By Amara Grautski, Globe Staff

Senior tri-captain Erin McNamara carried her team to victory, tallying a game-high 26 points, as undefeated Pentucket topped St. Mary's 57-45 at Emmanuel College.

McNamara spread her scoring, posting 13 points per half, and was lethal from outside, drilling four 3-pointers. The Spartans countered with junior forward Tori Faieta (18 points), who worked in the paint. Junior forward Cassi Amenta tallied another 15 for the Spartans.

"She hit some shots tonight, and we needed her to step up," Pentucket coach John McNamara said of his daughter. "But the beauty of our team is every night there's a different girl who steps up."

The No. 18 Sachems (14-0) took an eight-point lead into the third quarter, but the Spartans pulled within two points a minute and a half into the quarter. Freshman Tess Nogueira (10 points) caught fire shortly after, posting 8 points in about two minutes to give Pentucket an 11-point cushion entering the fourth.

"She finished," the Sachems coach said, "but again, it's the team distributing the ball. Tess is going to be a heck of a player as a freshman."

The No. 13 Spartans (9-3) never had a lead in the game, and the Sachems managed to hold a team that was averaging just over 57 points per game to its lowest point total this season.

"This was an unbelievable weekend to have back-to-back nights against undefeated Ipswich...and then to have a game tonight against St. Mary's, who I think is one of the best teams in the state," coach McNamara said. "[I] couldn't have been prouder of the girls."