A little basketball chatter while we contemplate the eternal length of the New England winter (I mean, really, if this were summer, we’d already be into August by now ?)To lead off, let’s just say that the English boys basketball team is a sight to behold when it’s allowed to play its run-and-gun, up-tempo style. Give the Bulldogs a good head of steam, and look out. You’re not going to beat them.But the mark of a good team is what it does when a team is capable of slowing them down.By now, it should be no secret that to have any chance of beating English, you have to take the air out of the ball. Interpret that any way you wish, but the bottom line is that you have to slow it down to a halfcourt game, pack it in down low on defense, and hope the Bulldogs have a cold shooting night.But what makes English special this year is that it can beat you anyway. Here’s why. The Bulldogs are so talented that even if you slow it down, you won’t run away from them. Marblehead almost did it Tuesday, getting ahead by eight at one point in the first half, but all it takes is a couple of threes by someone like Justin Young, or Archie Allen, and boom! The ‘Dogs are right back in it.And then, even if you’ve had them blanketed for most of the game, they’re capable of putting together a brief – but devastating – spurt, and the next thing you know, you have to play catchup ? and YOU have to start opening it up a little.And then, of course, you’re playing their game ? which is exactly what you didn’t want to do.It’s quite possible the ‘Dogs can run the table this winter.St. Mary’s might have found out more about itself in losing last week to English in the Boverini Tournament than in any other game thus far.This was not a tired English team. Last Monday, English put up 105 points on the Spartans, and normally you’d think that was terrible, and that St. Mary’s didn’t play a lick of defense.But St. Mary’s put up over 70, which is enough to win on most nights ? and they did it against a team they couldn’t slow down.So, one has to conclude that St. Mary’s can run with any team it plays in the Catholic Central League, because I daresay the Spartans won’t be facing anyone with half the offensive capability of English from hereon out. We could be looking a quite a season.Also, while on the subject of the Spartans, if you don’t see a glittering double digit next to Tyler Grillo’s name, don’t automatically conclude he had a bad game. Not only can he score, but he’s an assist machine too. You can be sure that between scoring, ball-handling, and handing out assists, he’s responsible for at least half team’s points on any given night.Lynn Tech doesn’t have to wait very long to avenge Tuesday’s loss to Minutman. The Mustangs visit the Tigers’ Den This Tuesday (4:45) for a rematch.These two teams have had some memorable games over the years, and it’s apparent they’re right back at it this season.It ought to be a good one.If only Marblehead had some height ?The Magicians have a nice little team ? with the emphasis on “little.” Still, they manage to get the job done, and will drive the majority of teams in the Northeastern Conference-South (and perhaps beyond) crazy with their tenacity and discipline.When St. John’s Prep played Malden Catholic this past Monday, it was a matchup of the previous two Bishop Fenwick coaches. Sean Connolly, now coaching at The Prep, took over for MC’s Jim Silvio at Fenwick.It’s always a good thing to see the downtrodden rise up. So it was nice to see that the Saugus girls, with their victory over Classical Tuesday, moved to 4-4. That may not sound fantastic to some, but from where the Sachems are coming from, it’s fantastic.It was also not surprising either to see that Lauren Garchinsky was in the middle of everything for the Sachems. Whether it’s soccer, basketball or softball, she usually IS in the middle of everything.Finally, hats off to Tara Nimkar and Jeanette Anderson of Swampscott and English respectively. First, Nimkar eclipsed