By GORDON VINCENT / For The Item

 Classical's Ryan Hayward (0) posts up during their game at Saugus Friday.

 (Item Photo / Angela Owens

SAUGUS — There’s a term known as “clutch” for players who play their best when the game is in the balance. Curtis Casella scored 30 points, including his team’s last nine of the game, to lead the Saugus High boys basketball team to a 69-60 win over Lynn Classical, Friday night, at Saugus.

With his team leading by six, Casella nailed an off-balance jumper from the foul line with 1:22 to go, then 10 seconds later drilled the final stake with a 3-pointer from the left elbow.

“Curtis is a great player who likes to take charge,” Saugus coach Paul Moran said. “I couldn’t be any prouder of him.”

This was a pivotal game betwen two teams that are fighting for state tournament berths. Saugus (7-6) also got 11 points from Selim Omerovic, while Davon Morris and Uche Nwokeji paced the Rams (6-7) with 13 points. Jalen Brown added 10.

Classical can point to two components - free throws and 3-point shots - as its undoing. While Saugus was a tidy 24-for-30 from the line (including Casella’s 11-for-12), the Rams were just 50 percent (11-for-22) from the line, and 4-for-23 from beyond the arc.

“We usually shoot about 20 percent (from 3-point range), so that’s not even par for us,” Classical coach Tom Grassa said. “And we really weren’t much better inside tonight.”

The Rams led by as many as five points in the first quarter, and by six in the second, but the Sachems went on an 11-1 run to close out a sloppy first half and led, 31-24,at halftime.

Classical increased its full-court pressure in the third quarter and immediately went on a 8-0 run to take the lead.

“We worked to prepare for the press, but I guess we didn’t prepare enough,” Moran said. “That’s what you get when you play Classical. They’re so intense and so relentless.”

Joe Bertrand and Casella hit 3-pointers to bookend a 9-0 run for Saugus to restore the Sachems’ lead, and a couple of free throws and a bucket by Casella in the final minute of the third quarter gave Saugus a 44-38 advantage heading into the final period.

Coming off the bench, Classical’s Eddie Solis scored all nine of his points in a 1:40 span early in the fourth, and his 3-pointer from the left wing put the Rams back on to, and he added a pair of free throws to give Classical a 51-47 lead with 5:30 left in the game.

Bertrand made a 3-pointer from the left wing to key a 6-0 spurt for Saugus, but Morris answered with a three to give Classical its last lead of the game at 54-53 with 4:14 left.

The Rams didn’t score another field goal until the final minute, while Casella took over. He made a free throw, then canned a runner moving across the lane with 2:50 left to put Saugus on top for good.

Jalen, Uche, Davon, and Moses

Classical's Davon Morris (2) guards Lynn English's Fred Hogan (1) during their game at Classical on Wednesday. (Item Photo / Angela Owens)

By Steve Krause / The Daily Item

LYNN - English basketball coach Mike Carr couldn't have been happier not only about the outcome of Wednesday night's 85-67 win over Classical, but about how his Bulldogs played.

Classical's Tom Grassa was in just the opposite frame of mind. He wasn't happy at all. The reason? The Rams were settling for too many of the same type of shots.

"There are more than two shots in basketball," said Grassa, as he watched, again, as his team struggled from beyond the arc (2-for-20). "It's more than just three-pointers and layups. The mid-range jump shot is a lost art.

"If you're 20 feet away from the basket, which is the three-point line, and you take one dribble, you've given yourself at least three feet ... maybe even more. And you increase your odds."

Grassa has always lived with the belief that 33 percent of your threes equals 50 percent of your two-point shots, and -- as a result -- the Rams have always advocated them.

"I've had players who hit 40 percent of them," said Grassa. "This year, I don't think we've hit 20 percent of them."

And it wasn't as if the threes were contested, either.

"A lot of them were uncontested," he said.

As for Carr, he was very pleased.

"This is how we like to play," said Carr, whose Bulldogs were off to the races from the get-go. "We're back to our style of ball.

"Obviously," Carr said, "Keandre (Stanton) makes a big difference (Stanton was suspended for two games last week before returning to the lineup against Gloucester last Friday)."

He certainly made a difference Wednesday night. He scored 25 points, including at least two hoops when, facing away from the basket, he backed his defender in, and then turned around for a 15-footer.

Also with the hot hand for English was Freddie Hogan, who scored 21 points.

