Despite being in the comfort of their home gym, the Swampscott High School boys basketball team found itself in unfamiliar territory after the first quarter Tuesday night against Marblehead High School: trailing.
The Big Blue entered the January 13 matchup having won their first eight games of the season, seven of them by double digits. So when Marblehead built a six-point lead early in the second quarter, Swampscott’s undefeated run appeared to be in jeopardy.
Sophomore guard Teddy O’Neill had other plans.
O’Neill scored 10 consecutive points during a decisive 15-3 run that gave Swampscott a 32-26 lead. The Big Blue never looked back, riding a dominant second quarter to a 69-55 victory and improving to 9-0 on the season.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Swampscott student section sprinted onto center court to celebrate the win.
O’Neill finished with a game-high 24 points, 10 of which came in the second quarter. Senior Connor Chiarello added 19 points, while Chase Groothius and Michael Lutko each chipped in 13 for the Big Blue.
After surrendering 20 points in the opening quarter, Swampscott’s defense tightened up, holding Marblehead to 12, 11 and 12 points over the final three quarters.
“They were making shots early,” said Swampscott Head Coach Jason Knowles. “We just stuck to our guns. We held in there and told them to stick to what we’re supposed to do and trust that our shots will start to fall too.”
Knowles said the game plan was to attack Marblehead, draw fouls and get to the free throw line. The plan worked out nearly to perfection. Swampscott converted 19 of 21 free throws, while Marblehead went just 6-for-17.
“If you watch their game film, they are a very, very aggressive team,” said Knowles. “Our plan was to attack and get to the line. It was a big part of our game.”
In preparation for the game, each Big Blue player shot 200 free throws at a recent practice.
Knowles said having a scorer like O’Neill allows Swampscott to run multiple offensive sets, making it difficult for opponents to anticipate their approach. With under three minutes left in regulation and Swampscott leading by 10, O’Neill buried a deep three-point shot to put the game out of reach, effectively sealing another victory for the Big Blue.
The win ensures Swampscott will remain undefeated for at least a few more days. Next up for Swampscott is a road game against Salem High School on Friday, January 16.
While Knowles said the players take pride in being undefeated, he emphasized that representing their town means even more.
“I think that bigger than [being undefeated] is that big ‘S’ in the middle of that fricken gym,” said Knowles. “These kids want to play for Swampscott. They want to represent the town well, and you saw that tonight.”
