Smith scores 1,000th point as Tech boys move on in tourney

LYNN – Tech and Minuteman have had some great battles over the years, but Wednesday night’s Division 3 North first-round matchup wasn’t one of them.The Tigers won handily, 78-55, with the highlight of the night coming in the third quarter, when senior Victor Smith buried a jumper for his 1,000th career point. He finished with a team-high 19.”To have a guy score 1,000 points in my system is an accomplishment the way I run them in and out,” Tech coach Marvin Avery said. “I’m very proud of him. The Lynn Tech family is very proud of him.”Click here for a photo gallery from Lynn high school boys basketball tournament action Wednesday.Smith’s name will go up on a banner that also includes Jeff Byrd, Lou Byrd, Corey Foster, Ebony White, Gary Martin, Jamaal Thornton, Corey Bingham, Sted Bourdeau, Tony Gallo, Jessica Underwood and Shena Mitchell. Both Byrds and Martin were on hand to congratulate Smith.Smith needed 14 points coming into the game and it looked like he might be hitting the milestone before the half after scoring nine by the break. He hit a three a minute or so into the third quarter and with 2:13 remaining in the third, he nailed the jumper that put him at the coveted 1,000-point mark.Smith said as a freshman he came off the bench and contributed a little, but it was his junior year that he finally hit his stride. He said he wasn’t worried about hitting the 1,000th.”I just took my time,” he said.The Tigers will play Watertown Friday at Watertown (7) in the quarterfinals.Tech took control of the game early thanks in large part to its defensive intensity. Three first-quarter steals led to hoops and by the end of the quarter, the Tigers led 23-10. Sophomore Joshua Cheever was a force in the early going, scoring 11 of his 12 points in the first half while dominating on the boards.”He’s so tough under the basket,” Avery said. “He controls the boards. He’s a tough, physical kid. I couldn’t ask more of him. He controls the glass.”Minuteman coach Mark White was disappointed by the loss, but not surprised given that his team has struggled in the latter part of the season. He said the Mustangs got off to an 8-2 start and finished 12-9. The two teams split during the regular season, with Minuteman winning the first game and Tech the second. White said he lost a couple of players to grades and suspensions, and this was not that same team from earlier in the season.”Offensively, we didn’t click,” White said. “This won’t go down in the annals as a classic matchup, and we have had some good ones (with Tech).”Our goal was to wear them down. We knew we had the athletes to succeed,” he saidSophomore Richie Warren Jr. had 10 points for the Tigers and Garrett Fairweather had eight. Senior Terrance Gallo also had a nice game with six points.