English never appeared to be in any danger from the opening tap, even when Classical -- with less than two minutes to go in the first half -- climbed to within a point (28-27) on Eraldo Custodio's basket. But English got it back up to five (36-32) by the break.

The second half was more of the same. Classical would close the gap, and then English would rebuild it. After Classical's Derek Edmonds opened the third quarter with a bucket, English went on an 11-2 run to make it a 14-point game (49-35) but Classical responded with a 9-2 spurt of its own to make it 51-44. And so it went.

Classical had one last gasp, with 2:23 to go in the game when Uche Nwokeji (16 points) hit a pair of free throws to close the gap to eight (71-63). But English put it in overdrive after that, closing with a 14-4 run to win going away.

"That was very discouraging," Grassa said about the last two minutes.

"It's always a war when we play Classical," Carr said. "The records don't mean anything, even though Classical's been playing well.

"I think we're over our rough spots," Carr said. "We've been able to call up some kids from the JVs that have really helped us. So I'm hoping we can put ourselves in a position to win the (Northeastern Conference) North."

Jalen, Davon, Moses, Eddie, and Uche at work.

Classical 73, Gloucester 55

At Classical, the Rams (5-3, 4-2 NEC North) ran out to a 27-9 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Uche Nwokeji had 18 points to lead all scorers with Eraldo Custodio added 17 as eight different Rams got on the scoresheet.

"The last couple games we've been able to shoot a little better percentage-wise," Classical coach Tom Grassa said.

 

Classical 59, Marblehead 46

At Classical, Uche Nwokeji had 16 points to pace a trio of Rams (4-3, 3-2 NEC North) in double figures as they cruised past the Magicians.

Eraldo Custodio had 14 and Derek Edmonds finished with 13 for Classical. Marblehead was led by a game high 17 points from Phil Coughlin and 16 by Jeff Peres.

Photos by Angela Owens

Thursday, December 29, 2011By Steve Krause / The Daily Item

LYNN - On a night where Lynn Classical had perhaps its best night of offense in the young season, English was just that much better.

Thus, the Bulldogs captured their sixth straight Boverini Basketball Tournament boys title with a 77-68 victory at Conigliaro Gym at St. Mary's Wednesday.

"It's always this way when English plays Classical," said Bulldogs coach Mike Carr. "Sometimes, it's not pretty, but it's always a battle."

While English never appeared seriously threatened during the game, the Bulldogs were never comfortably ahead either. And it's fitting that the final score ended as a nine-point win, because that was the margin of English's lead after the first and second quarters. And after the third, the Rams had actually shaved a point off the lead.

Central to Classical's strategy was the box-and-one the Rams employed on English guard Fred Hogan, a sophomore who torched St. Mary's with 17 points, several of them from beyond the arc, in the Bulldogs' preliminary game win Tuesday.

"You saw," said Carr, "how much respect they have for him."

The problem was, Classical couldn't box-and-one everyone, and freshman guard Stevie Collins played Fred Hogan for a night, hitting on four three-pointers and scoring 19 points and was English's representative on the all-tournament team.

"He's made a real difference for us since being called up from the JVs," said Carr.

Until the latter stages of the game, Classical's front court combined to hold tournament MVP Keandre Stanton in check. Although he ended up with 17 points, he only had eight after three quarters before exploding in the final period.

"I thought for most of the night we did a decent job on him," said Classical coach Tom Grassa.

Meanwhile, Classical just kept hanging around all night. Every time English looked as if it would run away and hide, Classical would stick in a couple of buckets to close the Bulldog lead to under 10.

The last time it happened, English had grabbed a 74-62 lead with about two minutes to go in the game, and, with Classical center Uche Nwokeji (19 points, and Classical's representative on the all-tournament team) out having sprained his ankle moments before, that looked to be it for the Rams.

But they ran off a 6-0 spurt instead, with baskets from Jordan Brown, Eraldo Custodio (13 points) and Derek Edmonds.

"But," said Grassa, "every time we'd make a little run to get ourselves back in the game, we'd go and shoot ourselves in the foot with turnovers (the Rams had 21)."

Edmonds' bucket, with 1:06 to go, brought Classical to within six (74-68) but that's as close as it got. Collins hit three free throws down the stretch to ice it.

"It's nice to get the win here, with all the city's rivals playing against each other," Carr said. "This is a very good tournament."

