LYNN, Mass. — St. Mary’s is in its first year playing in Division 2, with a first-year head coach and several newcomers. It would be understandable if the Spartans needed time to hit their stride this winter.
But as the halfway mark of the season approaches, they’re undefeated, and they’re lapping the Division 2 field in the MIAA’s power rankings. St. Mary’s knew it had the potential to be good, but this wasn’t exactly the expectation.
“If you had told me the first week during the Jamboree (in early December), I would have said you’re crazy because we didn’t look too good there,” coach Josh Keilty said. “But the kids have just come to work every day, they brought that attitude and that willingness to get better. They want to be coached hard, they work really hard and I’m just so fortunate.”
The Spartans (9-0), ranked fifth in our latest MIAA boys Top 10, stamped their status as the early Division 2 favorite on Monday night, pulling away from No. 3 Masconomet (5-1), a fellow Div. 2 contender, with a 75-61 victory in front of a packed, standing-room only crowd at Newhall Court. The final score was not indicative of how competitive this game was – Masco led early in the third quarter before St. Mary’s started to gain control late in that period – as the Spartans passed an important test in a matchup we could certainly see again come March.
“We need to keep getting better,” Keilty said. “We don’t know what the ceiling is for this team, but we’re just going to keep working and get better every day and find out what that ceiling is.”
Here are eight standouts and takeaways from the game of the night in MIAA boys basketball.
Rolky Brea-Arias, St. Mary’s
Class of 2026, 6-5 forward
The first test of adversity for St. Mary’s came in the first quarter, when Brea-Arias was whistled for three fouls. He sat on the bench for the rest of the half as the Spartans saw their early double-digit lead slip to one at halftime. But when Brea-Arias returned for the second half, they regained their groove. The senior didn’t play tentatively due to his foul trouble, instead attacking the basket and boards with the same level of aggressiveness and physicality that he always does. He scored 17 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, including two 3-pointers, and used his long frame to make several athletic, tough finishes at the rim. He had one play where he took a lefty drive into a spin move to his right for a difficult three-point play.
“He only knows one way to play,” Keilty said. “I’m super proud of him and his discipline and just his maturity. I think a lot of kids get three (fouls) as quick as he did and sit, would be sluggish coming out in that second half, but he wasn’t at all. He carried us there for a while, had some big buckets and rebounds and played great.”
Jake Fortier, St. Mary’s
Class of 2028, 6-0 guard
Fortier continues to be one of my favorite players to watch in the MIAA with the unique combination of pace, explosiveness and skill he plays with. He’s fearless with the ball, unafraid of contact and he plays at a high speed with extreme control, a low center of gravity and great poise. He has a confident outside shot, too, hitting three 3-pointers as part of his 17 points, including one that banked in as the first quarter closed. St. Mary’s has a high-powered offensive attack and Fortier controls the strings that put it in motion.
“Just such a dog, man,” Keilty said. “He just gets better and better every game, every day and he’s so skilled, he’s so tough, talented. I think he’s the best guard around, no question.”
John Chareas, St. Mary’s
Class of 2026, 6-3 guard/forward
Chareas was a tough cover all night for Masconomet as a big-bodied guard who can shoot and is skilled enough to take defenders off the dribble accompanied by the vision to make good passes. He drilled four 3-pointers en route to 18 points, including a big one in the third quarter that helped the Spartans start pulling away. He was exceptional using his physicality and skill to attack mismatches, played comfortably driving with his back to the basket and out of the post, and he had several impressive buckets at the rim, including one where he made a lefty finish off the glass out of a spin.
Jimmy Farrell, Masconomet
Class of 2026, 6-2 guard
Even in a visiting gym, Farrell had onlookers wowed by his performance. He scored a game-high 26 points, including an electric 18-point first half where he took over and could not miss on pull-up mid-range jumpers. He was breaking down defenders on crossovers to create space for pull-ups as he showcased elite balance, footwork and ability to get to his spots. He had one incredible fallaway jumper that capped an unstoppable run of jumpers in the second quarter, and he was also able to get to the basket with both hands with his skill, pace and ability to change directions. I learned postgame that Farrell was actually very sick for this game – he left school Monday with a 104-degree fever – but he felt well enough after a visit to the doctor and getting proper hydration to push through and play.
“I wish he had a little more juice in his tank because I think he wanted to make tonight a special night,” Masconomet coach Jaycob Morales said. “He knew what tonight was all about. He stepped up to the plate tonight.”
Takeaways
1. As good as its offense is, St. Mary’s won this game on defense as the Spartans held Masconomet to just 26 points in the second half. Brea-Arias’ second-half return helped Keilty align the defensive matchups and give them more length and athleticism, and 6-foot-7 forward Gabriel Makuwa-Sykes did a great job on Masco big Jamason Vella while providing rim protection with two loud second-half blocks. But the key was switching junior Rowan Merryman on to Farrell, and he slowed him down in the second half with strong 1-on-1 defense. Keilty credited his coaching staff with that adjustment.
“Rowan played unbelievable in that second half and that was the difference, him covering Jimmy,” Keilty said. “He did an unbelievable job. …
“You have to guard, you have to play every single possession,” Keilty said of his team’s defensive commitment. “They’re so tough, so disciplined and well-coached. We knew coming in it was going to take four quarters.”
2. St. Mary’s plays a very unselfish brand of basketball. Four players scored in double figures on Monday night, and they’ve carried that strength into its undefeated mark.
“That’s how we play,” Keilty said. “We like to share it, we like to spread you out. Obviously we shoot a ton of 3s, we like to play fast, so the guys know they’re trying to make the best play for us and not for them and that’s what makes us pretty unique and dangerous. Any given night, guys can go off in the scoring and we’re so balanced. The best part about that is they’re all happy for each other. No one cares about who gets the credit, no one cares about the points. Everyone just wants to win.”
3. Even in a loss, Masconomet showed its potential and displayed great resilience to come back from an early double-digit deficit to take a lead in the third quarter, and if a few bounces went the other way, Monday’s outcome might have been different; St. Mary’s actually banked in three 3-pointers in this one. But Morales said his team lacked enough juice in the second half, when Masconomet gave up eight offensive rebounds that led to 19 points for the Spartans. He thought they were getting frustrated on the offensive end and that spilled to their defense and rebounding.
But Morales is optimistic that playing in a hostile environment against one of the best teams in the state will be valuable for his group. He recalled a loss last season to Winchester as a wake-up call in Masconomet’s eventual run to the Div. 2 Final Four.
“I’m hoping today is our wake-up call and it reminds us that it doesn’t matter who we are and it doesn’t matter what we did last year,” Morales said. “What matters is 32 minutes of hard basketball.”
4. It would be hard to find many better MIAA basketball environments this season than Monday’s at St. Mary’s, where a standing-room only crowd packed into the small gym. Masconomet had a student section that was rowdy all night. Beverly’s entire team was in the house as it scouted Masconomet ahead of Friday’s matchup between the two Northeastern Conference rivals. It certainly looked like a big game. Keilty was grateful for it.
“When this gym gets packed, there’s nothing like it,” Keilty said. “I’m really happy for our kids for being able to play in an environment like that and I really appreciate all the support and everyone coming out.”
