PEABODY — In a game where both the Peabody and Gloucester girls basketball teams needed a win, it was the Tanners that pulled through for a 54-35 victory at Peabody’s Field House.
Peabody’s Liz Zaiter scored a season-high 18 points and also hauled down 10 boards to lead the Tanners (7-10). With the victory, the Tanners stay alive as they hunt for a berth in the state tournament.
“We live to play another day,” said Peabody coach Stan McKeen. “Liz was tremendous tonight. She and Jonalyn (Carpenter) played well together down the stretch and it was one and done for the other team without too many second opportunities.”
Peabody struggled early on with turnovers, which Gloucester pounced to jump out to a 12-6 lead after the opening quarter. The Fishermen stretched the lead to eight, 21-13 with about two minutes left in the second quarter after a jumper by Whitney Schrock.
The final two minutes was a two-player battle between Zaiter and Schrock. After Schrock (12 points) converted one-of-two free throws, Zaiter cut the deficit to 22-17 with an offensive rebound and put-back, then a dish from Serena Laro (8 points, all in the fourth quarter, 6 assists) and layup cut the Tanner deficit to 22-15. After Schrock countered with a pair of free throws, Zaiter took a feed from Kristina Rossignoll and laid it in, then, after another Schrock hoop, Zaiter closed out the half with a little floater to send the Tanners into halftime down by five, 26-21.
Gloucester’s Beatrice Sumner bumped the lead back up to seven, 28-21, on the first possession of the second half. Peabody responded with an 8-0 run on another Zaiter hoop, a pair of free throws by Catherine Manning (5 points, 3 steals) after a big offensive rebound and steal and coast-to-coast layup by Jordan Muse (2 points). Manning gave Peabody its first lead of the game at 29-28 off a pretty inbounds pass from Crotty. Schrock canned a pair of free throws to put the Fishermen back on top, 30-29, with 5:30 left in the quarter.
That was as good as it got for the Fishermen, as Peabody’s defense clamped down to hold the Fisherman for about a six-minute stretch spilling over into the fourth quarter. Peabody closed out the quarter with a 14-0 run to lead by 13, 43-30, with eight minutes to play. The Tanners carried the momentum into the fourth and put Gloucester away with a 6-0 run to lead by 19, 49-30, two minutes into the quarter. Gloucester finally put an end to the 20-0 run with a Schrock free throw with a little more than five minutes left in the game, but it was too little too late.
Rossignol (11 points), who McKeen said has been struggling to find her her shot, hit a pair of back-to-back threes in the third quarter that gave Peabody a double-digit lead.
‘When she hit that first shot in the first, you could see she needed that for her confidence level,” said McKeen. “She’s been struggling a little in the last few games, but she hit some big shots for us tonight.”
Peabody’s back in action with another must-win game tomorrow night when the Tanners host Swampscott on Senior Night (7).