boys Basketball.htm

JARELL BYRD, Classical - A 6-3 sophomore forward ... Led Rams in field-goal percentage (54) and scoring (395 points, 16 ppg) ... Also led team in rebounds with 241 (10 per game) and blocked shots (83, for 3.5 average) ... Had a monster performance in the tournament against Charlestown.

JASPER GRASSA, Classical - A 5-11 sophomore guard, he led the Rams in three-point percentage (37), comparing favorably with some of Classical's more notorious long-range shooters ... Shot 66 pct. from the foul line ... Scored 361 points for 15 ppg ... Led team in steals with 43, and assists with 121.

CHARLESTOWN -- Anyone who missed last night's Charlestown-Classical boys basketball game will never have the opportunity to tell their children, or their friends, that they were there for one of the highest-scoring, and most entertaining, contests in state tournament history.

Unless, of course, 10 years from now, the crowd at the Charlestown High gym mysteriously swells by a couple of thousand -- as it seems to do whenever games of epic proportions are played.

These two teams have met four times in tournament games in the last six years, and the Townies have won all of them. Two of them have been blowouts, one was excruciatingly close, and this one wasn't close as much as it was whiplash-inducing.

High-school teams rarely score into the 80s in regulation, but Classical did last night. The Rams scored 87. Ordinary, that would be good enough. The problem, for them, however, was that Charlestown scored an even 100.

You read that right. The final score was 100-87, Charlestown, and lest anyone get any false impressions, there was no "garbage time" in this game. Charlestown needed every one of those 100 points because Classical never quit, despite being down by 20-plus points a couple of different times.

"It was a lot of fun," said Charlestown coach Steve Cassidy. "It's fun to be a part of a game like this. We thought we'd thrown a couple of knockout punches at them, but (Classical) just kept fighting back.

"This is a game that makes you nervous as a coach," he said, "but it must have been a heck of a lot of fun to watch."

Although the loss eliminated Classical from the Division 1 North tournament, Rams coach Tom Grassa couldn't say enough about his team.

"With what we have," he said, "our kids worked hard and gave it everything they had. I'm very, very proud of them.

"Twice, we got down by over 20 points and made runs to get it close to single digits."

The problem, though, was that Charlestown went through stretches where it sank three-pointers as if they were layups. In all, the Townies sank seven of them, and just about every one of them came when the Rams threatened to get the lead down to single digits.

Central to Charlestown's offensive explosion was 6-1 senior Greg Hackett, who poured in 35, hitting shots from all over the court. Helping out were Shabazz Napier and David Riley, each of whom dropped in 17.

For Classical, Jarell Byrd was almost as devastating as Hackett was. The sophomore forward had 27 points.

"He really had a great game, and he finished up strong for us," Grassa said.

Byrd was ably aided by Jasper Grassa, who had 20. Tony Johnson, playing in his final game, had a strong 12 points before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.

"To that point," said Grassa, "Tony was playing a great game. That really hurt us."

However, with Johnson out, Classical got some key contributions off the bench, none of them more important than Sebastian Bejin's brief foray into the game. Bejin took two passes from Quivari Jackson (9 points) and scored at the end of the third quarter at a time when Classical was closing one of those 20-plus-point deficits.

Classical trailed by only three after one quarter (25-22), and while the Rams scored 22 points in the second period as well, Charlestown took off, pouring in 31 to go up by 12 (56-44) at the break.

Classical got the lead down to 10 when Johnson sank two free throws to open the third period, but Charlestown went off on a 19-2 run after that to open its biggest lead of the night, 75-48, late in the third quarter. But that's when Classical regrouped, and ended up going on a 13-1 run to close the quarter, knocking the lead down to 15 (76-61).

And that's how it pretty much stayed. Charlestown would make a run to go up by 20, and Classical would answer it to get it back to respectability.

Charlestown will be the place to be Saturday (4 p.m.) when East Boston -- the team that beat the Townies for the city championship -- comes to town in a quarterfinal game.

LYNN -- From high school to the pros, coaches incessantly preach defense. The defensive presence of Bill Russell was the catalyst for 11 Celtic championships in 13 years, and experienced team defense is why the Detroit Pistons are the Green's biggest obstacle in the Eastern Conference this season.

But no matter how stifling the defense, no team can win if it does not score.

In the Division 1 North state tournament preliminary-round matchup between Andover and Classical, the Rams struggled with the smothering defense of the Golden Warriors, but the visiting squad shot zero percent (0-17) from three-point land and was held to 19 second-half points in Classical's 53-44 win.

"I've known ( Andover coach) Dave Fazio for a long time, and his teams are always well-prepared," said Ram coach Tom Grassa. "They play tough man-to-man and always bring extra help. They're a quality team."

Classical's (14-9) reward for upending the Warriors is a first-round date with perennial powerhouse Charlestown (21-1) on Thursday.

The Ram victory hands Andover (11-12) its first losing season in 19 years.

"At the end of the day, our M.O. again was that we just don't hit our shots," Fazio said. "All year, we've been snake-bitten. I'm not making excuses, the shots were there, and come tourney time, you have to make them."

The first half seemed less like a showdown between the Warriors and Classical and more like the battle of Tristian Shannon (15 first-half points) and Derrick Beasley (6) versus Jasper Grassa (12) and Jarell Byrd (10). The aforementioned four combined for 43 of the 54 total first-half points as the Rams held a 29-25 advantage at intermission.

In the first quarter, Classical went on a 10-0 run before a 7-0 Andover push in the final two minutes brought the Warriors back within two. Grassa scored the first five points of the second quarter before the Warriors got their act together on both ends of the court and forced a tie before a 6-0 Ram run gave the home team a lead it would not relinquish.

After a defensive struggle in the third quarter (Classical won 8-6), the waning moments were a bit tense for the Rams after two unsuccessful one-and-one opportunities allowed Andover to pull within five with 42 seconds remaining.

