Boys  Basketball Archives 2006-07

Two Big Classical Men Named to All-Star Team 2006-07

Congratulations to our top two seniors:

VINCE SPENCE, Classical: 6-1 senior guard ... had 362 points (16.5 average), 34 three-pointers ... shot 57 percent and 73 percent from the line ... had 155 rebounds and 26 blocked shots ... four-year starter ... NEC North MVP ... covered one of the opponents' top scorers ... looking at Bunker Hill Community College ... eclipsed the 1,000-point mark during the Rams' final home game.

ROBERTO VELLON, Classical: Senior forward ... led team in scoring with 387 points (18.4 average); rebounds (132), blocks (9) and steals (33) ... three-year member of the varsity, two years as a starter ... Scored 932 points during his career ... covered the other teams' best scorers ... looking at Bunker Hill CC.

The Freshman Basketball Team

   Click here for the MIAA Division 1 Playoff Game Against Methuen

This Time, St. John's Prep Prevails over Classical

By Gordon Vincent/For The Daily Item of Lynn, 2/09/07

DANVERS - Friday night's boys basketball showdown between St. John's Prep and Lynn Classical at Memorial Gym was so good, you hope they meet again in the state tournament. The Eagles would love to have that chance.

St. John's kept its hopes alive for a post-season berth with a 72-68 win over the Rams. The Eagles (7-9) need to win three of their last four games - against Waltham, Bishop Fenwick in the first round of the North Shore Invitational, either Danvers or Beverly in the second round of that tournament, and Central Catholic.

"There's a big difference between 6-10 and 7-9," Prep coach Dan Letarte said. "We really had to fight hard tonight against a great Classical team."

Classical (11-5) has already locked up its post-season spot, and with home games against Salem (Tuesday) and English (Thursday) next week that could decide the Northeastern Conference title, no one would have faulted the Rams for giving last night's game a lower priority.

Despite trailing for most of the game, the Rams battled and were down, 70-68, with 10.8 seconds left to play. Vince Spence's 3-pointer from the top of the key came up just short though, and Ryan O'Connell hit two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining to seal the win.

"Vince had a good look," Classical coach Tom Grassa said. "We were actually going for two and the tie. The play was designed as a pick-and-roll with Roberto (Vellon), but Vince got himself free at the top of the key. It was a good shot."

In an individual battle between two of the best players on the North Shore, O'Connell scored a game-high 33 points, but was controlled for latter part of the first half and the early part of the O'Connell scored a game-high 33 points, but was controlled for latter part of the first half and the early part of the second half by Vellon, who ended up with 26 points against mostly a zone defense.

Spence added 14 points for the Rams, while Jasper Grassa chipped in with 11.

Quivari Jackson had eight points, all but one of which came in the last four minutes, when Classical made its late run to get back into the game.

Ben Cabrera had 19 points for St. John's, while Nick Zolotas scored 14, including what turned out to be the decisive basket.

A bucket by Spence off a pretty feed from Grassa tied the game at 66-66, with 1:20 left.

The Eagles took the lead back on a hard-earned tip-in by Andrew Knight, his only basket of the night, with 56 seconds left.

Classical called timeout with 41.8 seconds remaining and got an in-bounds pass to Vellon, who made a layup to tie the score again.

St. John's cleared out the middle for Zolotas, who fought off a defender and rattled a running layup off the glass with 16.5 seconds to play to give the Eagles the lead for good.

"We always get a great effort from (Zolotas), and Ben Cabrera played a huge game for us," Letarte said.

"We've developed quite a rivalry with Classical over the past few years.

"We lost at their place in overtime in the second game of the season. (Grassa) is a great coach and their kids play with a lot of class."

Classical had no answer for the sharp-shooting O'Connell early in the game, as he made his first three field goals and connected on 4-of-5 free throws to give the Prep a 20-12 lead with 9:02 left in the first half.

Grassa put Vellon on O'Connell at that point, and O'Connell didn't score another point until he hit a couple of free throws in the final minute of the opening period.

"I don't like to use either of our great players (Spence and Vellon) on the other team's best player, because it tends to wear them down," Grassa said.

