Sports

Big Blue Basketball Beats Winthrop 57-45 By Chris Thomsen

Swampscott turned defensive turnovers into fast-break points.

With its upcoming schedule, the Big Blue needed a confidence-building game. Swampscott had only been victorious in a solid non-conference win against Amesbury. Other than that, it’s been the same story for every game: the Big Blue lost the rebounding battle, had multiple turnovers, and was unable to respond to its opponents’ offensive runs.

Swampscott doesn’t face an easy challenge ahead, as it faces Lynn English and Lynn Classical (who currently combine for an 7-1 record). The Big Blue needed one game to get on the right track, and hopefully, build some momentum heading into its toughest matches of the season.

Fortunately, Swampscott played that necessary game on Monday night.

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Freshman Andre Reeves had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Chad Nelson added 12 points and 14 rebounds in the Big Blue’s dominating 57-45 win over the Winthrop Vikings. 

For the first time this season, Swampscott’s defense set the tone of the game. The Big Blue was aggressive from the opening tip, holding Winthrop to six points in the first quarter.  From there, Swampscott built a large lead that the Vikings were never able to come close to overcoming. The Big Blue forced 16 turnovers, eight of them on steals.

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“That’s what we worked on yesterday at practice,” said Swampscott coach Dave Born. “We put Andre on the ball, and then put John King on the ball, who was just phenomenal. We got some traps, but we didn’t close them up.

“I thought we had a decent amount of deflections. I liked our aggressiveness.”

King scored 13 points along with six rebounds, while Ben Faulkner added four assists.

With two glaring exceptions, the Big Blue broke all of its bad habits it had developed throughout the season. Swampscott won on Monday night because it played together, something that needs to happen on Wednesday if the Big Blue has any hope of defeating Lynn English and Lynn Classical.

Two things prevented Swampscott from blowing Winthrop out of the water: turnovers and unsuccessful three-point shooting. 

The Big Blue offense, which had 13 turnovers, was saved by the turnovers it forced on defense. Time after time again, Swampscott tried passing inside Winthrop’s 2-3 defensive zone, resulting in several Winthrop steals.

The Big Blue shot 3-24 from behind the three-point line on Monday night. Although a stat like that will usually signal defeat, Swampscott prevented it through its 15 offensive rebounds.

Coach Born recognized that its offensive performance would have to be stronger against both Lynn teams, but spoke highly about new ball handler Joey Ragusa. His confidence hasn’t been affected by his recent struggles, according to Born.

“I like the way he’s vocal with the guys. He’s growing,” Born said. “I’m pleased with how he’s playing. We’ve thrown a lot at him as a sophomore.”

Swampscott will practice tomorrow before hosting Lynn English on Wednesday. The Big Blue then travel to Lynn Classical on Friday night.

Swampscott needs to stay confident against those teams, even if things go awry early. In four instances (Marblehead, Danvers, Arlington Catholic, and Watertown), they’ve lost games in huge first half runs by its opponents. There was plenty of time for a comeback in the second half, but the Big Blue was unable to execute.

If the Big Blue can carry over its confidence from Monday night’s victory, it will remain competitive. This week is an opportunity for redemption, and Swampscott should be ready to take advantage of it.



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