The Warriors had multiple chances late but continued to come up empty and time inevitably ran out.

"The team played terrific D tonight," Grassa said. " Andover plays in arguably the toughest conference in the state (the Merrimack Valley Conference) and seven of their losses were by three points or less."

For Classical, Byrd finished as his team's high scorer with 16 and ended the contest with an emphatic one-handed slam as time expired. Grassa scored 14 and senior center Tony Johnson only had four points but made a serious impact with a game-high 20 rebounds.

"Tony was our unsung hero tonight. He was terrific," Grassa said.

For the Warriors, Shannon ended with a game-high 19 points to go along with 10 boards. Beasley finished with 12. No other Andover player scored more than three points.

LYNN -- The Lynn English boys basketball team proved it was the best team in the Northeastern Conference during the entire season. With Friday's night's 69-65 win in overtime over Classical, the Bulldogs also proved they're the best team in the city.

Judging by the wild post-game celebration on the court at English's Cavangh Gym, it would have been hard to tell which achievement is more important.

English won the season series, 2-1, also taking the final of the Boverini Tournament in December. The Rams won a week later at Classical.

"It's just a great win for our program," English coach Buzzy Barton said. "Anytime we play Clasical, it's always a great game."

Charlie Rucker scored 15 points to lead English, which had four other players in double figures including Ryan Woumn (13), James Mitchell (12), Justin Young and Eugene Turner (10).

While there is little glory in defeat, there can be valor, and the Rams (13-8) got plenty of that from Jasper Grassa, who scored a career-high 33 points, 24 of which came on 3-pointers. Jarell Byrd, who was plagued by foul trouble, was the only other player in double figures for Classical with 12 points.

"We had chances to win, and our effort was outstanding," Classical coach Tom Grassa said. "It's tough to compete with their size, especially without Tony Wonde (torn ACL), who was our second leading rebounder when he got hurt."

Classical led for most of the game, but needed an off-balance runner from Grassa with 19 seconds left in regulation for force overtime. Classical led by as many a three points early in the OT, but the Bulldogs crept back into it with free throws and then took the lead for good when Rucker made a 7-foot hook shot from the left of the lane with 1:36 remaining.

A free throw by English's Jeremy Subervi and another bucket by Rucker increased English's lead to four, but Classical's Cam Smith scored with 39 seconds left in overtime to cut the lead to two.

Woumn then made arguably the biggest basket of the night, on a slashing drive through the lane with 21 seconds left. Turner ended the Rams' last hope when he intercepted a pass with seven second remaining.

"We have all the confidence in the world in Ryan Woumn," Barton said. "He could average 20 points a game, but we ask him to run the point for us and he's tremendous."

The game went back and forth early. With Byrd and forward Tony Johnson on the bench with two fouls each, English closed out the first quarter on a 5-0 run to lead, 17-15. Grassa, who made five 3-pointers over English's zone in the first half, helped give the Rams a 5-point lead (34-29) at halftime.

Another 3-pointer by Grassa peaked Classical's lead at 48-41 in the third quarter, but English closed out the period on a 6-0 run and took its first lead since the beginning of the second quarter when Young made a fast break layup on a feed from Woumn with 4:03 left in regulation.

After Grassa's foul line jumper tied the game in the final minute of regulation, English moved the ball to the frontcourt and called timeout with nine seconds left. Turner lost the handle at the foul line, and Classical's Kyle Smith pounced on the ball at midcourt and called time with four seconds left, but The Rams never got off a shot.

LYNN -- With 2:25 remaining in the first half on Sunday, Classical and St. John's Prep were deadlocked at 28-28 and it looked like the two would go right down to the wire.

But what ensued over the next 16 minutes can be describe in only one word: amazing.

The Rams turned the tie game into a one sided bludgeoning thanks to a 32-0 (no, that's not a misprint) run that stretched through the end of the first half, the third quarter and into the fourth as Classical cruised to a 74-46 win in Lynn.

"I don't think I've ever seen a run like that," a surprised Classical coach Tom Grassa said afterwards. "I think that was our best team effort, from 1-to-10, all season."

The numbers were simply astounding in how Classical turned an exciting game into one that was all green and gold.

After Andrew Knight hit a three to put the Prep up 26-20, forcing a Classical timeout, the Eagles did not score another basket until Jordan Edgett hit a 3-pointer with 5:37 left in the contest.

In that span of just under 16 minutes, Classical outscored the Prep 40-2 to turn the six point deficit into a 60-28 lead early in the fourth quarter.

After the game, Prep coach Dan Letarte could only shake his head.

"It was unbelievable," Letarte said. "We just got our butts kicked (Sunday). We started so well and then it completely flipped around."

But for the first half, the fans who were in the bleachers were treated to quite a show.

The Rams, who were trying to rebound from a heartbreaking loss to Salem on Friday, avoided the sluggish start they had in the team's first meeting that saw them get down 23-4 after one quarter before nearly coming all the way back.

Jasper Grassa scored eight of his game high 21 points in the first quarter but was matched at every turn by the Prep's Ryan O'Connell, who scored nine first quarter points to keep the Rams lead at just two (15-13) after one.

The two teams began the second quarter by trading the lead with regularity.

Patrick Connaughton gave the Prep its second lead of the game with a three to begin the quarter. Grassa responded with five straight to put the Rams back in front before Brendon Felder and O'Connell hit long-range shots to give the Prep a 23-20 lead.

Knight added the Prep's fifth three of the first half to make it 26-20 and force a Classical timeout. From there on, the game belonged to the Rams.

Jarell Byrd hit a three out of the timeout to half the margin and send Classical on its epic run. Quivari Jackson's three after a Grassa jumper gave Classical a 28-26 lead with 3:00 left in the half.

