WESTFORD — Jackson Marshall has seen it all in his four years with Pinkerton Academy basketball, including back-to-back Greater Lowell Holiday Classic championships.
Now, he wants a three-peat.
On Wednesday afternoon, led by 40 points from Marshall, the Astros looked dominant in the opening round of the Greater Lowell Classic, earning a resounding 87-75 victory over Groton-Dunstable.
“This win was really big for us, while eyeing our third straight title. Coming in, you never know what to expect playing a team from Massachusetts, the pace and energy is usually a lot different, and can be more challenging,” said Marshall, who is committed to Southern New Hampshire for baseball. “One thing that helps me, with my height, is that others get tired faster than I do, so I was able to play well in the paint and help my team get the win.”
With first-year coach Mike Dunham, the brother of Central Catholic coach Mark Dunham, taking the helm at Pinkerton, Marshall says the transition of coaches has been as smooth as ever.
“Bringing a lot of guys back, and then having shooters like Cristian Brander has been big for us so far,” said Marshall. “Coach Dunham has not missed a beat, and we are really excited to have him here.”
For Dunham, to have a 6-foot-9 playmaker in Marshall is always a nice piece to have in your back pocket.
“To put it simply, Jackson is just really, really good,” said Dunham after the victory. “He can shoot it, he can defend it, he can pass, he’s just a fantastic guy to have in this program.”
Delgado stars, but Haverhill falls short
Haverhill faced off against Leominster, and in a back-and-forth matchup, the Hillies ultimately fell to the Blue Devils, 76-73.
Alejandro Delgado scored 31 points, taking over in the second half to pace the Hillies. That after scoring 32 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a Friday night victory versus Tewksbury.
Despite the Hillies knocking their shots, the Blue Devil shotmakers could not be stopped in the second half.
“We battled today, it wasn’t good enough, but Leominster is really well-coached, and they have a ton of playmakers,” said Haverhill coach Souleymane Wane. “Games like this help us going forward, and we know we have a lot to clean up.
“Alejandro (Delgado) is incredible, he’s a senior, and he knows this is it for him in his high school career,” added Wane. “He’s been much more focused than last year, and he’s our heart and soul. We need to hurry up and get better around him.”
Pinkerton 87, Groton-Dunstable 75
PINK – Jackson Marshall 40, Cristian Brander 23, Charlie Ludden 13, James Wallace 6, Parker Beiveniue-Cernuda 5
Leominster 76, Haverhill 73
HAV – Alejandro Delgado 31, Jhonaton Wallis 18, Gabe Grzyboski 9, Colin Snyder 7, Hunter Blais 6, Jonathan Matombo 2