IPSWICH — In a thrilling Cape Ann League matchup between Ipswich and the reigning Division 4 state champion Georgetown, every second mattered, as Georgetown eked out a 61–55 win.

To start the game, each team applied full-court pressure, resulting in a fast-tempo tone for the entire contest with lots of sloppy turnovers and beautiful fast-break plays. Early on, the Tigers were looking for their go-to senior sniper, Vin Winters (11 points and six rebounds), setting screens to get him open looks from three. They also attacked the low post often, where sophomore big man Anderson Pillis (seven points and six rebounds) was able to score inside.

On the other side, Georgetown was able to explode offensively in the second quarter due to some effective high-low action in the post and kick-out threes. Georgetown, a team that typically shoots the three-ball at a high clip, struggled behind the arc on the night. Senior guard Irvin Zapata (13 points and three three-pointers) and junior big man Aleksander Dimove (12 points and eight rebounds) combined for 20 of the Royals’ 35 points at the break. In the third quarter, senior forward Jomar Terrero (12 points) was able to get to the cup often.

After halftime, every time the Royals looked as if they were going to pull away, Ipswich came right back. There was a clear switch in the Tigers’ defensive intensity, as they allowed just 12 points in the third quarter.

After being down 17 points early in the third quarter, it would’ve been easy for the Tigers to hang their heads and accept defeat, but Ipswich head coach Alan Laroche made sure that wasn’t the case.

Led by junior guard Rex Satter (14 points, 5 rebounds), the Tigers picked up the pace on both ends of the court and forced many turnovers, leading to quick transition buckets that eventually tied the game at 55 apiece.

However, the Royals’ defense was relentless in the final minute—especially when Ipswich was trying to inbound the ball. On three inbounds plays in the final minute for the Tigers, Georgetown forced a jump ball and two turnovers, resulting in four easy points.

“That just goes to show you what type of team this is; these guys will fight till the end. They work their tail off. They’re there for each other. They battle. They have confidence in themselves,” said Laroche. “I’m at a loss for words right now. I’m just very proud of how they battled there in the third quarter of the game. In the second half, our guys ended up just asserting themselves on the defensive end. We made things difficult for Georgetown, and then we started executing plays in our half-court offense, which made a big difference.”

Georgetown senior captain and all-scholastic floor general Brendan Loewen (nine points and eight rebounds) was the most impactful player on the court, even on a night where he wasn’t hitting anything from deep. If there was a loose ball, Loewen was the first on the floor. If there was a big rebound to be made, Loewen made it. When the lights were at their brightest, and Loewen was at the free-throw line to ice the game, he answered the call, going a perfect six-for-six at the line in the fourth quarter.

“Brendan Loewen’s a warrior,” said first-year Georgetown head coach Kevin Fair. “I mean, there is an obvious reason why he was all-scholastic last year. He makes the big play when we need the big play.”

After his team survived the first test of the season, Fair reflected on the lessons his team learned and how a quality opponent like Ipswich will prepare his team going forward.

“I’ve got to give Ipswich’s guys credit. We were a little loose in the half-court man-to-man, which is not like us,” said Fair. “When we needed to make the big play, though, our guys stepped up, and I’m very proud of them. They played really hard.”