DANVERS — Defend, defend, defend.
After sneaking past Gloucester by a single bucket in a high scoring affair earlier this season, Danvers head coach Jabari Clarke and his coaching staff preached for their team to grind on the defensive end in the second meeting between the two teams on Friday night.
The Falcons did just that, and the results spoke for themselves.
Going into halftime with a nine point cushion, Danvers held Gloucester to just six points in the third to pull away for good and ultimately secure a convincing 70-47 victory on their home floor.
With the win, the Falcons climbed back to .500 (6-6) heading down the regular season stretch.
“That was really the game plan. In the locker room we didn’t really talk much about our plays it was just defend hard and push the ball,” said Clarke. “And we did that for the most part and I think that’s why we came out on top.”
Last time the two NEC foes faced off in late December, it was anybody’s game late in action before the Falcons held on for a narrow 72-70 triumph.
In the rematch, a competitive first half foreshadowed perhaps a similar finish — but the Falcons swiftly flipped the script.
Captains Luca Tirella (16 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals), Kyle Sillars (15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) and Connor DiTomaso (10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) set the tone early and often, following the gameplan to a T. Not only did those three help make things difficult for Gloucester all night, but they capitalized on the other end with timely buckets.
Tirella — a talented high jumper during the outdoor track season — was a monster on the glass and finished strong at the rim; Sillars provided a bit of everything; and DiTomaso got his team off on the right foot by splashing a pair of first quarter triples.
Gloucester hung tough, stringing together some nice defensive possessions of their own to remain within striking distance until halftime. But a sluggish start to the third coupled with a number of unanswered Danvers’ buckets ultimately took the wind out of their sails, and they were never able to recover. A 3-ball by Sillars with just under three minutes to play in the decisive third made it a 47-30 game and Gloucester never got closer from there.
“It was a tough shooting night but we weren’t taking the right shots,” admitted GHS coach Adam Philpott, his team falling to 3-8 on the year. “You look at how many uncontested shots Danvers was taking compared to us … every shot was a tough shot for us.
“Credit to Danvers,” continued the coach. “They ran their stuff very well but they weren’t reinventing the wheel. It was back doors, screens, and a lack of communication on our part.”
Gloucester had some hard drives to the hoop from the likes of Elijah Brooks, Kyle Ewans and Carlos Velazquez, among others, but multiple layups spilled out and Danvers was able to snatch the rebound. When the Fishermen moved the ball effectively around the perimeter to generate some open looks from distance, those shots were off the mark more often than not, too.
Ewans was the lone Fishermen to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points and three boards, while Brooks was the next leading scorer with nine. A total of 10 players found the scoresheet for Gloucester, but nobody was quite able to find a consistent rhythm.
“It’s hard; we’re on a little skid right now and that’s frustrating because these guys are coming to work every day and they’re not seeing the results. That can wear on you,” said Philpott. “I thought the first quarter and a little in the second we had some really good defensive possessions and the guys that we wanted were getting downhill.
“But credit to Danvers; they got back in transition and made it tough for us around the rim. I wish we did a little better job finishing in contact; that’s something we’ve struggled with all season.”
For Danvers, which also got strong contributions from Ant Gaudino (9 points, 3 assists) and Bubba Martin (two threes, 7 rebounds), it was a pivotal victory for a program that’s trying to qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 2016. The Falcons are pitted in a wildly competitive Division 2 field and held the No. 37 spot in the latest MIAA power rankings.
There’s no guarantee Danvers will get the necessary rating points to move into the qualifying top 32 with a sub-.500 record, so hitting that coveted 10-win mark to earn an automatic bid is paramount.
“I think this was the best defensive intensity I saw all season long to be honest, and we just have to keep up that pressure,” said Clarke. “We always talk about how we’ve struggled guarding ball handlers and getting beat, and we saw guys get beat tonight but the help was there. So if we can continue to push the ball and defend our butts off like that, we’ll be in a good spot.”
Philott highlighted the play of Joe Gauvain (5 points off the bench) in the loss, as well as Thomas Cribbs (5 points, 2 steals), who garnered his first start of the season and continued to play with energy and effort on both ends. Gloucester is again without big man Jack Silveria, who continues to battle an ankle injury with no timetable for return.
In his absence, and considering Gloucester’s record at this point in the season, numerous bench players will get opportunities to play. Philpott is hoping for some juice in that regard as his team looks to finish off the year on a positive note.
Danvers 70, Gloucester 47
at Danvers High School
Gloucester (3-8);12;14;6;15;47
Danvers (6-6);16;19;21;14;70
Individual statistics
Gloucester — Kyle Ewans 3-3-10, Elijah Brooks 3-3-9, Joe Gauvain 2-0-5, Thomas Cribbs 2-0-5, Eddie Rodriguez 2-0-4, Jude Szuter 1-2-4, Carlos Velazquez 1-1-3, Cole Mosley-Wynn 1-1-3, Cam Olsen 1-0-2, Will Aaron 1-0-2. Totals: 17-10-47.
Danvers — Luca Tirella 6-4-16, Kyle Sillars 6-2-15, Connor DiTomaso 3-2-10, Ant Gaudino 3-1-9, Bubba Martin 2-0-6, Maher Bourote 2-0-4, Miguel Mendez 1-2-4, Cole Andrews 1-0-3, Matt McCrea 1-0-3, Andrew Dos Santos 0-0-0. Totals: 25-11-70.
Halftime: 35-26, Danvers
3-Pointers: G, Ewans, Gauvain, Cribbs; D, DiTomaso 2, Gaudino 2, Martin 2, Mcrea, Sillars.