After Sam Baker tied the game with two free throws, Grassa and Sebastian Bejin combined to score the next seven points and send Classical to the locker room with a 35-28 lead.

The momentum carried by Classical into the half continued at the start of the third quarter, where the Eagles would go cold while the Rams blew the game wide open.

By the time Kyle Smith scored on a layup with two seconds left in the third, the Prep had been outscored, 20-0 for the quarter and saw the seven point halftime lead turn into a 55-28 Classical advantage.

"Classical just came out ready to play," LeTarte said.

The lone highlight for the Eagles in the second half came when Max Carr came off the bench to score the first five points of his varsity career in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter.

Salem 70, Classical 68

At Salem, Dan Byors' jump hook in the lane with five seconds left was the difference as the Witches (11-5) overcame a 53-50 deficit after three quarters.

"It was back and forth the whole way," Salem coach Tommy Doyle said. "It was just a hectic pace."

Byors also helped seal the win at the defensive end on the following possession when he took a charge with .2 seconds left.

"We didn't do a good job of playing defense as a team in the second half," Classical coach Tom Grassa said. "We just didn't get a stop when we needed to."

Chris Maxson had 15 points to pace Salem, which got 14 points from Antonio Reyes and 13 each from Byors and Junior Lugo. The Rams got 21 from Jarell Byrd and 17 from Jasper Grassa.

Classical 76, Revere 53

At Revere, the Rams (10-6, 9-3 Northeastern Conference) got a challenge for a while from the hosts before pulling away to a comfortable win. Quivari Jackson led all scorers with 21 points for Classical while Jasper Grassa had 18 points and Jarell Byrd added 13.

LYNN -- All season long, the Marblehead boys basketball squad has prided itself with its defensive play, and last night's affair at Classical was no exception.

The Magicians (10-3) allowed just 21 points in the second half, stifling the undermanned (due to injuries) Rams, 50-49, at Classical. As a result of the victory, Marblehead clinched a tourney spot.

Leading 50-47 with just under 10 seconds remaining, the Magicians saw Classical attempt to deadlock the game, with forward Jasper Grassa (game-high 22 points, with a trio of three's) saw his shot bounce off the far rim. The rebound was snared by teammate Chris Francois, who was stationed underneath the basket. He put the ball in for the game's final points at the buzzer, but couldn't draw the foul, thus ensuring the win for Marblehead.

The Rams were without Quivari Jackson and Cameron Smith.

"It was a case of fatigue for us," said Classical coach Tom Grassa, who saw his team fail to register any fourth quarter points until three and a half minutes were gone. "We got the shots we wanted, but they weren't dropping. There was a three-minute spell when we went up by three (40-37 entering the final period to down by six (48-42 with 3:07 left), and we got tired."

With the game tied at 42 (4:30 to go), the Magicians put together an impressive run to hold the lead for good. Forward Taariq Allen took a feed off an inbound pass, hitting a short jumper to give the team a 44-42 edge. Grassa missed a three-pointer that would've pushed Classical (9-6) back ahead, yet Marblehead took advantage, extending its lead (46-42) when guard Pat Song connected on a backhanded flip shot from the paint (ten-footer) off the glass. Allen hit another short jumper to complete the 6-0 run, ending when Classical's Luis Ayala drilled a three as the shooting clock expired. Marblehead's Damola Abu and Johnson then traded buckets, setting up the final scene.

"It's always tough to win on the road, but to hold them to 21 (in the second half) was great to see," said Marblehead coach Wayne Hanscom. "We executed defensively, and made some stops as well. And Jasper (Grassa) was their key guy; he's one of the best shooters in the state. He was tired (in the final quarter), and he missed some shots. But we were turning the ball over quite a lot, and their offensive boards really killed us all night."

The Magicians raced out to an early 8-2 lead, fueled by three-pointers (the team connected on seven in the evening) by Allen and Song. Classical closed to within 10-7 near the end of the period, but Marblehead guard Eric Steen drilled a straightaway three for a 13-9 edge after one.

Marblehead maintained a six-point lead (18-12 early in the second, but the game quickly became the Jasper Grassa show. He hit his first three-pointer to bring the Rams to within 20-18 midway through the period, then added another three moments after Marblehead's Brandon Lee (the Magicians top scorer with 15) had one of his own (Grassa totalled 11 of the Rams 19 points of the stanza).

With 1:22 remaining in the quarter, Marblehead had its biggest lead (30-23). Grassa was fouled as he hit a short jumper, and his three-point play closed the gap to 30-26. Johnson netted the half's final points with 30 seconds to go, trailing 30-28.

Classical changed its style of play at the half, going on an 11-2 run, and taking its biggest lead (39-32) with 3:21 left in the period. Grassa gave the Rams its first lead (32-30) with a long jumper, then after Marblehead center Damola Adu tied the score, a pair of buckets followed by another three by Grassa gave the Rams that seven-point cushion. And the Magicians were ice cold from the floor as well.

"They hit six three-pointers in the first half," said coach Grassa of the Magicians. "At the half, we went man-to-man (defense) instead of the zone that we were playing in the first half. Chris Francois, for example, did an outstanding job covering (Taariq) Allen, keeping him scoreless for a good stretch of the second and third quarters."

Yet Marblehead carried the momentum into the final period, when Lee drilled another three (he had a trio of them) with just under 20 seconds remaining.

"We were hot early, and were fortunate to be so," Hanscom said. "Classical bounced right back, taking advantage of our misses and turnovers. We made the transition (defensively) at the half to box out, and it worked out for us in the final period."

Classical 62, Danvers 35

At Danvers, the Rams (9-5) bounced back from Tuesday's loss at Everett with a solid performance on the road, that saw nine different players score points.
"It was a good opportunity for us to get good, solid minutes for a lot of different players," Classical coach Tom Grassa said.
Chad Quintana had 12 points to lead the balanced Classical offense. Jarell Byrd also reached double figures, finishing with 11. Tony Johnson pulled down 14 rebounds.

