In the Paint
Matt Jenkins
Heading into St. Mary's of Lynn's game against Arlington Catholic last Monday, Spartans senior forward Nick Gagliolo needed only 15 more points to reach 1,000 for his career.
By halftime of that game, Gagliolo, a smooth slasher who lives in Peabody, still needed 11 points and St. Mary's trailed the Cougars by 17 (35-18) in a critical Catholic Central League matchup.
"I've been looking forward to (1,000 points) ever since I was a freshman. I knew I had an opportunity to get it, but I didn't know how hard it was going to be," Gagliolo said. "You think about it more and more every game you get closer, and I was obviously thinking about it a lot against AC. It really affected my play and I didn't play too good (in the first half).
"After that, I just decided to come out and play basketball and let it happen."
What happened was borderline unbelievable.
Gagliolo caught fire in the second half and the elbow jumper he dropped as time expired in the third quarter not only tied the game for the Spartans, but also proved to be his 999th and 1,000th career points.
He ended up scoring 25 points in the second half and finished with a game-high 29 as the Spartans pulled away for a 78-63 victory on the road.
"I drove down to the foul line and hit a shot at the buzzer. At first I didn't even know (it was the 1,000th point) because I wasn't keeping track," said Gagliolo, who's considering Keene State, Rivier, UMass Dartmouth and Salem State for college.
"I knew it tied the game and the whole team came out to meet me. I was like, 'Come on, we still have a quarter left in the game.' Then someone said, 'You finally did it.' I thought they were just coming out because of the way the game was going."
Gagliolo has been a standout for St. Mary's since he arrived on campus. He helped the Spartans finish as co-champs of the CCL Large last year and is intent on leading them to the outright title this winter.
It's something that he and a group of his longtime friends have been looking forward to for awhile.
Gagliolo is one of seven players on the St. Mary's roster with Peabody connections and has been playing with teammates Matt Manning, J.J. Cavanaugh and Brendon Moran since they were in the sixth grade.
"I thought St. Mary's was a good fit for me when I went to an open house in eighth grade with one of my friends," the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Gagliolo said. "There were 4-5 guys on the team this year who all thought it would be a good fit back then. We all decided to go — and we've been waiting for this year ever since."
Gagliolo, Manning and Moran, coach Kevin Moran's son, each start for St. Mary's along with guards Devin Thompson (Winthrop) and Randolf Thurman (Swampscott).
Manning is a dirty work player who chooses to make his mark with rebounds, defense and hustle plays. Moran, meanwhile, is the tallest Spartan at 6-5, but he's capable of stretching the floor with the three-pointer.
Cavanaugh is one of the key players off the bench, a bench that also includes Peabody residents John Teehan, Scott Betts and Ryan McVann.
That nucleus has helped St. Mary's to a 14-3 record so far.
"We've been playing really good. It's kind of like second nature for us; we all know each other and get along really well. We have good chemistry," Manning, a 6-1 junior, said. "There's never a down moment. If something goes wrong for someone, the next person picks it up. Nick and Devin carry most of the scoring load, but we know 1-through-12 anybody can step up."
Manning is an interesting story for the Spartans. He attended St. John's Prep his freshman year, but never adjusted to the school. He ended up at St. Mary's and re-classified as a freshman.
Now, he's critical to the Spartans' success, but he's also a year behind the kids he grew up playing with.
"I think we're really, really close. This is a tight-knit group and we look at each other as a family," Manning said. "We all know what we can do to get where we want to go.
"For me as a junior, these are my best friends that I grew up with and it's my last chance to help them get where we want to go."
First up is finishing that goal to win the CCL, but these Spartans also have their eyes on a bigger prize.
St. Mary's, which took Division 1 St. John's Prep to overtime before losing on the first night of the season, has to be considered one of the favorites in Division 4 North.
"Ultimately, it's about the state title," Gagliolo said.
• • •
There's an unwritten rule about North Shore boys basketball that should never be forgotten: don't count out a Wayne Hanscom-coached team.
Just a couple weeks ago Marblehead was sitting at 3-8 and teetering on the brink of tournament elimination. Three consecutive wins over Lynn English, Peabody and Danvers not only have the Magicians back in the tournament discussion, but also a team that has to be feared.
Seniors Phil Coughlin and Jeff Peras have been through some battles for Hanscom before, and now it seems the Magicians have figured a few things out. Combine that with their traditional stifling defense and opponents have something serious to worry about.
Marblehead needs to find four wins in a group of six games that includes (in order) Saugus, Winthrop, Gloucester, Swampscott, Pentucket and either Concord-Carlisle or Winchester in the year-end Sheridan Tournament.
• • •
The Beverly boys varsity basketball team and the fifth grade boys middle school basketball team will be hosting a food drive for Beverly Bootstraps tonight at the Panthers' game against Peabody (7 p.m.). Donations will be collected from 4:30-7 p.m. at the freshman, JV and varsity games. Anyone attending the game is asked to bring a food donation.
The boosters will also be donating its half of the 50/50 raffle to help the family of fallen Peabody firefighter James Rice.
• • •
In The Paint, a column on North Shore boys' basketball, runs every Tuesday during the winter sports season in The Salem News. Contact staff writer Matt Jenkins at 978-338-2648 or by e-mail at mjenkins@salemnews.com.
FIVE FOR THOUGHT ...
St. Mary's junior forward Matt Manning is a true dirty work player for the Spartans, making defense, rebounding and hustle plays his top priority. Here are five other local players who love to do the dirty work for their respective teams:
1. Jon Amico, Danvers — He may have exploded for 19 points in a win over Beverly last week, but this senior captain's game is all about defense and toughness.
2. Kurt Hunziker, Masconomet — Much like Amico, Hunziker has teammates more than capable of doing the scoring. His job is to be physical and bring some toughness to the court.
3. Jared Louf-Woods, Salem — A reserve forward for the Witches, Louf-Woods can do a little scoring, but he's the type of player who's not afraid to give up his body for an offensive foul, especially when the game's on the line.
4. Ben Maxner, Bishop Fenwick — Fenwick coach Mike Kane was hoping Maxner could be his go-to offensive weapon this season, but instead the tall-but-thin Maxner has been forced to battle and bang for rebounds with the rest of the big boys under the hoop.
5. Mike Gould, Peabody — Gould is capable of being Peabody's top scorer on any given night, but he's willing to do anything to help the Tanners win.
