English boys hoop hopes to conquer Central Catholic in Div. 1 North

LYNN ? One team is looking to make history. The other wants to be compared with the best teams in history.When the Lynn English and Central Catholic boys basketball teams square off on Sunday (7 p.m.) in the Div. 1 North final at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, it will be a matchup of the defending state champ against a team that in the past two years has lost in the first round (2007) and the quarterfinals (2008).The top-seeded Raiders (23-1) are trying to become the fifth team in the past 30 years to repeat as a Div. 1 state champion and join the likes of the Newton North teams that won back-to-back titles earlier in the decade and Patrick Ewing’s great Cambridge Rindge & Latin squads.After dispatching Somerville and Classical with double-digit wins in the first two rounds, the Raiders needed a near-miracle on Thursday to get past Everett in the semifinals. Leading by one point with 5.9 seconds left, Everett missed a free throw and Central guard Billy Marsden grabbed the rebound and was fouled 85-feet from the basket. He made two free throws to give his team an unlikely win.Third-seeded English (23-2) had its scare in the first round, beating Cambridge by just two points. The Bulldogs then defeated Lowell and second-ranked Lexington to earn their spot in the final.”The kids are very excited,” English coach Buzzy Barton said. “They’re still pretty tired from (Thursday’s game), but they’re looking forward to it. Just getting to Tsongas is an honor.”English hasn’t played in a game of this magnitude since 2001, when Dwight Brewington and company made it to the Div. 2 North final. The Bulldogs, led by Anthony Anderson, also reached the Div. 2 North final in 2000.This year’s version of the English basketball team has been getting it done with speed and depth. Northeastern Conference North Division MVP Ryan Woumn is the leader, but Barton uses a rotation of eight or nine players, all of whom are capable of contributing. Justin Young is deadly outside shooter, while Eugene Turner’s 15-footer from the baseline is as accurate as any shot on the floor. Jeremy Subervi adds defense and intensity, while Charlie Rucker is a physical presence inside. Archie Allen was the best sixth man in the NEC this season.”One of our strengths is definitely our bench,” Barton said. “It been different players doing it for us every night. Archie Allen, Travonne Berry-Rogers, Jose Rivera? Jarred Bingham may have only played two minutes the other night, but they were a great two minutes.”Central Catholic mostly relies on Marsden and 6-11 center Carson Desrosiers, who will give the Bulldogs, like just about every other team, serious matchup problems. The Bulldogs have a couple of big bodies in Rucker and Rivera, but no one who stands as high as Desrosiers.”He’s a tall order. Those two kids are basically their two best players, and they have three or four other kids who are pretty good,” said Barton. “But we’re going in there and play our game – up-tempo and put pressure on them defensively.”The teams have some common opponents. English split two games apiece with Everett and Lowell during the regular season. Central Catholic’s only loss the season was to Lowell in a regular season split. English defeated Classical twice during the regular season.”We’re not at all surprised they’re in the finals,” Barton said. “They’re a great team, and we’re going to have to play our best to beat them.”