PEABODY — When you have a player of Logan Lomasney’s caliber hitting shots early, it can be a long night. Behind her 31 points, Peabody’s girls basketball team (9-4) raced past Lynn English (4-12), 58-23, at home.

Lomasney started the game on a mission, scoring Peabody’s first six points and 13 of its 18 first-quarter points. 

“She is an incredible player. She plays at the same level all the time – every game. She’s a different breed,” said Peabody coach Stan McKeen. “She’s intense, competitive, aggressive, and can score.”

Despite the scoreline, the Bulldogs’ half-court defense wasn’t what was letting them down, rather, it was their transition defense. 

English’s 2-3 zone forced the Tanners into tough outside shots, but Peabody capitalized on its misses with offensive rebounds and putbacks. 

After the game, Bulldogs’ coach Sydney Brennan said she was pleased with how her team defended in the halfcourt. 

“I said to them at halftime that I thought the defense in the halfcourt was really good. I think they were doing a good job containing them,” said Brennan in the midst of her debut season. “We almost got a couple of shot clock violations. The game really came down to the fastbreaks that Peabody scored when we didn’t get back. In practice, we worked on sitting in the 2-3 and not pressing so we could work in the halfcourt, and I think they did a pretty good job with it.” 

The Tanners led 35-7 at the half. McKeen was pleased with that, but believed the girls could have played better in the second half. 

“We played well enough to win the first half, and in the second half, we didn’t play as well. We got a lot of turnover points. We moved the ball fairly well and hit some shots from the outside. We can’t rely on the outside shot and we have to do a better job of getting the ball down low and getting our bigs to score more,” McKeen said. “It’s a win, which gives us nine on the season. We just need one more to clinch the postseason.” 

The Bulldogs were missing two key players in Jaeleigh Perry and Teanna Nguon. Perry has been a staple for the team and provides the Bulldogs with a nifty post presence.

Luckily for the Bulldogs, Nguon arrived for the second half and served up instant offense.

When asked about not having Perry for the game and Nguon for the first half, Brennan said it’s hard to replicate what the seniors bring to the hardwood.

“It’s a huge difference. We only have two seniors on the team in Jae and Teanna, who couldn’t get here until halftime because she had an interview,” Brennan said. “It makes a difference not having your seniors. It’s important to appreciate them when you have them, especially with only about four games left. They’re both integral to the program and will be for the rest of their lives.” 

Nguon netted eight points in the fourth quarter, much to Brennan’s liking. 

“Teanna showed up at halftime and I asked her to come in with energy and have a spark. I told her to enjoy the game and she did. She lifted other players up, too, which I was proud of,” Brennan said. “I told her she’s a senior, so take her shots. There’s only a few games left, so I wanted her to have fun with it.” 

The Tanners were missing Ally Bettencourt, who McKeen described as his defensive anchor.

“We’re missing our best defensive player in Ally Bettencourt, who’s also averaging 13 points a game,” McKeen said. “She’s the one player that will go to the hoop all the time. She rolled her ankle, so she was out this week and possibly all of next week. She’s the missing ingredient in our offense. With seven games left, I’m sure she’ll be back soon.” 

Peabody will look to clinch a spot in the postseason this Friday when it hosts Gloucester at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs are back in action Thursday when they travel to Chelsea for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.