BEVERLY — The St. Mary’s boys basketball team made it a little harder than it needed to Friday night at Henry Cabot Lodge Field House, but the Spartans were able to hang on late and take down Beverly by a score of 57-54 in a non-conference battle.
“This was a great game and a great battle between two good programs,” said St. Mary’s coach Dave Brown. “It was definitely a game of runs and both teams had their moments, but we were able to grind this one out.”
Ali Barry led the way for the Spartans with 16 points and four rebounds, while David Brown Jr. was close behind with 15 points and four rebounds. Omri Merryman added 10 points, while Derick Coulanges had four points and led the team in rebounds with 10. Anthony D’Itria (five points, three rebounds) and Nick Sacco (four points, three rebounds) contributed solid minutes off the bench.
But the shooting was inconsistent at best for the Spartans, meaning that their defense needed to be there all night long.
“We wanted to really use our athleticism to our advantage and really get in those passing lanes,” said Brown. “I think that kept (Beverly) off balance all night.”
The Spartans simply couldn’t have gotten off to a hotter start if they had tried, using a combination of press defense and knock-down shooting to jump out to a 14-0 lead in the first three minutes of play. Beverly was able to stem the tide a bit in the latter part of the quarter, but St. Mary’s still took an 18-8 lead into the second quarter.
After an initial run by the Panthers to get within six points, St. Mary’s was able to make a number of key plays on the defensive end to retake control. After a late barrage, the Spartans took a 32-20 lead into the halftime break.
The second half also started off in the Spartans’ favor, as St. Mary’s was able to stretch out to its biggest lead of the night (16 points) early in the third quarter. The Spartans were able to keep that edge for the rest of the quarter, heading into the final frame with a 42-29 lead.
But Beverly wouldn’t quit. Behind a combination of great defense and timely shot-making, the Panthers battled all the way back to within three points in the final minute of play.
But, despite some struggles with making free throws down the stretch, Brown and Barry were able to knock down six free throws in the final seconds to seal the win and send the Spartans home happy.
St. Mary’s (1-0) returns to the court Tuesday evening (6:30) against Arlington Catholic for its home opener at Tony Conigliaro Gymnasium.
“We definitely have a lot to work on, especially in the shooting department,” said Brown. “But that’s the good thing about practice, is now we have a few days to work on things before the next game.”