Both the Rockport girls and boys basketball teams held their own in the Cape Ann Savings Bank Holiday Tournament this past weekend, but neither squad was able to hoist the crown on their home court.
Head coach Jordan Fears and her girls group opened play on Friday with a dominant 43-17 win over Northeast Metro Tech, but fell short in the championship tilt the following afternoon to Ipswich, dropping a 49-36 decision.
The boys, meanwhile, suffered a 54-40 defeat to Northeast Metro Tech on Friday night. The Vikings got their offense going a bit in a consolation matchup against Neighborhood House Charter School on Saturday afternoon, but ultimately came out on the losing side of a 68-59 score.
According to boys head coach Phil Whitley, Sam Whitley (9 points) and Brandon Fleming (8 points) both played well against Northeast, as did Jasper Eck. The latter finished with nine boards and shined defensively with five blocks, earning his place on the All-Tournament team.
On Saturday, Jerry Adams and Flynn Blanchard led the way in defeat with strong efforts on both sides of the court. Sam Kesterson also played a big role in the paint for the undersized Vikings. The Rockport boys team is now 2-6 on the year and will be off until Tuesday, Jan. 6 when they host Triton for a 6 p.m. matchup.
As for the girls, sophomore star Sunny Gallagher continued to play well. She, along with freshman Summer Warren, were standouts in the Northeast Tech win on Friday. Warren was stellar defensively while contributing 12 big rebounds to boot. In addition, fellow freshman Maggie Reed hit two big threes in the first half to jolt her team in front for good.
Fears also singled out the play of Ryleigh Lemon, who finished with six points and five boards against Northeast Tech.
In the championship game against Ipswich — a team Rockport had upended by more than 20 points earlier this season — the Vikings admittedly struggled to get stops. It was Rockport’s first loss of the season after winning their first six games of the year.
“(Ipswich) had a few girls on their team that we just couldn’t stop,” said Fears. “We fought back into it in the second half but just couldn’t catch up.”
Rockport girls will now have a lengthy break as well, returning to action on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at Nashoba Valley Tech (4:30 p.m. start).
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.