"We tried a few different people (on O'Connell) early in the game, but we just weren't getting the desired results."

The Eagles' lead stayed between four and eight until Grassa buried a 3-pointer from the right elbow with 20 seconds left to make the score 36-33 at halftime.

Spence connected on a three from the left side to tie the score at 38-38 with 14:17 left, and Classical took its first lead since very early in the game when Vellon hit a three, then stole a pass and buried a 10-footer from the lane to make the score 43-42.

The lead chaged then hands five times until O'Connell hit a pair of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions just before the 6-minute mark to increase the Prep's lead to 64-56.

With 3:48 left, Jackson went to the line for two shots.

He made the first, missed the second, but swiped the rebound and coverted a layup.

With 1:51 left, Jackson buried a 3-pointer from the right wing to cut the Eagles' lead to two and set up the exciting finish.

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Classical Boys Hoop Stuns Salem

By Matthew Roy, For The Daily Item of Lynn, 1/23/07

SALEM -- Veterans Memorial Field House has been Classical's personal house of horrors in recent years.

The Rams hadn't won a game at Salem since last century in the cavernous gym. But Classical finally changed that karma on Monday.

Roberto Vellon's 16 points led a quartet of Rams in double figures as Classical turned a 35-33 game at the half into a one-sided 79-62 win thanks to a dominant second half.

"I can't even count how many guys stepped up their game (Monday)," Classical coach Tom Grassa said. "This had to be one of our best shooting nights of the season."

The Rams (10-2) scoring spree is even more impressive when you consider the fact that Classical shot just four -- yes, that's correct -- free throws in the game.

It was also a night for the Rams' role players to step into the spotlight. Jorel Burberena and Jarell Byrd each had 13 points while Michael Quintana was 3-of-3 shooting treys in the first half.

"That was Jorel's best game and Jarell was immense. He had a couple of huge hoops," Grassa said. "Our usual suspects, Roberto and Vince, did damage, but the list goes on with our bench. They were great."

Classical led throughout the first half thanks to a potent fast break. The Rams stretched the lead to as much as eight (28-20) before Salem made a charge late in the half.

Luis Martinez, who led the Witches with 16 points, helped key an 11-3 run that pulled Salem even with 1:01 remaining. Vellon added a pair of hoops before Junior Lugo hit a floater as time expired, cutting the gap to a deuce.
"Salem is a very explosive team and we decided to play them man up," Grassa said.

Any momentum the Witches might have gained with the late first-half spurt ended at the start of the final 16 minutes.

Jasper Grassa buried a three to begin a 10-3 run in the first three minutes. Burberena capped the spurt with a three that made it 45-36.

Salem got the margin back to six at 45-39 before the Rams put the pedal down. Vellon keyed yet another run with an inside drive.

Byrd added a three before Spence, Vellon and Jackson hit layups to cap a 21-6 run, which turned the two-point halftime lead into a 56-39 Classical lead with 8:00 remaining.

Salem would get no closer than 11 points from there as Classical put it into overdrive and pulled away.

"I can't remember the last time we won here. Maybe it was the law of averages," Grassa said. "But the last few games have been all Salem. This was a great team effort."

Classical Boys Basketball Tops Gloucester  

By Steve Krause, The Daily Item of Lynn, 1/17/07                                                                Reba Saldano photo
                                  
LYNN -- Classical boys basketball coach Tom Grassa would like to see a dogfight in the Northeastern Conference by the end of the season between his team, English, Salem and Beverly.
The Rams did their part to make that a possibility Tuesday, taking care of business on their home court and defeating Gloucester, 71-47.
The Rams came back nicely from Friday's two-point loss at Beverly -- a game in which they fell behind by 20 but staged a furious rally that just fell short.

