We knew they would probably be the best duo in the CAL this year, and so far through two games, they’ve absolutely delivered.
Zayd Leanna hit three 3s and led the way with 21 points on Tuesday night, and Cal Atherton was right behind him with 16 points to lift Newburyport to a solid 67-41 win over North Reading. And this came after last Friday’s 81-77 season-opening victory over Lynnfield, where Atherton dropped 28 points and Leanna had 18.
Ben Cormier chipped in 11 points against the Hornets, and Tyler Lisauskas provided 5 points off the bench. Newburyport (2-0) will next travel to Pentucket on Friday night.
Meanwhile, the Newburyport girls also played North Reading on Tuesday, but found themselves on the wrong end of a 57-44 final. Returning Daily News All-Star junior Clara Thompson was still excellent in defeat, pouring in 22 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.
GEORGETOWN: ‘Big 3’ lead boys in blowout
It’s three athletes who are going to be tough for any team to stop this year.
During Tuesday night’s 70-41 blowout win for the Georgetown boys over Hamilton-Wenham, it was the team’s three returning Daily News All-Star leading the charge. Junior wing Jomar Terrero poured in a game-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, and he also added 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Then seniors Irvin Zapata (14 pts, 4 3s) and Brendan Loewen (13 pts) weren’t too far behind.
All told, 10 different players scored for Georgetown (2-0), which opened up a commanding 32-16 lead at halftime. The Royals forced 18 turnovers, and were able to grab a whopping 17 offensive rebounds despite being undersized against the Generals.
“Our defensive intensity was off the charts,” said Georgetown coach Kevin Fair. “The focus was to pressure the ball all night and crowd their shooters. Rayner Hernandez and Meziah Rodriguez were tremendous in their on-ball defense throughout.”
PENTUCKET: Walsh, Crowe lead girls to first win
A classic game that made every single parent happy.
All 15 athletes on the Pentucket girls basketball team saw the floor on Tuesday night, and were able to get some decent minutes in a 49-20 win over Essex Tech. It was a nice rebound following a season-opener setback for the Panthers (1-1), who were led by 11 points each from Amelia Crowe and Devyn Walsh.
Not too far behind was Allie Gagnon with 6 points, Chloe Dancewicz added 5 points, and both Emily Day and Sofia Bellacqua chipped in 4 points. The Panthers will now get another big early-season test when they travel over to rival Newburyport on Friday night.
AMESBURY: Freshmen shine, but girls take first loss
Both the positives and negatives of youth were on display for the Amesbury girls on Tuesday night.
On the plus side, a pair of highly-regarded freshmen had breakout games offensively, with Haley Dube finishing with 17 points on three 3s, while Maddy Rodrigues was right behind with 15 points. But the inexperience against a veteran Manchester Essex team also showed itself defensively and on the boards, as the Redhawks suffered their first loss of the year, 62-52.
Ellison Talbot chipped in 8 points for Amesbury (2-1), and senior captain Bailey Kimball had 7 points. The Redhawks next play Georgetown on Friday, and the hope is that returning Daily News All-Star sophomore Olivia McKay — who hasn’t played yet this year — will be back soon.
TRITON: Opening setback for boys
There’s plenty for the Triton boys to take from Tuesday’s season opener.
You don’t want to be playing your best basketball in December, and the Vikings left themselves plenty of room for improvement following an 81-46 loss to Lynnfield. Caleb Murray led the way with 11 points, Jack Roy finished with 8 points on a pair of 3s, and both James Tanona and Mateus Pinto chipped in 7 points.