EVERETT - For three quarters Tuesday, the Classical and Everett basketball teams had traded the lead 11 times and had been tied on six other occasions.
But it was the final eight minutes that belonged to the Crimson Tide.
Everett rattled off a 14-0 run to begin the final period, capping a 27-7 spurt, that turned a 38-37 Classical lead into a 20-point Everett lead and an eventual 71-55 victory.
"Our kids kind of dug in and did a real good job at the defensive end," Everett coach John DiBiaso said. "We got the stops when we needed them and were able to capitalize with baskets."
Classical (8-5) had the lead with five minutes left in the third quarter before Jarell Byrd picked up his fourth foul and the Crimson Tide took advantage.
The Everett defense shut down the Rams, who scored only 22 points in the second half, by taking away Classical's fast break and holding Jasper Grassa to five second half points after he had 16 in the first half.
"That shows you how important Jarell is," Classical coach Tom Grassa said. "You have to pay a lot of attention to him when he's in there. And with him out, we couldn't get the ball over the top of their pressure."
With Byrd on the bench with four fouls, Everett turned a 40-39 lead into a 50-44 gap heading into the fourth quarter. Byrd returned, but not for long as he was called for his fifth foul on a tie up with Jerome Cohen.
The Crimson Tide (10-1) didn't waste much time in laying waste to the Classical defense from there. Cohen, Jim Noel and DeQuan Lee helped lead a 14-0 run that Dio McCloud capped with a steal and a layup that made it 64-44 with 3:08 remaining.
"That was a good little run we had," DiBiaso said. "And that came from our defense."
It was the second major run that Everett had put on in the contest, which saw the return of Isaac Johnson to the court after a 10 game absence.
"Unfortunately we had to face them with the return of Isaac," Grassa said.
McCloud shot the lights out in the first quarter as his seven points helped the Crimson Tide take a 20-9 lead in the early going before the Rams steadied themselves with a Grassa three.
Ayala followed with a layup that cut the margin to six at quarter's end. Another Ayala layup and Grassa bomb cut the gap to one and when Alex Watler scored on a fast break, Classical had put together a 12-0 run to take a 21-20 lead and force a DiBiaso timeout.
The rest of the half saw the teams trade the lead back and forth six times before a 3-point play by Grassa with 10.2 seconds left gave Classical a 31-29 halftime lead.
The third quarter saw the teams swap the lead five more times in the first three minutes before Jim Noel tapped home a miss with 4:00 left in the third to give Everett a 38-37 lead and send them on their game-changing run over the next seven minutes.

A Good Win ! Classical 79, Gloucester 65

By Matthew Roy / For The Item, 1/19/08

At Classical, the Rams (8-4) broke a three-game losing streak as Cam Smith had a season high 22 points.

"Cam hasn't been scoring a lot but it was nice to see us get offense from some other guys," Classical coach Tom Grassa said.

Jasper Grassa had 18 points and Jarell Byrd chipped in 15 for the victors. Tony Johnson added eight points and 12 rebounds.

Gloucester got 19 points in the loss from Chris Unis.
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Season to Date Statistics thru 13 Games

Win	8
Lose	5
Tie	0

Period	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	FINAL
Scoring	TOT-AVG	TOT-AVG	TOT-AVG	TOT-AVG	TOT-AVG	PTS-AVG
CLASSICAL	190-14.6	210-16.2	246-18.9	232-17.8	0-0.0	878-67.5
OPPONENTS	214-16.5	205-15.8	194-14.9	237-18.2	0-0.0	850-65.4

	3 Pt		2 Pt		Tot
	FG	3 Pt	FG	2 Pt	FG	Tot	FT			Pts/
Shooting and Scoring	M-A	FG %	M-A	FG %	M-A	FG %	M-A	FT %	Pts	GM
AYALA, LUIS	7-18	38.9	8-24	33.3	15-42	35.7	2-3	66.7	39	3.5
BEJIN, SEBASTIAN	0-0	0.0	10-24	41.7	10-24	41.7	4-7	57.1	24	2.0
BYRD, JARELL	8-29	27.6	74-128	57.8	82-157	52.2	40-70	57.1	212	16.3
FRANCOIS, CHRIS	0-0	0.0	13-16	81.3	13-16	81.3	1-3	33.3	27	4.5
GRASSA, JASPER	25-69	36.2	42-69	60.9	67-138	48.6	18-26	69.2	177	13.6
JACKSON, QUIVARI	12-44	27.3	38-83	45.8	50-127	39.4	12-20	60.0	124	9.5
JOHNSON, TONY	0-0	0.0	27-48	56.3	27-48	56.3	13-26	50.0	67	5.2
QUINTANA, CHAD	4-16	25.0	2-5	40.0	6-21	28.6	0-1	0.0	16	2.7
SMITH, CAMERON	12-52	23.1	38-61	62.3	50-113	44.2	12-25	48.0	124	10.3
SMITH, KYLE	1-3	33.3	1-7	14.3	2-10	20.0	1-4	25.0	6	0.5
WATLER, ALEX	0-4	0.0	7-16	43.8	7-20	35.0	0-4	0.0	14	1.4
WONDE, TONY	0-0	0.0	19-39	48.7	19-39	48.7	10-21	47.6	48	4.8
CLASSICAL	69-235	29.4	279-520	53.7	348-755	46.1	113-210	53.8	878	67.5
OPPONENTS	62-162	38.3	257-525	49.0	319-687	46.4	154-246	62.6	854	65.7