"We were hoping to get back on the winning track," Grassa said Tuesday. "That was a tough way to have your first conference loss.
"We'd like it to come down to the wire between us, English, Beverly and Salem, and in order to do that, we have to take care of business."
Grassa said Beverly was in a similar situation Friday as it had to respond to a tough loss (to Marblehead) earlier last week.
"I'm sure," Grassa said, "a lot of that was looking ahead to us. That happened to us last year, too. We were going to play Tech in the first game of that Christmas tournament, and the Friday before we played Marblehead ... and lost by three."
A focused Classical team put the pedal to the metal early and kept its foot on the throttle all evening. The usual cast of characters came through. Vince Spence had 21 points, including four three-pointers, while Roberto Vellon had 14, with a three-pointer himself.
Classical also received a bundle of help from junior Quivari Jackson (12 points, two threes), who hustled up and down the floor all night.
"Q has had some great games for us this year," Grassa said.
Vellon opened the game with two straight buckets to set the tone, and even though Gloucester came back to take a 5-4 lead on Brian Chinconi's three-pointer, that was the last time the Fishermen led.
The teams played nip-and-tuck for a while, thanks mainly to sloppy ball-handling on both ends of the court. But after Mike Burbine scored a hoop to bring Gloucester to within one (16-15), the Rams reeled off 13 straight points, including four by Jackson and one three-pointer by Spence, to grab a 29-15 lead.
The Fishermen managed to get the lead back down to 10 by the break (33-23), and actually had it down to seven (33-26) thanks to a conventional three-pointer by Cam Marston (10 points). But after that, the Rams slowly began pulling away. Consecutive treys by Jorel Berberena and Spence built the Classical lead back up to 13 (39-26) and from there, Classical went into a run where it scored two baskets to every one that Gloucester managed, slowly pulling away. By the time that stretch ended, the lead was up to 26 (66-40) and it was all over but the shouting.
Chinconi led Gloucester with 13 points and Burbine chipped in with 11.

Classical Boys Hoop Stuns Prep in Overtime
By Jonathan Weiner / For The Daily Item of Lynn, Monday, December 18, 2006

With less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation and Classical trailing 67-65 to St. John's yesterday afternoon, all attention was focused on Rams guard Roberto Vellon to take the last shot for the Rams. Teammate Vince Spence had fouled out earlier in the half with 21 points, and Vellon had a hot hand as well.

     Yet the Rams crossed the Prep defense up, as forward Jarrell Byrd hit a soft-rolling game-tying jumper with five seconds left to send the game into overtime.

     Classical outscored the Eagles, 15-10, in the extra frame for a thrilling 82-77 win at Classical High. The Rams remain unbeaten (3-0), while the Prep drops to 0-2 (both setbacks in overtime).

     St. John's Eric Keohan hit a free throw with 47.8 seconds to go to extend the team's lead to 67-63, yet Vellon brought Classical to within 67-65 with a pair of freebies of his own. Mike Travaglini of the Prep was fouled seconds later, but missed both of his shots to breathe second life into the Rams.

     "With Vince (Spence) having fouled out, we knew that Roberto (Vellon) would draw 2-3 players on him," said Classical coach Tom Grassa. "We made him the feeder on the (inbounds) pass, and created the play. (Jarrell) Byrd did a nice job getting into the paint for the shot and basket."

     The shot saw Classical get another weapon besides Vellon and Spence (Byrd connected for 12 points, in addition to the 23 that Vellon contributed).

     "It was a straight one-on-one move," said Eagles coach Dan Letarte. "It was good for Classical, where they had another guy to step in, but tough for us."

     Classical opened up a 75-69 advantage in overtime, before Prep forward Zan Smith (five points) drilled a three-pointer (one of seven for the squad) with 1:52 left, bringing the Eagles to within 75-72. Yet the Rams widened their lead to 81-72 (with four free throws and a hoop) with 52.5 seconds remaining. St. John's clung around to get to 81-75, but Vellon added a freebie (the last of 13 that he made) with just over 20 seconds to go to secure the win.

     "Their speed was also a factor," said Letarte. "They went at an up-tempo pace at both ends, and that hurt us."

     One thing that impressed Grassa the most was that while Vellon, Byrd, and Spence did the bulk of the scoring, everyone else chipped in with 2-4 points.

     "I don't care if two guys have 20 (points)," Grassa said. "The other ten guys can score four apiece, and that's 80. We had big baskets from so many players, such as Cameron Smith and Quivari Jackson. It was a total team effort.

