play outside its strengths.”I really think we need to show a little more discipline,” Heil said. “We need to get back to the basics.”Peabody started the second half with two free throws from Lindsey Consoles, but Winnacunnet ran off the next 15 points to take a commanding 41-17 edge.From that point forward, the Warriors were able to cruise to the victory.Winnacunet’s MVP Ruffin was especially strong for the Warriors, contributing 18 points and 5 assists. Mahoney and Conley Burns chipped in with 13 and 11 points, respectively.Janelle Rodriquez, who contributed 10 points and 5 rebounds, was named MVP for Peabody. Tawny Palmeri led the Tanners with 13 points.Despite the loss, Heil said playing against Winnacunnet, the defending state champion in NH, was a good experience for her squad.”We have a pretty good collection of teams (at the tournament),” Heil said. “Sure, it’s nice to win, but I’d rather be challenged. Hopefully this will be an educational process.”