The Peabody boy's basketball team (0-3) would take their talents to Gordon College on Thursday night to face the Beverly Panthers. Beverly's state-of-the-art gym facility at their high school was still under construction, forcing the change of venue.
Peabody had previously been tested against both of Lynn's school districts - Classical and English - two of the Northeast division's most formidable squads. And despite consecutive losses, the Tanners earned praise from their head coach, Dom Coleman, as well as onlookers who appreciated Peabody's hustle, heart, and opportunistic defense.
Against Beverly, Peabody looked comfortable and confident. They knew this was a winnable game.
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Following an extended rest, a rejuvenated Jon Byrne guided the Tanners with 16 points, dropping bombs from downtown, blocking shots from behind LeBron James-style, and generally making his team better.
Kyle Boyce also made noise in the first half, wreaking havoc on defense, causing numerous turnovers, and converting fast break points. Boyce would finish with a game-high 18 points.
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The game was knotted at 28-28 at halftime and Peabody looked poised to make a second half run for their first victory of the season.
Both teams experienced extended cold spells in the third quarter, however, while Coleman rested a visibly tired Byrne for the first time all night with just under two minutes remaining in the quarter. The Tanners would maintain a solid pace without Byrne's presence, and the teams entered the fourth quater knotted at 40 apiece.
Coleman elected to keep Byrne on the bench for the first three minutes of the fourth, which is when Beverly slowly began to pull away. Byrne entered the game at the 5:18 mark, but by then Beverly had taken the lead for good. A late three by Boyce cut the Panthers' lead to 68-64, but two costly traveling violations by Byrne and center Brian DeAngelis led to two Beverly buckets, which iced the game.
When asked why he didn't start Byrne in the fourth, coach Coleman responded, "I wanted to keep him rested to try and make a run later in the fourth." Coleman also expressed how proud he was of his team, "They played hard, didn't quit, and unfortunately we were on the losing end."
Next up for the Tanners is their annual holiday tournament, which begins Tuesday, December 28.