	Off	Def	Tot	Reb/							GM	PL	GM
Miscellaneous	Reb	Reb	Reb	GM	BS	CH	S	TO	A	F	ST	TM	PL
AYALA, LUIS	0	2	2	0.2	0	0	7	8	16	8	1	108	11
BEJIN, SEBASTIAN	17	22	39	3.3	4	1	2	4	3	27	0	106	12
BYRD, JARELL	52	70	122	9.4	47	0	25	21	25	37	13	340	13
FRANCOIS, CHRIS	7	6	13	2.2	5	0	7	1	1	10	0	53	6
GRASSA, JASPER	9	27	36	2.8	12	0	31	35	61	25	13	335	13
JACKSON, QUIVARI	15	16	31	2.4	1	1	24	43	52	20	13	304	13
JOHNSON, TONY	32	40	72	5.5	3	1	13	11	7	36	13	222	13
QUINTANA, CHAD	0	2	2	0.3	0	0	3	10	5	1	0	59	6
SMITH, CAMERON	10	13	23	1.9	4	0	15	17	30	14	12	281	12
SMITH, KYLE	3	4	7	0.6	2	0	6	8	4	3	0	92	12
WATLER, ALEX	6	2	8	0.8	2	0	2	5	2	9	0	69	10
WONDE, TONY	14	27	41	4.1	8	4	8	11	3	20	0	116	10
CLASSICAL	165	231	396	30.5	88	7	143	174	209	210	---	---	13
OPPONENTS	111	251	362	27.8	19	9	120	193	136	196	---	---	13

Winthrop 66, Classical 61

At Winthrop, the Vikings (7-2) trailed 60-59 with a minute remaining but used a six-point trip down the floor to take the lead and the win.
"This gives us a big boost of confidence," Winthrop coach Dave Brown said.
Winthrop had things going its way in the first half, taking a 36-27 lead into the break. But the Rams (7-4) responded in the third, outscoring Winthrop 21-9 to take a 48-47 lead after three quarters.
But Classical lost Jarell Byrd (12 points) and Tony Johnson (10 points) to fouls in the fourth quarter, allowing the Vikings to sneak back in the game.
"We had no one to rebound in the fourth quarter," Classical coach Tom Grassa said.
Jasper Grassa's 16 points led Classical while Dino Mallios had 22, 15 of them in the first half, to head the Winthrop offense. Jonathan Murdock had 13 and Kenny Quist finished with 11 for the Vikings.

DANVERS -- All day long on Sunday, Ryan O'Connell really hadn't thought about what he had a chance to accomplish against Lynn Classical at Memorial Gymnasium.
The senior guard came into the game needing 18 points to become only the fourth Eagle to reach the 1,000-point plateau. But for three and a half quarters, it looked like O'Connell wasn't going to get there as the Eagles had a comfortable lead.
But the Rams made a charge, cutting at what was at one time a 21-point margin to 62-58 with five minutes remaining. But leave it to O'Connell to put his name in the books in grand style.
Burying three consecutive 3-pointers, O'Connell went over the 1,000-point mark, finishing with 23 points and 1,005 for his career in helping the Eagles pull away to a 77-68 win over the Rams.
"I wasn't really thinking about it before the game," O'Connell said. "But during the game, I couldn't stop thinking about it. That spurt kind of came at a good time."
The Rams (7-3) showed great character in making a game out of one that looked for all intents and purposes to be over heading to the fourth quarter, but coach Tom Grassa knew that giving the Prep a big early lead was too much to overcome.
"You can't spot a good, solid team like that 21 points and expect to win the game," Grassa said.
It was far from a one-man show for the Eagles (4-3) on Sunday as two other starters took on big roles early on. Brendon Felder, a Lynn native, and Sam Baker had a field day against the Classical defense in the first half.
Felder had nine points and Jake Canty and Baker added six each as the Eagles thoroughly dominated the first quarter in taking a 23-4 lead that was capped with a 13-0 run over the final three minutes.
O'Connell extended the lead to 25-4 early in the second quarter before Classical finally got its bearings back thanks to its deep bench.
Luis Ayala, Sebastian Bejin and Tony Wonde came off the pine to provide a spark for Classical. Ayala scored all 11 of his points in the second quarter as the Rams cut the Prep's 21-point lead to 40-25 at halftime.
"I think that's what partly inspired us," Grassa said. "It was that second team playing the second quarter and getting us back in the game."
Even with that effort by Classical's bench in the second quarter, there still wasn't a feeling in the building that the Rams could come all the way back. And thanks to hard work on the glass from Baker, who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, the Eagles held a 16-point lead entering the final eight minutes of play.
"Baker came up huge. That was the best game he's played," Prep coach Dan Letarte said.
But Jasper Grassa's innocent-looking 3-point play with 1:03 left in the third proved to be the spark in a rally that turned the one-sided contest into a nail-biter.
It was 62-46 after a Baker layup with seven minutes left when the Rams made their charge. Grassa buried a three and Jarell Byrd added four of his team-high 20 points to bring the Rams within eight at 62-54, forcing the Prep to call a timeout.
The timeout didn't help the Eagles much, though, as Classical's pressure defense resulted in two Cam Smith baskets that cut the gap to four with 4:50 remaining and resulted in another timeout call from Letarte.
That's when O'Connell took the ball and drove a stake right through Classical's chances. He buried back-to-back threes to extend the Prep lead back to 10 with 3:30 left and then got his milestone points when he spotted up at the top of the key and swished a third straight three to make it 71-61 with 3:12 remaining.
"We knew that (Classical) would bring the heat in the second half, and it got a little too close for comfort," Letarte said. "But that's when Ryan heated up, thank God."

Desperately in need of a win after dropping its last two games, the Swampscott boys basketball team took the court against one of the top teams in the Northeastern Conference in Lynn Classical.

Well, all the Big Blue did was shutdown one of the highest scoring teams in the NEC, holding the Rams to 54 points en route to a 66-54 victory.

"Classical is one of the best teams in the conference and the kids responded to the challenge," Swampscott coach Paul Moran said.

