Special moment highlights final boys’ hoop game of season

Published February 20, 2019

By JAMES CRANNEY

NEWBURYPORT – Sometimes there are moments in life that force you to stop and think about the bigger picture. We can so easily be bogged down by the grind of our daily routines, it is almost impossible to come up for air to take in what a gift this world truly is.

Last Thursday night, when the 8-12 Lynnfield Pioneers took on the 14-1 Newburyport Clippers, there was a moment to begin the game which made everyone in that gym truly appreciate this gift.

When Newburyport took the court on Senior Night for the opening tip off, there was a new face in the Clippers’ starting lineup. Senior Nico Levasseur, a four year Newburyport player with special needs, found himself on the floor with his basketball brothers he had emphatically cheered on from the bench for years. Now it was his turn to shine on the big stage.

“We talked about how when the game is over I really hope that’s something the fellas think about,” commented Lynnfield head coach Scott MacKenzie. “That moment he [Levasseur] had probably outweighs any excitement any of us have had over the last three months; it was a really cool thing.”

JACK FORD scored 15 points during Lynnfield’s final game of the season against Newburyport. (John Friberg Photo)

Newburyport got the opening tip and immediately fed the ball to Levasseur. In one of the great acts of sportsmanship, the Lynnfield defense opened up like the Red Sea and let the Clippers’ newest point guard drive to the basket to score the game’s first points.

“To say we were happy to do that would be an understatement,” added coach MacKenzie on the touching moment. “Nico, the young man who they ran the play for, he’s been in the program for four years and we’ve known him for all four years. He’s the kind of kid when you walk into their gym, he comes over and always greets the opposing team.”

When the Pioneers marched back up the floor with the ball, Newburyport returned the favor allowing Lynnfield’s Clay Marengi (7 points) to tie the game up at 2. The Clippers then called a timeout to sub out the beaming Levasseur.

Coming out of the timeout, Newburyport would begin to take over. The Clippers attacked the paint with their significant size advantage over the Pioneers. Coach MacKenzie would finally call a timeout after a 12-0 Clipper run. With under four minutes remaining in the first quarter, senior Pioneer guard Stephen Dwyer finally found the basket when he took it to the hole for a hard-fought contested layup.

Now trailing by 14 points, Lynnfield would make a charge before the end of the opening quarter. Jack Ford (15 points) got the scoring started with a solid bucket in the paint. Marengi would get the next two baskets driving to the hoop and cutting the deficit to 8. In the closing seconds of the first quarter, Pioneer senior guard Jack Cleary (20 points) would hit a three pointer from the corner making it only a two possession game. Newburyport’s Jacob Robertson would answer with a three pointer of his own right before the buzzer giving the Clippers a 21-13 lead after one.

Lynnfield’s Max Boustris began the second quarter with a deep 3 for the Pioneers. After Marengi intercepted a Clipper pass he took it down the other end and laid it in making it a 3-point game. As the quarter progressed, Newburyport would find their groove and there was not much the Pioneers could do about it, going into the locker room, Lynnfield would trail 45-29. 

In the second half the story would not differ much, however the Pioneers would get an explosion of offense from their senior guard Jack Cleary. Cleary would go on to hit four of his six 3-pointers all in the third quarter. Perhaps the inspired performance may have resulted from the Newburyport PA announcer continuously calling him “Jake” Cleary after every basket.

In the final quarter of the season, the Pioneers were able to empty the bench and play some future stars of the program. Lynnfield’s sophomore Luke Martinho was able to get a basket as well as junior Pat Walsh who had a pair of three’s. In the end, the Pioneers would close out their season falling 73-60 to Newburyport to finish with a record of 8-13.

Another season is now officially in the books for the Lynnfield Pioneers boys’ basketball team. Despite the season ending without a trip to the playoffs, coach MacKenzie and his players know there is a brighter future on the horizon. Only losing two senior players, Lynnfield will have a slew of young talent to choose from next year to bring this Pioneer program back to the postseason.

Coach MacKenzie knows this team has potential, but the ball is in the players’ court now.

“This is the reality of the situation: we have a lot of young guys coming back who have potential,” said MacKenzie. “If they don’t do anything between today and the first Monday after Thanksgiving, we’re sitting here in the exact same position next year.”