BOXFORD – The Masconomet boys basketball team flexed its muscle at home, defeating Beverly, 69-51, to further cement its standing as the elite of the Northeastern Conference.

Forcing turnovers and finishing at the hoop, all while playing tenacious defense, Masconomet (7-1, 4-0 NEC) won its second straight since falling to St. Mary’s of Lynn this past Monday.

Jamason Vella was sensational for the Chieftains. The 6-foot-6 senior led all scorers with 21 points, and he controlled the glass with 13 rebounds. Yet for all his poise and polish on offense, it was the defensive side of the ball where he shone brightest.

“Our energy on defense allowed us to take control of this game,” said Vella. “After coming off a big loss against St. Mary’s, that’s the edge we need and that’s what we did here.”

Unfortunately, none of the student body was in the stands to see it happen.

Due to a series of posts on social media involving a limited number of students, Masconomet banned all students from both schools from attending the game. That decision did not sit well with Masconomet coach Jaycob Morales.

“We need to start caring more about the person in the jersey than the name across the jersey,” said Morales. “On our side, we had eight seniors that missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime.”

There was also a glaring level of energy absent in the gym. That was particularly noticeable when Vella threw down a right-handed fast break dunk in the third, which would have caused the student section to erupt had they been present.

“I want my kids and my program to represent the community the right way,” said Morales. “But tonight, I don’t feel the school supported the kids the right way. My eight seniors deserved better.”

Masconomet features the size, depth, and hunger requisite to make a deep run in the state tournament – all of which was on display in this victory. Beverly (6-3, 3-2 NEC) kept it close in the opening quarter, finishing the quarter with an 8-2 spurt that cut the deficit to a point at 16-15. After that, however, Masconomet did as it pleased.

The Chieftains extended the lead to 39-22 at the half. Beverly’s defense had no answer for Vella, and classmate Jimmy Farrell staved off a mid-week sickness to deliver a clinic on his home floor with an immaculate midrange shooting.

“I took what they gave me,” said Farrell (20 points), who was also quick to share the praise. “They were helping a lot with our bigs, so I saw opportunities. It’s our guys in the post that make us so special.”

The focus for Masconomet was containing 1,000-point scorer Jacob Klass with defensive pressure from seniors Cal Weidman and Ryan Richardson. In the third, Klass (10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) started to find his rhythm, becoming more involved with the offense. Yet Beverly could not get closer than nine, and the lead jumped back to 15 after back-to-back threes from junior sharpshooter Jack Arnold that made it 49-34 after three.

In the fourth, Vella, Farrell, and Thomas Denton kept the lead at a comfortable margin, refusing to allow Beverly to make a late run. Their size advantage – Denton is 6-foot-5 and embraces physicality – makes Masconomet extremely tough to beat.

“We didn’t always love defense, but we do now,” said Denton (11 points, 9 rebounds). “It’s different now. Credit to our coaches – our practices are all about team defense. We take pride in that. And that’s the reason we were able to beat Beverly.”

For a Beverly team with state title aspirations of their own, the loss left Panthers coach Matt Karakoudas especially frustrated.

“We have high expectations, but we’re not living up to them,” said Karakoudas. “They were the tougher team physically and mentally. They’re a better team – and they played better.”

The victory further cements the Chieftains as the top of the NEC. While there are even loftier goals for the program than solely winning the conference – namely, a state championship – Morales adheres to a step-by-step approach to success.

“We have kids here who take pride in how they play,” said Morales. “It was awesome to see the way they defended against Beverly. That’s a high-scoring team, so we are proud of what we accomplished in this game.”