Tech boys hoop outlasts Chelsea

Victor Smith scored a game-high 22 points as the Lynn Tech boys basketball team defeated Chelsea, 79-71, at Tech on Thursday.”Chelsea is a scrappy team,” said Tigers coach Marvin Avery, whose squad improved to 4-1 overall (3-1 Commonwealth Athletic Conference). “No one is going to let down against us. We closed it out down the stretch.”Tech opened up a 27-9 lead after one quarter and held a 38-25 advantage at the break. Each team scored 19 points in the third quarter, though, and Chelsea outscored Tech in the final stanza, 27-22.”We missed a lot of foul shots and layups,” Avery said, noting that his team had to work on its free throws. However, he said, “It was a good overall team effort.”The coach said that Smith stepped up after the Tigers began the game without two injured players, Howard Holman and James Bazile. Holman sprained an ankle in a previous game against Minuteman Tech.Others who finished the game in double figures for Tech included Rich Warren Jr., who scored 15 points, and Terrence Gallo, who scored 10.