Boys hoop: Classical prevails over Winthrop

It was the type of game where both coaches came out a little grayer and a few pounds lighter.That was how Classical coach Tom Grassa described his team’s 65-62 win over previously undefeated Winthrop Tuesday at Winthrop High.”They are an outstanding team,” Grassa said. “They’re so well-balanced. They have five legitimate outside shooters and that’s what makes it so difficult to defend them.”Winthrop hit a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining to cut the lead to one, but Jasper Grassa (16 points) hit two free throws to put the Rams back up by three. The Vikings got the ball back and managed to get off two three-point attempts before the final buzzer sounded.”This was an exciting game to watch and to coach,” Grassa said.Winthrop (9-1) was led by Gavin Mahoney (23 points). Josh Cheever and Ariel Legone had 14 points each for Classical (5-4).Tech 79, Northeast 65At Wakefield, senior captain Felix Rios scored 28 points and eight steals in what Tech coach Marvin Avery called his best game ever at Tech.”He had an overall great game,” Avery said about his 5-foot-3 guard.Tech had five players in double figures. Mike Duarte and Richie Warren Jr. had 14 points each, Garrad Fairweather, 12 points and Trey Gallo, 11. Tech is 6-4, 6-1 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference.English 63, Swampscott 45At Swampscott, Ryan Woumn and Travonne Berry-Rogers scored 15 points each for the Bulldogs, who remain undefeated at 8-0. Woumn is 18 points away from the 1,000 career-point milestone. Irving Vizcaino (9 points) and Jarell Byrd (8 points) also contributed to an attack that saw 10 players get into the scoring act. Mike Walsh (13 points) topped the ticket for the Big Blue.Saugus 72, Revere 71At Saugus, Joe Lowe hit two free throws with less than a second left to give the Sachems the one-point win. Saugus trailed by 12 in the second quarter, but cut the deficit by four at the half. Revere’s Trae Weathers (22 points) hit a big three in the final quarter to give the Patriots what seemed to be a comfortable eight-point lead, but the Sachems refused to roll over. Saugus’ Omar Benabicha led all scorers with 29 points. Brian Boyagian had 17 and Lowe finished with 10. Saugus is 5-4.Marblehead 54, Peabody 48At Marblehead, the Tanners tied the game with 1:30 remaining and then took a two-point lead, but Marblehead (6-4) rallied down the stretch. Matt Temme, who led the Magicians with 27 points, had a couple of big buckets in the final quarter. Tommy Stockwell had 16 points. Jon Byrne had 24 points for Peabody.Beverly 65, Danvers 58At Danvers, Justin Marrs scored a career-high 21 points and Curtis Manuel checked in with 23 points for the Panthers (5-3). Manuel had a traditional three-point play and Marrs had a big hoop in the final 40 seconds to put the game away. Mike Warren had 20 points for Danvers.Salem 76, Gloucester 55At Gloucester, Antonio Reyes lit it up for 25 points and Dara Medrano was close behind with 21 for the Witches (7-3).Essex Aggie 53, Fellowship 36At Essex Aggie, junior guard Keith Mercurio of Lynn had 21 points for the Rams (4-6).Cathedral 82, Fenwick 57At Fenwick, Trevor Grace had 19 points (17 in the first half) and Brett DiPanfilo, 16 points, but it wasn’t enough. Fenwick is 1-6.St. John’s 53, Leominster 43At Leominster, Pat Connaughton led the Eagles with 20 points and 16 rebounds and James Doherty kicked in with 12. The Prep is 9-0.