The St. Mary’s boys basketball team battled back from down double-digits multiple times, but in the end the Spartans fell to Belmont, 74-63, in the championship game of the Comcast/Dvinci Tournament at Woburn on Monday evening. Stephen Fama led the Spartans with 23 points, while Jalen Echevarria had 19. Fama and Echevarria were named to the all-tournament team.
Lee Pacheco added eight points and Chip Onwuogu had seven points.
“It was a tough game on the road against a good team,” St. Mary’s coach Dave Brown said. “These are the games that get us ready for the state tournament.”
St. Mary’s (15-3) is right back in action tonight in the Spartan Classic at Conigliaro Gymnasium. The Spartans host Cathedral at 7.
BOYS BASKETBALL
St. John’s Prep 78, Billerica 57
The Eagles closed out their regular season on a high note, notching a 21-point win in the consolation round of the EMass Hoops Invitational.
Tommy O’Neil led the way with 27 points, while Nate Hobbs added 16 and Patrick Sweetnam had 12.
St. John’s Prep (16-5) will now await its seeding in the Division 1 North tournament.
Everett 69, English 62
In a rematch between two of the better teams in the NEC, the Bulldogs fell to the Crimson Tide in the championship game of the EMass Hoops Invitational. English finishes the regular season 16-4 and awaits the tournament pairings.
Peabody 79, Essex Tech 51
Chris Canela scored 22 points to lead the Tanners (12-8). Jake Irvine scored 15, Adrian Medrano added nine and Marcus Barker played “an unbelievable all-around game,” Tanners coach Thad Broughton said.
“We’re proud of the way the season ended and we’re looking forward to the tournament.”
Gloucester 59, Bishop Fenwick 38
Gloucester’s Ben Oliver led all scorers with 23 points in the consolation round of the Larry McIntire IAABO Board 130 Classic, good enough to earn All-Tournament team honors. Marcus Montagnino added 19 points for the Fishermen. Gloucester closes the regular season with a 10-10 record, earning a tournament berth on the final game of the year.
Fenwick was led by Nik Pignone, who scored 14 points and was also named to the All-Tournament team. The Crusaders finish at 3-17.
Beverly 68, Masconomet 66
Tournament MVP Duncan Moreland poured in 22 points to leads the Panthers to the championship, while Jack Crowley scored 16. All-Tournament selection Toskany Abreau added eight points.
Beverly finishes the regular season at 15-5.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
St. Mary’s 49, Wilmington 47
The Spartans claimed the Spartan Classic championship with a 49-47 win. Tournament MVP Olivia Nazaire scored four points, had 13 rebounds, and 6 steals to lead St. Mary’s. Pamela Gonzalez (13 points), Gabby Torres (12 points) and Olivia Matela (10 points) all played well in the win for St. Mary’s (17-6).
“It’s always nice to win your own tournament,” St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newhall said. “We had a great regular season playing an excellent league and non-league schedule. Hopefully that makes us stronger for a run in the tournament.”
Bishop Fenwick 33, Masconomet 32
The girls championship game at the Larry McIntire IAABO Board 130 Classic was a true defensive battle, as the two teams only combined to score 23 points in the second half. Fenwick’s Olivia DiPietro scored 10 points and was named tournament MVP.
The Crusaders finish the regular season at 11-9 and wait for their seeding in the state tournament.
Groton-Dunstable 72, Saugus 42
Alessia Salzillo scored 13 points. Jillian Ricupero and Molly Granara each scored seven. Saugus finishes the regular season 12-8 and awaits the tournament pairings.
BOYS HOCKEY
St. John’s Prep 7, Danvers 0
This game was a tale of two teams seemingly headed in opposite directions. The Prep hasn’t lost a game since Jan. 21 (7-0-2 in that span), while Danvers hasn’t won a game since Feb. 10 (0-3-1 in that span).
The Eagles were led by two goals from Zach McKennelly, while Brian Carrabes added one goal and one assist. David Sacco, Shamus Lombard, Ryan Hart and Joe Bevere each had one goal, while Jack Riley, Evan Beers and Pat Moran each had one assist. St. John’s (13-3-3) will close out the regular season on Wednesday against Braintree at Zapustas Arena in Randolph.
Danvers (15-3-1) will host North Reading on Friday in search of a win to close out the regular season.
Marblehead 7, East Longmeadow 3
Jacob Garfield scored three goals to pace the Marblehead offense in a win at Rockett Arena. Loch Sheridan, Collin Hart, Will Shull and Drew Cioffi each had one goal in the win, while Zach Piersol had two assists.
The Magicians (4-12-5) close out the regular season on Wednesday with a long trip out to Nantucket.
Malden Catholic 2, Lincoln-Sudbury 0
The Lancers kept their tournament hopes alive with a big win in a non-league game against Lincoln-Sudbury. Ryan Noonan had one goal and one assist on the offensive end, while Aidan Plant earned the shutout in net.
Malden Catholic (8-8-3) needs just one more point to get into the tournament with two games remaining. The Lancers will play St. Mary’s in the opening round of the Cardinal Classic on Wednesday at Olympia Center in West Springfield.
Winthrop 3, Beverly 0
Steve Holgersen and Brian Chalmers each had one goal and one assist as the Vikings rolled to a shutout win. Sam Yarrow added the third goal, while Jake Adamson had one assist. Winthrop (11-6-2) will travel to Kasabuski Rink on Thursday (1:30) to face Saugus in its final regular season game.
Beverly finishes the regular season at 10-6-4 and awaits seeding in the state tournament.