The town of Marblehead had plenty to cheer about in basketball gymnasiums this winter. The boys – helmed by coach Mike Giardi – finished with a 13-7 record, while Paul Moran’s girls team checked out at 14-8.

Let’s start with the girls. Led by senior captains Kate Burns and Kathryn Pyne, the Magicians had lots of success throughout the regular season, including a home-and-away sweep of rival Swampscott, a big home win against Peabody, and a 33-point victory in their final regular season game against Salem.

Both games against Swampscott were battles between heated rivals. After the first meeting, Pyne said, “I think this game is always personal. We know all the girls because we played against them in Powderpuff and soccer, so it’s just huge to win.” 

As a senior, she didn’t want to go out with a loss, so when they faced again on February 15, it was Pyne who came up clutch – numerous times – to put a bow on her Swampscott-Marblehead rivalry career. 

The same game, underclassman Marrietta O’Connell knocked down clutch free throws in the final minute of the game to edge the Big Blue. After the game, Moran described O’Connell as “tough-minded.”

Then, against one of the Northeastern Conference’s top programs, the girls fended off the Peabody Tanners, 38-33, on home hardwood. Tess Andriano paced the Magicians with 12 points, while Ramona Gillett added eight. The win was a big one for Marblehead, which moved its record (at the time) to 9-5. 

In the end, Marblehead was drawn away to Westborough in the preliminary round of the state tournament, where it came up short.

As for the boys, after an incredible Elite 8 run last season, the Magicians had a soft reset after losing key players such as Tyrone Countrymon and Isaiah Makor. Despite the missing pieces, Marblehead returned a lot of experience in seniors Ryan Commoss, Nick Lemmond, Scott Campbell, and Adrian Baron, among others.

Marblehead was a unique team, in that it was a matchup nightmare for any opposition. Three games into the season, it was clear the Magicians’ size was no joke. 

Facing off against Saugus, the Magicians won, 68-44, with a simple game plan: get the ball inside and either shoot over smaller Saugus, or kick it back out for a 3-pointer. 

Between Commoss and Campbell down low and sharpshooters Lemmond and Baron, Marblehead was a threat from inside-and-out. 

The Magicians played everyone tough. Just ask Pope Francis. 

Pope Francis was ranked No. 3 in Division 2 when it faced Marblehead. The Magicians were in the game and trailed by just two points with a minute remaining before Pope Francis closed it out. 

The Magicians won their opening state tournament game, 64-61 in overtime, against Melrose in enemy territory. Then, a few days later against No. 2 Leominster, the Magicians fought until the end after exchanging leads. Unfortunately, they fell short in the fourth quarter. The final score (78-58) didn’t reflect the night, as it was a single-digit showdown heading into the final quarter.