Swampscott (6-3) got started on the right foot, taking a 19-9 lead after the first quarter and a 33-22 lead into halftime. Classical cut the gap to six entering the final eight minutes, where Swampscott outscored the Rams 21-15 to stave off the comeback.

Trevor Wheeler had his best game of the season for Swampscott, leading the offense with 20 points. Scott Leffler had 17 points while Craig Rodenstein added 14 and Ryan Squires chipped in 13.

Jarell Byrd led all scorers in the game with 23 points in the loss for Classical (7-2), who struggled to a 5-for-27 effort from behind the 3-point line.

"We couldn't put the ball in the basket," Classical coach Tom Grassa said.

Tony Johnson led a balanced Classical attack with 18 points. Quivari Jackson and Cam Smith had 17 and Jarell Byrd chipped in 11.

Dan Internicola led all scorers in the game for the Sachems with 25 points. Ryan Anastos added 21 for 2-5 Saugus.
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Thursday, December 27^th Boverini Tournament @ St. Mary’s High School 6:30 pm

Friday, December 28^th Boverini Tournament @ St. Mary’s High School TBA 2ND Place

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English's Furcy Ferreras tries to drive by Classical's Jasper Grassa during Friday's game at the Rams' gym. ITEM PHOTO / REBA M. SALDANHA

LYNN -- Another classic, this time to Classical.

The Classical boys basketball team bounced back from last week's loss to English with a 74-70 win, in another tense, thrilling and well-played game, Friday night, at Classical High.

Jarell Byrd, Cam Smith and Jasper Grassa paced the Rams (6-1) with 14 points apiece, while Chris Francois led a tremendous effort by Classical's bench with 10 points.

The Rams avenged an 83-74 loss to English (6-1) in the Boverini Tournament and took over first place in the Northeastern Conference's North (Large) Division, since last week's tourney final is considered a non-league game.

Five players scored in double figures for English, which was led by Rafael Perez and Jeremy Subervi with 11 points each. Ryan Woumn, Justin Young and Eugune Turner added 10 apiece.

"I have to say this is a really big win for us, coming off what I considered a blowout," Classical coach Tom Grassa said. "Psychologically, the kids were down. Rafael Perez and Ryan Woumn combined for 41 points for them last week and their backcourt had 59 points out of 83, so we challenged our guards to step up and play better defense (last) night."

Last night's game was also almost a complete contrast in that Classical trailed for a total of only about two minutes, and took the lead for good when Francois hit a 12-foot jumper with 51 seconds left in the first half. English got to within one point (54-53) with 6:02 left in the game, but Grassa and Byrd sparked a 11-2 run that put the Rams back in command.

"It definitely wasn't our day," English coach Buzzy Barton said. "They were ready to play. We struggled all week in practice and it showed."

Cam Smith scored nine points in a first quarter that ended with Classical ahead, 21-15. The Rams' lead ballooned to eight twice in the second period before the Bulldogs roared back with an 11-0 run that culminated with a 7-footer from James Mitchell to give English its largest lead at 30-27.

Classical responded with an 9-2 spurt to close out the period and led, 36-32, when Quivari Jackson nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing just before the halftime buzzer.

Jasper Grassa canned three 3-pointers early in the third period to build the Rams' lead to 52-39, but the Bulldogs came back again, this time with a 9-0 run keyed by full court pressure that included four points from Perez. Bryd made a running layup from the right baseline just before the buzzer to give the Rams a 54-48 lead heading into the final period.

The Bulldogs scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, with a steal and layup by Perez cutting the Rams' lead to one. Coach Grassa called timeout with exactly six minutes left to play.

"We were ahead by 13 late in the third period and then I look up early in the fourth and we're ahead by one," coach Grassa said. "But we didn't panic."

Jasper Grassa made a deep 3-pointer from the left elbow, and then Bryd scored the next four points as English went into a deep freeze offensively. After the timeout at the 6-minute mark, the Bulldogs made just field goal over the ensuing 5:29.

Byrd plunged in the dagger with a 3-pointer from the left wing with 2:22 left to make the score 68-57. English got to within four when Turner hit a 3-pointer from the left elbow, but with only 1.1 seconds left. Cam Smith took an in-bounds pass and flipped it up in the air to run out the clock.

"Give credit to Classical. They played a great game and we didn't," Barton said. "We'll just have to get ready for round three."

The rubber match, which at this point looks like it could decide the NEC title, takes place at English on Friday, Feb. 15.

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Classical Edges St. Mary’s in First Round Thriller

After a long day of hoops in the Tony Canigliaro Gymnasium at St. Mary’s High, the biggest thrill was saved for the very end. The Lynn Classical Rams won the final contest of the opening round with a buzzer-beating lay-up by sophomore Tony Wonde, shocking the Spartans on their home court, 60-58.
“We seem to be able to know how to make ‘em close,” said Rams head coach Tony Grassa. “If we’re up ten, you can count on us being in a situation where we either have to make free-throws or whatever [to hang on and win]…This is the fourth straight time we’ve done this.”
Indeed, it appeared that the Rams were going to cruise to a relatively comfortable win when they went on an 8-0 run to give themselves a 43-36 lead late in the third quarter. But Spartans guard Mike Puglielli hit a jumper to stop the run and then found Tade Ogunbona with a nifty pass for a lay-up that cut the deficit to three.
After that, the duration of the game was largely a back-and-forth affair. With two minutes to play, Classical held a 57-51 lead when Spartans senior captain Chris Kefalas hit a shot while being fouled. He missed the free-throw, but was fouled at the other end of the court and came back to sink two freebies to make it a two-point game. On the ensuing Rams possession, Cameron Smith was whistled for an offensive foul and junior captain Tyler Grillo hit both shots from the charity stripe to tie the game at 57.
After each team split a pair of free-throws, the game remained tied at 58 heading into the final possession of regulation. The Rams drew up a play for sophomore Jarrell Byrd, who received the ball in the post and, with defenders swarming around him, had the presence of mind to feed an open Tony Wonde for the game-winner.
“The play is for Jarrell,” said Grassa. “He made a great decision. Instead of forcing the shot, two men came to him and he found Tony Wonde.”
“It was a great game,” said St. Mary’s head coach Kevin Moran. “Playing this game here is a good thing for us. There was a lot of energy in the building… We respect Classical and the rest of the Lynn teams but we came in here expecting to come out on the other side. I told the kids that there’s something to be learned here. It’s one or two things that if we do a little better we’re not in that situation at that time.”
Jasper Grassa led all scorers with 19 points for the Rams while Jarrell Byrd added 16. John Bakopolus and Tyler Grillo each had 10 points for the Spartans.

