Benedetto 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.Everett 41, English 33The Crimson Tide finished the game with an 8-2 run to break opened what had been a close game throughout. The Bulldogs led by six (20-14) at halftime and by a score of 26-20 with 5:38 left before came back behind Jerome Cohen (14 points) and Dio McCloud (9 points).The game also featured the debut in an English uniform of guard Furcy Ferraras, a transfer from Beverly who on Wednesday received a waiver from the MIAA to play for the Bulldogs.Ferraras had six points for English. Jose Rivera, a transfer from Classical, led the Bulldogs with 12 points. English played without Ryan Woumn and Eugene Turner, who missed the game with minor injuries. Two players, including Boston College-bound running back Isaac Johnson, from Everett’s Div. 1 champion football team did not play for the Crimson Tide last night.English held the lead throughout most of the first half, but Everett’s pressure defense eventually wore down the Bulldogs and the Tide took the lead for good when Cohen made a post-up hoop with 3:18 left in the game.”We played pretty well against a very good team,” English coach Buzzy Barton said. “We held a couple of kids out who were nicked up because we didn’t want to get them any more beat up.”Fenwick 28, Danvers 28Fenwick senior guard Mark Price showed some pre-season flash, burying three, 3-pointers. The Crusaders build a 14-6 lead early, but Danvers rattle off 16 straight points to close out the first quarter and start the second quarter. It was a one or two point game the rest of the way with Danvers’ Robert Owens had six points for the Falcons.Fenwick coach Sean Connolly wasn’t entirely happy with his team’s performance, but said the scrimmage gave him a chance to work on a few things.”We only have two kids returning,” he said, adding that he has a couple of freshmen on the varsity who will need some time to get into the flow.Beverly 28, Winthrop 26The Panthers and the Vikings had an entertaining “game. Winthrop had an opportunity to win the game with time running out and Beverly leading by two, but Mike Visco’s 3-point attempt failed.Beverly junior Nate Knudson had the hot hand in the early going, scoring eight of the Panthers first 10 points to put his team up, 10-6. Matt Tobin, a 6-3 senior forward, was also impressive with 11 points. Winthrop had solid play in the early going from Northeastern Conference All Star Jonathan Murdoch. Murdoch (12 points) was tough to stop in the paint and when the smoke cleared, he had 12 points.”He’s 6-3, 230. He’s a big, strong