In the last two seasons, the Swampscott High School boys basketball team has fallen in the first round of the playoffs after a successful regular season. But after leading the team to a dominant 16-4 record, senior Connor Chiarello and sophomore Teddy O’Neill say the Big Blue has its sights set much higher this time around.
“They are the heartbeat of the team,” said Swampscott Head Coach Jason Knowles. “Without these two guys we obviously wouldn’t be 16-4.”
Although similar in some ways on the court – both are proficient shooters and reliable with the ball – the two are in very different stages of their Big Blue careers.
Chiarello joined the 1,000-point club last season as a junior, a rare feat. After gaining valuable experience as a freshman last season, O’Neill is in the midst of a breakout year, highlighted by a 40-point performance early in the season.
The duo’s value was on full display in Wednesday’s regular-season finale on the road against rival Marblehead High School. Chiarello drained three clutch three-pointers in the third quarter to give Swampscott a double-digit lead.
After Marblehead made a late push to cut the Big Blue lead to just two points with under a minute left in the game, O’Neill put the game on ice with two late free throws to seal a four-point victory, capping off a memorable regular season and spoiling Marblehead’s senior night celebration.
“The thing I love about them both is that every game they continue to try and improve,” Knowles said after the victory. “They just continue to keep working hard and I’m beyond proud of both of them for this season. There’s more to come.”
Both guards said they have enjoyed sharing the court together this season but that the work is not yet done.
“I’ve got full confidence in this guy,” said Chiarello of O’Neill. “If I know I’m having an off night, I can trust him to carry us and put us on his back and vice versa. I think he feels the same way.”
O’Neill also spoke highly of Chiarello.
“It’s honestly great to be playing with Connor,” said O’Neill. “Whenever I’m down or he’s down, we pick each other up. We complement each other well. We’re built and we’re ready to move.”
O’Neill said the confidence his teammates and coaches have shown in him – along with a summer of hard work to improve his skills – has fueled his success this season.
After concluding their regular season schedule, the team now will look ahead to the playoffs. They have comfortably secured a berth in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) state tournament and were ranked fourth out of 79 teams in Division 3 as of February 17.
As they have been all season, Chiarello and O’Neill are on the same page when it comes to their goals for the playoffs.
“A state championship,” said Chiarello. “It’s my last year. I’ve got to leave it all out there. Swampscott has never done it in history but we’re trying to this year.”
MIAA tournament brackets will be released this weekend, and the Big Blue will see who they will take on first.
“A state championship has been the goal since the start of the season,” said O’Neill. “We’ve had confidence ever since the start. We knew we were going far and we just improved over the season.”
Due to their strong record, the Big Blue has earned a home game in their first playoff matchup at a date and time to be determined.