PEABODY -- If you're with the Lynn Classical High boys basketball team, you're just glad you made it out of Peabody with your unbeaten record intact. If you're the Tanners, you felt like you got kicked in the stomach.
The Rams (4-0) escaped with a 63-62 win, Friday night, at Peabody High, in a game the featured plenty of controversy in the final minute.
Classical, which led by eight with two minutes left in the game, saw the Tanners (1-3) score six straight points and then get back the ball on a halfcourt violation by Classical with 43 seconds remaining.
Peabody's Dan Mello took a 10-foot runner from the right of the lane, and as the shot caromed off the backboard, it appeared as though Classical's Jarell Byrd may have touched the ball as it was coming down and then the glass.
No goaltending was called, and the Rams quickly moved the ball down to the other end of the floor, where Peabody's Mark Linehan and Classical's Tony Johnson collided.
Peabody coach Chris Mastrangelo wanted a charge, but Linehan was called for a blocking foul, and Johnson made one of two free throws to put the Rams ahead by three points with 28.8 seconds left.
After a timeout, Mello got an open shot from the top of the key. The ball hit the back iron, caromed to the front of the rim and hung for a split-second before it rolled out.
Peabody's Max Steinberger put back the rebound to make the score 63-62, but Classical played keep-away for the final 10 seconds.
"All I'm going to say is the kids put themselves in a position to win the game in the last two-and-a-half minutes," said Mastrangelo, who was visibly upset immediately after the game but much calmer about 10 minutes later.

"They (the Tanners) did everything they could to win this game," Mastrangelo added. "When we were down by (eight) in the last two minutes, it could have been lights out, but they hung in there."

Classical coach Tom Grassa also refused to comment on the officiating, keeping with what he said was his policy (Grassa also refused to comment about the officiating in last year's state tournament when some questionable calls went against the Rams).
"Well, we know how to make things interesting," Grassa said. "Peabody did a real nice job with our pressure and that number 21 (Peabody's Kevin Skop, who scored a game-high 26 points) hit some big shots."
Quivari Jackson led the Rams with 16 points, while Byrd added 13 despite foul trouble and Cam Smith chipped in with 11. In addition to Skop, Mello (13 points) and Steinberger (12) also scored in double figures for Peabody.
The Tanners led by as many as seven points in a first quarter that featured seven points from Mello and uneven play by Classical, which seemed to have trouble with the floor conditions.
After the court was swept in the break between the first two periods, the Rams went on an 8-0 run sparked by Byrd to open the second period and took a 17-14 lead.
Byrd picked up his second foul with 4:27 left in the second period and sat out the remainder of the half, however, and Skop hit a couple of 3-pointers to give the Tanners a 30-29 lead at the intermission.
The Rams took back the lead (for good, as it turned out) when Jackson scored three straight buckets, two after Classical's defense forced turnovers and the third on a pretty feed from Smith.
A hoop from the left box by Steinberger and a 15-footer by Skop helped close the Rams' lead to one point (47-46) a the end of the third quarter.
Skop kept the Tanners in the game by scoring eight straight points for his team over an 8-minute span in the fourth quarter, but Classical kept pace with a couple of hoops by Johnson.
Jackson made another steal and layup and nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Rams their largest lead of the game at 62-54.
"We got some good contributions from the kids who came off the bench tonight -- Luis Ayala, Sebastian Bejin and Chad Quintana," Grassa said. "And we got a nice game out of Tony Johnson. We needed everyone, since Peabody played a very good ballgame."

The Classical Boys Basketball Team found itself in an unusual spot this season on Monday -- trailing at the half against Salem.

Salem's Junior Lugo had put up 13 points to help his team to a 30-29 lead. But the Rams fought back to take a one-point lead after three quarters and then hung on down the stretch in a 62-56 win at home.

"It was a very competitive game with a lot of lead changes," Classical coach Tom Grassa said.

The Rams (3-0) held a 57-56 lead with 30 seconds left when Jasper Grassa hit two free throws to make it a 3-point game. Salem went for the tie on the next possession and missed. Cam Smith (12 points) was fouled on the rebound and made 1-of-2 shots to extend the lead to 60-56.

Salem again went looking for a long-range bomb but came up empty. Off the rebound, Quivari Jackson snuck behind the defense for an easy layup that closed the game out.

Jarell Byrd led all scorers in the game with 23 points and 16 rebounds for the Rams. Jackson finished with 12 points, along with Smith.

Lugo had 20 in all for the Witches before he fouled out late in the fourth quarter.

