NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Matt Karakoudas knew his Beverly team could be one of the best boys teams in MIAA this season. So, the coach is putting his Panthers to the ultimate test this week at the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic.
The verdict? The tournament isn’t over yet, but Beverly’s convincing 74-58 win over Andover – one of the hottest teams in the state to start the season – in Sunday’s semifinals affirmed Karakoudas’ instincts. The Panthers advanced to Tuesday night’s championship game at Merrimack College, where they’ll meet Central Catholic, another contender in Division 1.
“I knew we could play with anyone in the state,” Karakoudas said. “I think Andover is an exceptional team. I don’t know if anybody was playing better than them. …
“I think what you see in this tournament with all these teams, this could be a state championship-type game. It wouldn’t shock me if a couple of these teams matched up in the D1 final. That’s why you play in this tournament.”
It’s still early – the state tournament doesn’t begin for another two months – but this is exactly the type of test Beverly – No. 1 in our latest MIAA Top 10 – was hoping for as it prepares for a run at the championship in March. The Panthers passed it with strong discipline, smart decision-making and using their depth to pull away from the third-ranked Golden Warriors in the second half.
Beverly had four players score in double figures, and more importantly, committed just five turnovers despite facing several defensive looks throughout the 32 minutes.
CMCC: Full boys schedule and scores from the tournament
“We did a really good job just making sure we’re disciplined and making sure we did all the little things,” Karakoudas said. That’s what you need to do to beat a team like that. They have three really good guards who can shoot the crap out of it, and obviously they got a coach (Dave Fazio) who’s been there for 37 years. You’re not going to out-coach him, so you gotta hope your players will outplay his.”
Here are five standouts from the game.
Jacob Klass, Beverly
Class of 2026, 6-1 guard
One of the best players in the state, Klass finished with a team-high 18 points. It wasn’t a dominant performance, but he put constant pressure on Andover’s defense, got to the free-throw line and made timely buckets. As the third quarter wound down, he got the ball in the backcourt with about five seconds left and raced coast-to-coast for a tough lefty finish at the buzzer. He was perfect from the free-throw line and was a calming presence whenever he had the ball as he made smart decisions, found his teammates, made extra passes and didn’t force matters.
“It wasn’t his normal game, but he still found a way to get 18 points by getting to the line, by being a leader and just just being out there is such a confidence (boost) for everybody else,” Karakoudas said. “We’ve been saying all offseason, this is not the Jacob Klass show. I said to a lot of people, if Jacob’s scoring 30 points a game, we’re not winning. We need everybody chipping in, and that’s what we’ve been doing the first few games. It’s working. The kids have bought in.”
Domenic Panniello-Torres, Beverly
Class of 2026, 6-2 guard
NCAA: Nichols
One of those players who has bought in is Panniello-Torres, a transfer from Bishop Fenwick who continued to stuff the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Sunday’s win. I also noted him for a couple of blocks at the rim. He plays with a high motor on both ends, and he was excellent in transition, where he made two impressive individual plays. One came when he finished a three-point play by going across a defender’s body and pushing through the contact for a reverse layup, and another came when he went coast-to-coast and finished between defenders. He reads the game at a high level, makes consistently good decisions and he’s a skilled playmaker with a balanced floor game. He’s a terrific sidekick to Klass.
Danny Pierce, Beverly
Class of 2026, 6-1 guard
Pierce’s 12-point, 10-rebound double-double only began to tell the story of his impact on Sunday; he did a little bit of everything from the Panthers on both ends and consistently got his hands dirty. He was fouled on an offensive rebound, he created turnovers in the backcourt and he was one of Beverly’s strongest individual defenders, sliding his feet well against Andover’s speedy guard and staying disciplined. He was advantageous on his scoring opportunities, including one where he found an opening down the lane in transition, and another impressive, controlled move to the rim in transition after he forced a steal. His all-around performance was yet another example of the improved depth that makes Beverly so dangerous. Karakoudas boasts an embarrassment of riches with players who can make an impact.
“Other teams in the past, they’ve come in and said, we need to stop Klass,” Karakoudas said. “Well that’s fine now, you can try to take one guy out of the game. We have six others who can score.”
Josh Roux, Andover
Class of 2027, 6-0 guard
Roux finished with a game-high 25 points in the loss, and while he showed off his ability from range as one of the best 3-point shooters in the region, I was even more impressed Sunday by the way he facilitated and took what the defense gave him. Beverly played him tight on the perimeter, seemingly in an effort to run him off the 3-point line, but several times, Roux blew by his defender and made strong drives and finishes at the rim, including multiple three-point plays where he demonstrated great body control and calmness around the basket. He also consistently put his teammates in good positions to score with timely, smart reads off his drives, and should have had a few more assists if they knocked them down. He continued to show why he’s one of the best shooters off the catch, too, including burying one from the corner with a defender underneath him. He has elite form and footwork in tight areas like that, and he’s unfazed by the defensive pressure.
Charlie Tutwiler, Andover
Class of 2028, 5-11 guard
As disciplined as Beverly’s defenders were on the perimeter, it was still tough to slow down Tutwiler. The combination of his dribbling ability with both hands, change of direction and speed with the ball allowed him to create space consistently throughout the game. He made strong decisions out of his drives and rim reads and drew several fouls with the pressure he put on the basket. He plays with a type of controlled pace and feel for the game that’s fun to watch. Tutwiler finished with 14 points and continued to be a pest defensively, even though he ultimately fouled out. Though he’s just a sophomore, he’s a constant communicator on that end and led his teammates into the positions they needed to be.
Quick shouts: Beverly’s Eli Landman finished with 17 points, and he was the beneficiary of a few late buckets as the Panthers successfully broke Andover’s full-court press, which included a three-point play that essentially put the game in doubt in the final minutes. He also made a play where he faked a pass in transition into an open layup that impressed the crowd. … Andover’s Roman Giammarco was a monster on the defensive boards, which was crucial for a Golden Warriors team that gave up a size advantage. He also hit a few long jumpers.
