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BEVERLY | The Winchester boys basketball team had a big-time spurt over the first 2<1/2> quarters, when time wasn't an issue. Beverly, on the other hand, answered with an impressive run of its own, but it came against two opponents | the Sachems and the clock.

DANVERS | The excitement is never written on Mike Clifford's face. That's just his personality.

If you'd run into Bishop Fenwick's junior center after the first round of the North Shore Hoop Invitational Saturday night, you never would've guessed from his demeanor whether his team won or lost.

Antonio Reyes has the poise of a Scoonie Penn or a Rick Brunson at the freshman level | and that's not a reach. The 6-foot all-star and pride of Prospect Street is probably the best fresman prospect to wear the Salem High Witches uniform since Erik Groszyk.

Coach Scott Lewis and the Beverly High boys basketball team can justifiably take pride in upgrading the program in recent years.

The Panthers are rolling along with an 11-6 record this season and will be going to the state tournament for the third year in a row. Last year, Beverly went 12-8 and made its deepest postseason run in decades, reaching the Division 2 North semifinals before losing to Belmont.

Beverly High boys basketball coach Scott Lewis can't complain about the way his team closes out a game. In fact, he can't complain about too much these days.

With the issue in doubt late in the game, Beverly went on a 12-2 run to finish off Peabody, 50-41, in the Northeastern Conference.

One thing about the Beverly High boys basketball team has become abundantly clear: no matter how dire the situation, it doesn't back down against anybody.

Moreover, the Panthers seem to be at their best in crunch time.

The Beverly High boys basketball team would've been kicking itself if it lost to Marblehead last night. Instead, the Panthers may look back at this one as a turning point in the season.

In a game that might've been as wild as anything that's been seen in the Northeastern Conference so far this year, Beverly squandered a 14-point first half lead and trailed by nine in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers had all the right answers in the final minute and pulled out a 60-57 win.

After three straight losses, the Beverly boys basketball team was ready to take its frustrations out on someone. Last night, their wrath came down on host Winthrop as the Panthers invaded the previously unbeaten Vikings' gym and came away with a 71-64 victory.

BEVERLY | There wasn't much the Salem boys basketball team could feel good about coming into the Henry Cabot Lodge Fieldhouse last night.

Losers of three of their first four games, the visiting Witches also had to deal with the proposition of battling a Beverly team amped up on the return of senior forward Matt Tobin without two of their own starters.

Eugene Turner and the Lynn English boys basketball team are quickly and efficiently serving notice that they are one of the teams to beat on the North Shore boys hoop scene this winter, which is quite appropriate since it's a quick and efficient defense that's putting them in that position to begin with.