     The Eagles held a four-point lead (61-57) with 4:14 to go, when guard Nick Zolotas (24) drilled his fourth three-pointer of the contest. Byrd brought the Rams to within a pair (61-59), getting the rebound of a teammate's missed shot. Vellon tied the game moments later on another putback.

     St. John's again climbed into a four-point advantage with just over two minutes left when Zolotas hit all four of his free throws over the span of 30 seconds. Yet he fouled out with just over a minute remaining.

     Classical held a 34-30 edge at the half, and the Eagles helped out with ice-cold shooting from the floor. While St. John's didn't hit a field goal until three minutes were almost gone, the Rams were increasing their lead, building it to 44-34 after a Byrd bucket with 13:01 left.

     St. John's slowly climbed back. Forward Ryan O'Connell (game-high 26 points) connected on a jumper, drew the foul, and made the free throw to bring the team to within 44-37. Additional baskets by O'Connell and Zolotas cut the Rams lead to 44-41 moments later.

     Yet Classical still held a seven-point edge (52-45) with 7:48 remaining after guard Jasper Grassa (seven) hit a jumper. The Rams then switched places with St. John's, as the Eagles went on an 8-0 tear, while Classical missed several shots, including numerous three-pointers, in a short amount of time.

     "We seemed to lose our intensity in a two-minute span." Grassa said. "We just lost our focus at that point."

     The game's first 18 points were all scored on three-pointers (9-9 tie) with just under three minutes having been played to that moment. Zolotas hit a trio of threes in the first half for the Eagles (13 points overall), while O'Connell chipped in with 11. Spence had 11 first-half points for the Rams, with Vellon adding six.
A Good Start at the Jamboree

By Gordon Vincent / For The Daily Item of Lynn, Saturday, December 9, 2006
Classical 23, Fenwick 17

     Vince Spence had six points for Classical while teammates Roberto Vellon and Jorel Berberena chipped in four apiece. Steve Blaisdell led Fenwick with six points. John Squires was good for four.

     Classical took a 17-1 lead with 1:58 left in the first half on a Quivari Jackson fast-break layup. Squires scored Fenwick's first field goal less than 20 seconds later on a jumper from the baseline. Classical led 17-8 at the half and kept Fenwick at a safe distance the rest of the way..

 

Returnees give Classical Boys Basketball Coach Reason for Optimism
By Joyce Erekson, The Daily Item of Lynn, Saturday, December 2, 2006

The Classical High boys basketball team will have six returning varsity players from last year's 14-8 team.  The Rams, who saw their season end in a Division 1 North quarterfinal match up against Charlestown, have their two leading scorers back on board. Senior small forward Vince Spence averaged about 16 points per game and Roberto Vellon, a senior swingman (plays either the three or four spot) averaged a team-high 17 points per game. Both were good for about six rebounds per game and led the team in several categories.

     We're looking all right, coach Tom Grassa said. I think with some hard work, if we develop some cohesiveness and team chemistry, could be an upper tier ball club.

     The returning contingent also includes Jorel Berberena, a senior starter who averaged about five points per game. He's a very steady player.  Grassa will also be counting on senior forward James Ley Joseph, a role player last year, to have a bigger role this year. Another senior, guard Mike Quintana, gives the Rams a defensive boost, particularly on the press.

     Quivari Jackson should help out with his speed and Dave Manalaysay, a 6-31/2 center, is moving up from junior varsity and Grassa is looking for him to provide help on the boards. Junior Luis Ayala is also up from the junior varsity. He's a complete player, Grassa said. He can score, pass, play defense. He's small, but extremely quick.

     Sophomore Jose River, at 6-3,should see time at forward.  Two freshmen, Jarell Byrd and Jasper Grassa, also made the cut. Byrd is a 6-3 forward and Grassa is a guard.

     Grassa said if the veterans play up to their potential, the team could have a pretty good season. He's expecting Salem, which won the Northeastern Conference and didn't lose much, to be right up there this year. He's also expecting Beverly to be very good.