Classical boys hoop overpowers Beverly

LYNN ? After struggling early, Lynn Classical’s boys basketball team put together a sensational second half to fly past Beverly, 74-48.”I really think that we started with some intensity,” Rams coach Tom Grassa said. “But then we lost our focus. I really felt that they (Beverly) had a lot of momentum going into halftime.”Classical took a 29-27 lead into halftime. However, it opened the game on an 11-2 run. A few turnovers and missed shots later, and the Panthers stormed back to take a 15-13 lead early in the second quarter.Classical struggled mightily from the field, only shooting 35 percent (12-34) from the field in the first half. Beyond the three-point line, the Rams had even more problems, only shooting 17 percent (2-12).While Classical was struggling, the Panthers were thriving. Justin Marrs came off the bench to record 12 of his 15 points in the first half to lead Beverly on an 11-0 run.In the final minutes of the first half, Cam Smith hit a pair of three-pointers to ensure that the Rams would enjoy the lead going into halftime. Smith had a strong performance, scoring 18 points while pulling down seven rebounds.”Cam (Smith) played great today,” said Grassa. “He played with a lot of intensity.”Jarell Byrd put on an absolute clinic in the second half. He finished with a game-high 21 points while recording 11 rebounds. He also thrilled the crowd with five dunks, including a scintillating alley-oop that was fed to him by Nick Grassa.”This was the best game I’ve seen Jarell (Byrd) play in the three years that he has been in the program,” said Grassa.The Rams jumped out to an 8-2 run to start the second half and never looked back.Perhaps the greatest discrepancy in the second half came in the paint. On one possession in particular, Byrd and Jared Fay played catch off the backboard. Five rebounds later, Fay finally got the ball in.Fay had a very strong game off the bench. The junior finished with 15 points, and kept the pressure up while the second unit was on the floor.While Jasper Grassa struggled from the floor, finishing with only seven points, he had a very strong performance distributing the ball. He finished with a career-high 14 assists.Mike Clayton was the only other Panther to finish in double figures. He finished with 14 points.