PEABODY — For Bishop Fenwick’s girls basketball team – with no MIAA state tournament endgame – this was always going to be one of its biggest games of the season. 

With a packed house at Fenwick High, the host Crusaders got the better of St. Mary’s, 57-49, to complete a two-game season sweep. 

The first three quarters came with back-and-forth action. Bishop Fenwick led, 27-25, at halftime against its traditional rival, and neither side held a lead larger than five points.

But when it came down to the final eight minutes, the Crusaders found a way in front of the home faithful. 

“They obviously had a little more in their tank in the fourth quarter. I’ve got to give them credit. They executed down the stretch better than we did,” said St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newhall. “I’m proud of my team. We’re going to use this game to get ourselves ready for the (state) tournament.”

The Crusaders attacked the offensive glass and scored second-chance points to extend their lead to eight (51-43) with 4:30 remaining in the game. Cecilia Kay scored 27 points and pulled down 14 rebounds (5 offensive) to lead Fenwick.

Better yet, she shot 11/16 from the free throw line (Fenwick: 21/30).

Fenwick coach Adam DeBaggis talked about free throws being an “Achilles heel” for his team this year. 

“We lost to Bishop Feehan early in the year when we shot 30 percent from the free throw line,” DeBaggis said. “I thought the refs called a really good game.” 

When asked what the difference was in the fourth, DeBaggis pointed towards man-to-man defense and staying disciplined. 

“It was really good play from the girls. I don’t think we did anything different .We just stuck with man-to-man defense late. We switch back between man and zone usually, but decided to stick with man because I felt like our kids were a little bit more disciplined than their kids and I think that’s how it worked out,” DeBaggis said. “It’s really toughness and composure is what it came down to.” 

For Newhall, he talked about how experience may have played a factor in the fourth quarter. 

“We didn’t dress one senior tonight,” Newhall said. “These games are big. They got us this year, but as a program, we’ve done well against them. We’ve won 31 out of the last 38 games against them, I think. There’s a lot of positive things we can take from this game.”

St. Mary’s 7th grader Sysy Mcausland-Emmanuel – who, earlier in the night, played with the junior varsity team – provided a spark with eight points in the third.

“She’s a scorer. The other parts of her game need a bit of work, but she’s certainly going to be a good player,” Newhall said. 

DeBaggis praised his backcourt duo of Celia Neilson and Isabella Lopez-Marin for their composure and floor management.

“Her [Neilson] and Bella Lopez-Marin, together, are so hard to defend,” he said. “Celia is a sophomore, but I think if anyone walked in here tonight without a roster, they would think she’s a senior.”

St. Mary’s Bella Owumi (16 points) couldn’t be stopped in the first half. The standout freshman scored in seemingly every way, highlighted by a steal and finish – plus the foul – with 0.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter to give the Spartans a 13-12 lead. 

“Losing is never fun, but it’s a process. I think that’s why Adam has a great program and that’s why we have a great program,” Newhall said. “You’re going to put the best five players on the floor… It doesn’t matter what their age is. Sometimes, if they’re really young, it takes a year, a month, or two years to show dividends.” 

Both teams will be taking part in regular season tournaments this weekend as St. Mary’s hosts the Spartan Classic, while Bishop Fenwick will compete in the Comcast Tournament.