English in the homestretch

LYNN – Winning a championship has been compared to climbing a mountain. If the Lynn English boys basketball team is to accomplish that feat, it will be more than just a figurative statement.St. John’s of Shrewsbury, the Bulldogs’ opponent in today’s (7:30 p.m.) Div. 1 state final at the DCU Center in Worcester, is one of the biggest teams in the state. The Pioneers (19-6) feature 6-9 center Matt LaBove, his 6-6 brother Chad, and three other starters who are all taller than six feet.English, the Eastern Mass. champ, defeated a Central Catholic team with 6-11 center Carson Desrochers, but hasn’t seen a team with as much across-the-board height as St. John’s.”They’re big,” English coach Buzzy Barton said. “And they have some depth. They play 8-10 kids, just like we do.”The Bulldogs have won with their speed and pressure defense, and Barton sees no need to alter that course now no matter who the opposition is.”We ain’t changing nothin’,” he said. “We’re going to go with what got us here, and hopefully we’ll be on top at the end. We know (the Pioneers) are a good team, or they wouldn’t be here.”Big games are nothing new for St. John’s. The Pioneers lost to Central Catholic in last year’s championship game, and made it to the state semifinal in 2007. Overall, St. John’s has won 13 Central Mass. section titles since 1962, and from 2000-03 won the region three times in four years.This season, St. John’s was the second seed in the Div. 2 Central and posted wins over Algonquin, Wachusett and Worcester North before defeating Springfield Central in the state semifinal on Monday. Guard Anthony Trapasso led the Pioneers with 19 points, while 6-3 forward Richard Rogers added 18. Matt LaBove leads a balanced attack with a 15 ppg average.After starting the season with three losses in a tournament in Washington, St. John’s has won 18 of its last 20 games. The only Eastern Mass. team the Pioneers played this season was Xaverian, which finished tied for fourth place in the 5-team Catholic Conference. The Pioneers beat the Hawks by 24 points at home in December, and by 13 in Westwood last month. Brockton, which English defeated in overtime in the state semifinal on Tuesday, crushed Xaverian by 32 and 24 points in their two meetings this season.English (24-2) has ridden the hot hand of point guard Ryan Woumn to the state final. Woumn, a junior, scored a career-high 39 points in the Brockton game.”Ryan Woumn is playing as well right now as any high school basketball player I’ve ever seen,” Barton said. “And we get him back next year.”The Bulldogs use their depth, speed and pressure defense more than their height. Center Charlie Rucker and Jose Rivera are English’s two biggest players at around 6-4, but they’re used to facing taller opposition, especially in the tournament. Jeremy Subervi is arguably English’s best defensive player, and can hit an outside shot, while Eugene Turner and Justin Young are both capable of filling it up from beyond the 3-point line.Sixth man Archie Allen is probably the Bulldogs’ second best offensive option after Woumn, and players like Travonne Berry-Rogers and Jarred Bingham contribute valuable minutes off the bench.According to Barton, the Bulldogs have been “excited” to play in the state final since their win over Brockton, and he’s been careful not to push them too much in practice.”This has been a really long season, and they’re tired,” Barton said. “But they’re looking forward to the opportunity. One of the great things that’s happened is the way the whole city has gotten behind us. We feel like we’re going to be out there representing the entire city of Lynn.”