SALEM – This could have been one of the most confounding cases of déjà vu since the term came into use.But thanks to some heads-up play down the stretch last night at Salem High, the English boys basketball team fended off Lexington, hanging on for a 74-69 win in the Division 1 North semifinal.Click here for a photo gallery from the game.The Bulldogs will play Central Catholic Sunday (7) at the Tsongas Arena for the sectional championship, with the winner advancing to the state semifinal at the Boston Garden Tuesday.A day earlier, the English girls walked onto the court in Salem with a nine-point halftime lead, only to see it slip away against Central. Last night, the boys had a 14-point lead (62-48) going into the last quarter, and saw it shrink all the day down to one before reasserting themselves, making some clutch plays, and holding on for dear life.”Every time (Lexington) got close, we came up with a big play,” said English coach Buzzy Barton.Barton and the Bulldogs (22-2) have a lot of players to thank for this one, but none more than Ryan Woumn, Travonne Berry-Rogers and Jeremy Subervi.Woumn was plagued by calf cramps, and did not play the first part of the fourth quarter – during which Lexington climbed back into the game on the strength of an 8-2 run. During that time, Subervi served as point guard, and did a good job.”He’s as senior, a three-year starter, and whatever you tell him to do, he does,” said Barton. “Jeremy is a big-time player for us.”When Woumn finally limped back onto the court (he looked as if he could barely walk and was clearly wincing in pain), all he did was make a mid-court steal and drive in for a layup that gave English some breathing room after the Minutemen had cut the lead to one (68-67) with 2:14 left. And for good measure, Woumn was back with 1:27 to go for a put-back that boosted the lead to five (72-67).”I just wanted the ball,” said Woumn.Finally, with English nursing the three-point lead, and having missed the front end of a one-and-one, Berry-Rogers (10 points) came out of nowhere to steal a crosscourt pass and lay it in down the other end with four seconds left (and the Salem gym in utter bedlam with frenzied Bulldog fans).”I anticipated the pass, and was able to step in front of it,” said the sophomore guard, whom Barton called one of the keys to the team.”We go seven-eight deep,” said Barton. “Our bench is one of the big reasons we won tonight. Our game plan was to go at them, be aggressive, and wear them down. We scouted them, and knew they didn’t have the depth we have.”Even though English led by 14 with only eight minutes left, you never got the feeling the game was in the bag.”Oh, we knew they’d come back,” said Woumn. “Basketball is a game of runs ? and they are a very good team. Very good.”English led at every checkpoint ? 20-18 after one, and 41-34 at the half (thanks to a spectacular put-back by Woumn – who finished with 19 points – at the buzzer).Lexington’s two big guns – Danny O’Keefe (17 points) and Mike Igoe (24) – heated up in the fourth quarter, and Lexington used a 19-6 run that lasted over five minutes to climb to within one.Subervi added nine points, with Charlie Rucker (10) and Justin Young (12) also contributing key baskets.The win also avenged a lopsided loss to the Minutemen in the tournament two years ago – Barton’s first season as the Bulldogs’ coach.