The Lynn Classical and Beverly boys basketball teams had already exchanged the lead 24 times on Friday night at the Henry Cabot Lodge Field House when the Rams took the ball out of bounds with 6.2 seconds left in regulation.
The play was designed to get the ball in Jasper Grassa's hands and let him drive to the basket. But the Panthers would have none of that, forcing Grassa to pass with three seconds left.
The target of his pass, Cam Smith, had hit only one field goal all night. Fortunately for Classical, his second shot of the game was true as he buried an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer to give the Rams an exhilarating 65-64 win.
"Beverly gave us fits all night," Classical coach Tom Grassa said. "And with all the teams I've had, we've never come into Beverly and had an easy time. This was an extremely exciting game."
As excited as Grassa was about the outcome, Beverly and coach Scott Lewis were on the other end of the spectrum.
"To be up one with six seconds to go, it's frustrating to let it get away," Lewis said. "That was a tough loss."
The Rams had trailed 31-30 at the half before outscoring Beverly 23-13 in the third quarter to take a 53-44 lead into the final eight minutes. But the Panthers, led by Nate Knudson's 21 points, staged a comeback to take a 64-63 lead with 10 seconds remaining.
The Rams had the ball, but with Beverly only having five team fouls, the Panthers decided to foul. However, Quivari Jackson was held while driving the lane, resulting in an intentional foul and two shots plus the ball.
Lewis called time-out to ice Jackson and the ploy worked as the senior clanged both shots off the iron to keep it a one-point game.
"We knew that they had a foul to waste and would foul us," Grassa said. "Unfortunately, Quivari just missed the shots."
But the Rams still had a reprieve and Smith took full advantage of it.
For the game, Grassa and Jarell Byrd led the Rams and all scorers with 22 points. Knudson's 21 led the Panthers with Matt McQuaid having 15 and Brian Skerry 10.

The Boy’s Basketball team played its first game of the year yesterday against Revere, at home, with an 84-45 victory. Our coach told us to come and play hard yesterday and don’t take them lightly because of the scores we have had with them in the past. Revere played us hard for the first 16 minutes of the game but in the second half the team said it was time it step it us and play harder and that's just what we did. Our team is bringing back 5 returning players from last year’s team, including Cam , Jasper, Jarell , Luis, and me. We have a lot of new players that are going to have key rolls and bring us a lot of depth off the bench during the season in Sebastien, Tony, Chris, Bud, Alex, Kyle and Chad .

At Classical, the Rams (1-0) got a challenge for the first 16 minutes, but outscored the visitors 45-18 in the second half.
Jasper Grassa paced the Rams offense, which saw 10 players get on the scoresheet, with a game-high 18 points. Quivari Jackson had 16 while Jarell Byrd and Tony Wambi had 11 each. Wambi added eight rebounds.
"Our depth was the difference," Classical coach Tom Grassa said.

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Classical and Tech Tie at JamboreeBenedetto Jamboree Draws Huge Crowd at Classical

LYNN -- Alex Watler's 10-foot jump shot with 39 seconds left in the game lifted the Lynn Classical basketball team into a 23-23 tie with Lynn Tech, in the final and most dramatic game of the Dr. Elmo Benedetto Jamboree, at Classical, Friday night.
Tech had the last full possession, but couldn't get off a shot as Classical's defense stepped up the pressure just inside the time line.
"It was a good game," Classical coach Tom Grassa said. "Honestly, all we try to get out of this is it's our first opportunity to play with referees, a scoreboard and a crowd.
"But overall this was a wonderful night," Grassa added. "We had a nice crowd, and I especially want to thank all the referees who donate their time to this tournament."
Tech's Victor Smith led all scorers with nine points, the last two of which came on a put-back hoop with 4:26 left to give the Tigers a 23-18 lead.
Quivari Jackson, who paced the Rams with seven points answered with a 3-pointer on Classical's next possession, but neither team managed to score again until Watler's tying bucket.
Tech led by as many as seven points in the first half before Tony Wonde made 3-of-4 free throws in the final minute of the opening period to make the score 16-12 in favor the Tech at halftime.
The Tigers held the lead the hovered between four and six points for most of the second half.
Wonde and Jasper Grassa had five points each for the Rams, while Victor Smith added five for the Tigers and Lorenzo Rivera had four.

The Classical High boys basketball team will have some serious offensive production to replace with the graduation of its big guns, Vince Spence and Roberto Vellon.

Spence, who is now playing at Bunker Hill Community College, and Vellon, now playing at Northern Essex Community College, both averaged 19 points per game. The Rams, who also lost Jorel Berberena to graduation, are coming off a 15-7 season that saw them tie with Salem and English for first place in the Northeastern Conference North. They reached the second round of the Division 1 North state tournament, where they lost to Boston Latin.

Despite the hit, coach Tom Grassa has a solid group of returnees who varying degrees of varsity time last year.

Sophomore Jarell Byrd started most of the season at the five spot. He averaged four points per game and led the Rams in rebounds and blocked shots, Jasper Grassa started several games at the point and like Byrd, averaged about four points per game.

Grassa will also be looking for Quivari Jackson to step up this year.

"He's solid at both ends of the court," Grassa said. "He's quick and he's an excellent passer."

Jackson is one of nine players who just wrapped up a successful football season for the 8-2 Rams. Grassa is hoping the winning attitude will carry into basketball season.

"A lot of football players are coming off a very successful football campaign. They have a lot of confidence. That helps with the chemistry when you have five or six players who experienced a lot of success."

One of those football players who'll try and carry the success from the gridiron on to the basketball court is Cameron Smith. Grassa said Smith was a role player most of last season, but down the stretch played a significant role in many of the wins. He only took three shots against Salem, but they were all from 3-point territory and he hit them all.

"He'll help us immensely with rebounding," Grassa said.

Point guard Luis Ayala had spot minutes on the varsity last year, but Grassa is hoping he'll help out even more this season.

"He's very quick, a real spark plug," Grassa said. "He can provide a lot of quick offense."

Alex Watler, who quarterbacked the football team, played as a freshman and sophomore but didn't come out last year. He's back and should help the cause.

"He's a scrappy, aggressive kid. I think he'll help us on defense and in rebounding," Grassa said.

The returning group also includes 6-4 Sebastian Bejin who is tough in the paint. He played junior varsity last year. Tony Wonde, a 5-11 sophomore, and Chris Francois, a 5-11 forward, will also be fighting for minutes.