DANVERS — Head coach Mark Cole likes to remind his Hamilton-Wenham girls that the layup and the free throw are the two easiest shots in basketball.
Tuesday afternoon, the Generals heeded his advice and made their fair share of those to win the first ever Danvers Holiday Tournament.
Hamilton-Wenham used a dominant third quarter and a major advantage on the boards to topple Swampscott, 53-39, in a festive ballgame at Danvers High’s fieldhouse.
The Generals (3-3) spread the wealth, with all five starters scoring and four of them in double figures. Tournament MVP Margot Bryce Morris, a senior guard, scored 12 while All-Tournament selection Asa Labell, a junior captain, shot the ball very well and scored a team-best 14 points.
“I was surprised to see us put up 53 because we haven’t got into the rhythm of running our offense yet,” admitted Cole, whose team won back-to-back games in this tournament to get back to .500 after dropping three of its first four games.
The big difference came in the third quarter when Hamilton-Wenham used a 15-2 run to build its largest lead and seize control. Swampscott (4-2) went cold from the floor and H-W’s Lilly Giovannucci and Graces Harres controlled seemingly every rebound, then made smart outlet passes for transition baskets.
“We like to push the pace, run the floor and get those easy baskets,” said Cole. “Our intensity was much better in the second half, too.”
All-Tourney choice Anna Kanders led Swampscott with a game-high 22 points, including five from behind the arc. The Big Blue were hot from long distance early, building a 9-2 advantage and leading 12-9 after one quarter. In fact, Swampscott didn’t make a 2-point field goal until the third quarter and only made four in the entire afternoon.
“We do launch it,” admitted Big Blue head coach Katelyn Leonard, whose team got three triples from Eve Byrne and two more from captain Sam Ward. “That’s great, but also at time you can rely on it a little too much. You want to get some of those paint touches, too.”
Swampscott cut a 17-point Generals lead down to 11 twice in the fourth, but couldn’t slice it any further. It wasn’t so much the missed shots that doomed the Big Blue as much as not boxing out or getting to the rebounds, thereby never getting any second chance points and allowing the Generals to move the other way.
“By not controlling the boards, we didn’t give ourselves any easy opportunities to break out,” Leonard said. “We turned it over a lot, too. Credit (Hamilton-Wenham) because they played great defense and deflected a lot of passes.”
The Generals also shot 11-of-14 from the free throw line. Gabriella Jewitt pitched in a tremendous defensive effort and Hamilton-Wenham’s entire lineup was careful to close out on shooters whenever they could.
“Our defense over these two games was as good as it’s going to be,” said Cole, whose team beat host Danvers High on Monday to corral two wins over Northeastern Conference opponents. “Swampscott had four kids who can shoot it, so you come in hoping they miss a few. In the first half, they made them and when they started missing in the second half, we were able to get out and run.”
Labell made three triples for H-W, including tying the game at 9-all in the first. Bryce Morris was a force at both ends in her MVP effort, with Cole noting that “Once she gets going, she’s tough to stop.”
Hamilton-Wenham’s largest lead was 19 at the midway point of the fourth.
Kanders, who can shoot both inside and out, also impressed with a half-dozen steals.
Leonard enjoyed the experience of playing in the tourney, which also featured host Danvers and Essex Tech.
“It was fun. I like playing over the break because when you have such a long time off, there can be some cobwebs,” she said. “We fought hard (today) and we had some players gain some valuable experience. I’m happy with where we’re at right now.”
Hamilton-Wenham 53, Swampscott 39
Danvers Holiday Tournament Championship
at Danvers High
Swampscott;12;7;11;9;39
Hamilton-Wenham;9;13;20;11;53
Individual scoring Swampscott: Kanders 8-1-22, Byrne 3-0-9, Tripp 0-0-0, Lilley 0-0-0, Ward 3-0-8, Rogers 0-0-0. Totals 14-1-39.
Hamilton-Wenham: Giovannucci 5-0-10, Labell 5-1-14, Harres 3-5-12, Bryce Morris 5-2-12, Jewitt 0-2-2, Olson 1-1-3, Lougee 0-0-0, Bevilacqua 0-0-0. Totals 19-11-53.
Three pointers: S, Kanders 5, Bryne 3, Ward 2; H-W, Labell 3, Harres.
Halftime: H-W, 22-19.
Records: S, 4-2; H-W, 3-3.