Classical pulls away from Peabody in second half

LYNN ? After a slow start, Classical’s boys basketball team put on a shooting clinic in the second half to pull away from Peabody, 66-38, on Tuesday.”In the first half,” Rams coach Tom Grassa said, “(Tanners coach) Domenic (Coleman) had them play a zone. They did a great job taking charges inside and making us settle for jump shots.”Jasper Grassa had a sensational night for Classical. He finished with a game-high 26 points to go along with six rebounds. Grassa scored 15 of his 26 points beyond the three-point arc.”Jasper (Grassa) definitely had a good game,” Coach Grassa said.As a team, the Rams went 10-for-33 from beyond the three-point line. However, they dramatically improved in the second half, going 5-for-15.Classical began to take over the game in the second quarter. The Rams entered with only a one-point lead, but Classical really started distancing itself from the Tanners as it finished on a nine-point run to go into halftime with a commanding 33-20 lead.Jarell Byrd made his biggest impact during this second-quarter run. All 11 of his points came in the first half. He also secured a double-double, very early on in the third quarter. He finished with 14 rebounds and six assists.”He (Byrd) played a complete game,” said Coach Grassa. “And to be honest, he is a better shooter than he showed here tonight.”Early on, Peabody had a strong showing on the boards. Bryan Deangelis finished with a team-high nine rebounds to go along with his four points.”That (rebounds) was an area that we knew that we would have to do well in to compete,” Coleman said. “(Classical) is very good on the underneath, so we had to work very hard.”Ryan English led the Tanners with 11 points, while Vasillios Frangias scored nine points while pulling down six rebounds.The Rams’ Cam Smith again reached double figures with 10 points. He also had a strong game on both ends of the court.”Cameron (Smith) left it all out on the floor again,” Coach Grassa said. “He does it all for us.”