Alex Brown helped the English cause with 15 points. Edmonds finished with 11 for Classical.

Photos by Angela Owens

 Friday, December 23, 2011        By Joyce Erekson / The Daily Item

LYNN - A look at the numbers and it wasn't too difficult to see where the problem was in Classical's 44-31 loss to Salem Thursday at Classical.


Exhibit A. The score. The Rams could muster only 31 points and only hit double figures in one quarter, the third. Classical shot 9-for-60 from the field (about 15 percent) and no one was going to save the day from three-point land, where the Rams hit one of 11.

"You can't shoot 15 percent from the field and expect to win a game," Classical coach Tom Grassa said.

If there was a bright spot, it was the defense.

"I guess if there's a silver line I'm kind of happy with the way we played defense, but that's about it," Grassa said.

Neither team came out like a ball of fire. Classical's Moise Builou buried a three, the team's only one of the game, to start the game, but the Rams never got the offense humming. Classical led, 9-8, after the first quarter, but the Witches started to pull away in the second quarter.

Salem's Marvin Baez (15 points) nailed a three to start things off and with 3:39 left and the Witches up by four, Baez struck again. This time, he was fouled taking a three and he knocked down all three free throws to bump the lead up to 19-12.

Salem's Christian Dunston (13 points) scored off a steal to pad the cushion a little more, but then the Rams' Jorge Perez got fouled shooting a three and like Baez, he nailed all three shots to keep Classical in the hunt, 21-15, at the half.

The Rams found themselves playing catch-up all night. Every time they made a little run, the Witches were there to respond. Classical drew to within two points at back-to-back hoops by Builou and Jalen Brown, but Salem's Nick Salamida hit a three and once again, the Witches were on the run. Classical never really threatened after that point and by the end of the third quarter, the Rams trailed 34-26. Salem hit two quick hoops to start the fourth quarter and the game was basically out of reach.

"I think both teams played hard defensively and caused problems for the other team," Salem coach Tom Doyle said. "I think both teams struggled at times. Fortunately we were able to hold them to less points. It was always a game, but we were always able to extend the lead even when they made their runs."

Both Classical, which was led in scoring by Ryan Hayward and Uche Nwokeji (six points each), and Salem are 2-2. The Rams play again next Tuesday when they face Tech in the Walter Boverini Christmas Tournament.

Richie                        Eddie                   Moise               Coach Grassa

Hoop jamborees to kick off Season

By Steve Krause / The Daily Item

The Dr. Elmo Benedetto boys basketball jamboree, and the Paul Duchane girls jamboree, will be held Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9 and 10, at the English and Classical gyms respectively.

Elmo Benedetto was the longtime athletic director for the City of Lynn. When he established the jamboree more than 20 years ago, then-English coach Ron Bennett recalled that Benedetto - who died in 1985 - "believed that there was a college for everybody."

To many, that was Benedetto's lasting legacy ... that he worked diligently to place Lynn's athletes in good schools.

He is listed among the nominees for Lynn's athletic Hall of Fame.

The boys jamboree begins at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, at English with Saugus tapping off against Revere, and continues with the following lineup: Swampscott vs. Bishop Fenwick (5:20), St. Mary's vs. Peabody (6:10), Division 4 state champion Winthrop vs. Salem (7), Tech vs. Beverly (7:50), Classical vs. Marblehead (8:40) and English vs. Division 1 state champion St. John's Prep (9:30).

The cost is $5.

Paul Duchane coached sports at both Classical and English, and was head coach for the Bulldogs' football team from 1980 through 1985. He was also an assistant football coach at both Bishop Fenwick and at Matignon. He died of a heart attack in 1989 while coaching the Matignon-Fenwick football game.

The jamboree taps off at Classical Saturday Dec. 10 with Winthrop facing Lynn Tech. The rest of the lineup is as follows: Saugus vs. Lynnfield (2:40), Marblehead vs. North Reading (3:20), Danvers vs. Newburyport (4), Beverly vs. Malden (4:40), Peabody vs. Medford (5:20), Swampscott vs. Reading (6), Revere vs. Division 3 state champion St. Mary's (6:30, which serves as the coaching debut of former Swampscott standout Katelyn Leonard for the Patriots Revere), English vs. Masconomet (7:20), and Classical vs. Fenwick (8).

In both jamborees, the teams will play two eight-minute periods.