With Lynn English?s loss last night in Everett, there goes the final claim to immortality on the North Shore.
Now, the Bulldogs join the Bishop Fenwick boys basketball team as the only schools in the area with only one defeat. The English girls have two ? both to Somerville.
It?s not too early to do a little tourney prospecting.
First, the boys ?
It would appear, at this juncture, that Fenwick, with the inside-outside combo of Mike Clifford and Nolan DePanfilo, would stand perhaps the best shot of going to Lowell and beyond next month. The Crusaders lost once ? to Cathedral ? and avenged that defeat late last month. They also seem to be picking up steam in terms of their execution and crispness, and seem well poised to make another run at the Division 3 North title.
Three years ago, the Crusaders, with Ryan Sasso and John Squires leading the way, made it to the D3 semis, only to lose a heartbreaker to Watertown on the Revere High basketball court.
This year could be the year they break through ? but it won?t be without a skirmish. Lynn Tech is also a formidable challenge for any team, and Tech seems to be picking up some steam as well. The Tigers may have lost last week to Cambridge, at home, but that was a good Division 1 team, and Tech took the Falcons to overtime. All in all, it was just what coach Marvin Avery wanted ? a quality opponent to prepare his team for the tournament.
Avery has never been one to worry about seedings, figuring that by the time the Tigers get deep into the tournament, the games are on neutral courts anyway. Also, he figures that regardless of where you?re seeded, you have to beat good teams. So, he?d rather play his non-league schedule against teams from higher divisions and teach his kids what it?s like to perform on the big stage.
As for Lynn?s other two boys teams ? Classical and English ? things look decent. English lost at Everett, in overtime, and that?s good Crimson Tide team ? talented, physical and tough. It would have been nice to finish with an undefeated season, but look where it got the Patriots last year.
A lot of coaches would prefer a loss or two, for no other reason that it teaches kids that they?re not invincible, and they have to show up with some intensity if they plan on winning.
English can still run the table in the league if it beats Beverly, Classical and Revere this week. And Tuesday?s home game against an extremely good Lowell team should be just what the doctor ordered going into the tournament.
Classical has run into a few of tough games ? two losses to Everett and one absolute heartbreaker against Salem. The Salem game was especially excruciating in that it was a last-second defeat that occurred after the Rams had climbed all the way back from a huge deficit. Wins over Peabody tonight and English Friday and put them in a good sport come tourney time.
It?ll be an uphill climb for St. Mary?s, which is 7-9 with some tough games on the horizon. The Spartans need three wins in their next four games. Two of those games will be in the Spartan Classic that?ll be played at St. Mary?s Sunday and Monday, including a preliminary game against Saugus.
Outside of Lynn, we have St. John?s, which seems to coming on strong after a slow start that, no doubt, had a lot to do with new coach Sean Connolly and his players getting used to each other. Winthrop and Marblehead have a huge game tonight (in Marblehead) which will go a long way toward settling the Northeastern Conference South division (Winthrop has the upper hand). Both the Vikings and Magicians would appear poised to be major players in their respective divisions (4 and 2). Marblehead, particularly, is a sleeper.
As always, watch out for Salem, especially with Bryan Ortiz hotter than a pistol. And Beverly, which had some players missing earlier this season, is at full strength and is a team to be reckoned with.
If you want an early indication of how some of these teams stack up, take in the North Shore Invitational