BEVERLY — With a chance to take over first place in the Northeastern Conference — in arguably the league’s toughest gym for an opposing team to play in — Masconomet junior captain Jimmy Farrell rose to the occasion.
With the Chieftains and host Beverly tied going into the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s marquee matchup, Farrell found his mid-range game in the fourth quarter and scored with authority as Masconomet pulled away for a 72-60 victory at Henry Cabot Lodge Fieldhouse.
Farrell was one of five Chieftains in double figures with 17 points, with 12 of those coming in the second half as Masconomet (9-1 overall) remained unbeaten against NEC competition at 6-0.
“He’s a special player and didn’t let a tough first half get him frustrated,” said Masconomet coach Jaycob Morales. “Especially in a fourth quarter, there’s nobody out there who I’d want the ball in their hands more than Jimmy.”
Beverly (6-5) scored just nine points in the fourth quarter, which began with the NEC Dunn’s top two squads tied 51-51. An ankle injury that sidelined Panther star guard Jacob Klass was a major factor in the offensive output for the hosts, who were already without junior guard (and fellow captain) Danny Pierce due to injury.
Senior forward Ehioze Okhuozagbon had a big night down low with 13 points to keep the Panthers within striking distance late in the third. Beverly made a 10-1 run early in the period before Klass sprained an ankle. He tired to return but ultimately wasn’t cleared for the final quarter.
“Obviously everything runs through Jacob, so that’s not something we’re really prepared for on the fly,” noted Panthers coach Matt Karakoudas. “I liked the way we battled. We held them to nine in the third quarter and got ourselves back in the game and that shows what we’re capable of as a group.”
Klass had a game-high 23 points despite playing a little more than half the game. He scored 20 in the first half alone, going a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
Junior Cal Weidman had a team-high 18 points for the Chieftains, drilling four three pointers (with three of those coming from NBA distance) in the first half to stretch out the Beverly defense. Senior captain Devin O’Brien scored 13, sophomore Thomas Denton had 14 and junior Jamason Vella notched 10 to put all five Chieftain starters in double figures.
“We share the ball,” Morales said. “It’s a total team effort. We preach it not just at practice but also in our team bonding events and with the team support system. That’s how we want to play.”
It was largely a game of runs, with eight lead changes. Masconomet jumped ahead 7-2 before Beverly answered with a 10-2 run to lead by two after one. The Chieftains then made a run of their own to lead by seven at halftime (42-25) with the Panthers responding with a 10-1 spurt to begin the third.
Farrell keyed a 12-4 run to open the fourth and Denton splashed a three that gave Masco the first double-digit lead of the night with 2:15 to play.
“We defended really well as a unit in the fourth quarter and we rebounded extremely well,” said Morales. “We haven’t been league champs since 1997 and that’s a saying that we’re embracing as a team. We want to prove there are college basketball players here at Masconomet.”
William Ryan (7 points), Eli Landman (9 points) and Andrew Braganca (5 points) played quality minutes for Beverly, which must regroup quickly with Peabody and its seven-game win streaking visiting on Friday.
Masconomet 72, Beverly 60
At Henry Cabot Lodge Fieldhouse, Beverly
Masconomet;17;25;9;21;72 Beverly;19;16;16;9;60 Individual scoring Masconomet: Farrell 7-3-17, Weidman 6-2-18, O’Brien 4-3-13, Denton 4-4-14, Vella 4-2-10, Richardson 0-0-0, Rollins 0-0-0, Green 0-0-0, Sanger 0-0-0, Rossi 0-0-0. Totals: 25-14-72.
Beverly: Klass 5-9-23, Ryan 2-2-7, Landman 2-4-9, Braganca 2-0-5, Saas 1-1-3, Okhuozagbon 5-3-13, Panda 0-0-0, Doughty 0-0-0, Tompson 0-0-0. Totals: 17-19-60.
Three pointers: M, Weidman 4, O’Brien 2, Denton 2; B, Klass 4, Ryan, Landman, Braganca
Halftime: M, 42-35
Records: M, 9-1; B, 6-5.