Winthrop boys hoop rallies past Tech

LYNN – Lynn Tech has played two games in the last week that would make you think we’ve moved the calendar up a month and the state tournament has started.Problem is, the Tigers have lost both ? first a defeat at the hands of Chelsea last Thursday and, Monday night, a 73-64 loss to Winthrop. In both cases, the Tigers played well enough to win until the very end, when their lack of size and lack of experience betrayed them.”Someday,” said coach Marvin Avery, “we’re going to win one of these. We will. Don’t worry. We will.”For a while, it looked as if Monday might be the night. The Vikings are certainly the class of the Northeastern Conference South, and one of the top teams in Division 4. Each team really wanted to test its mettle against the other.”We want to play these guys,” said Winthrop coach Dave Brown. “It’s a good chance for us to see where we stand.”Marvin and Tom Grassa (Lynn Classical coach) ? they are two coaches who have state championships, and that’s what we want.”For his part, Avery considers Winthrop one of many tough nonleague opponents he likes to schedule to get his team ready for the tournament.”We like to play those tough games,” Avery said, “so we know where we stand.”Last week, Grassa’s Rams defeated the Vikings ? and Monday, they made sure they wouldn’t go 0-for-Lynn (a game at English looms a week from tonight as well).But it wouldn’t be easy. Thanks to a flurry of three-point baskets, Tech had a nine-point halftime lead (41-32). It got so ridiculous that the Tigers hit their last four three-pointers (two each by Rich Warren and Gerrand Fairweather) that, along with a two-pointer by Michael Duarte, finished off a 14-4 run to end the half.”I was hoping they wouldn’t shoot like that the whole game,” said Brown. “I was disappointed in giving up 41 points, because we pride ourselves on defense.””We have to shoot the three ? and we have to defend the three,” Avery said. “I don’t think, though, that anyone really thought we could shoot like that the whole game.”That lead stretched to 12 after Trey Gallo’s three-pointer, and after Dino Mallios (game-high 24 points) hit a three and a two to close the gap to seven (48-41), Warren (21 points) banged home another one to make it a 10-point game midway through the third quarter (51-41).That would be the last three for Tech, however, until the game was almost academic. In the meantime, a few Winthrop players began to heat up, including Gavin Mahoney (12 points), Mallios and Mark Jenkins (12 points). And between the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth, Winthrop reeled off a 20-3 run that included the final four hoops of the third; and the first three of the fourth.”I think,” said Avery, “they were much more disciplined than we were coming down the stretch. That’s their experience. They’re more experienced than we are, and it showed.”The Vikings – and Mallios – just took over the game, Avery said.Tech staged a mild rally, however, and when Gallo hit the team’s last three-pointer of the night, with about 1:09 to go, the Tigers – who never really got that far behind – had the lead back down to four (68-64).Here, however, Mahoney struck the ultimate crippling blow, standing calmly behind the arc, at the very top of the key, and swishing a three-pointer that got the lead up to seven, with 35 seconds left.”Gavin made some huge baskets all game long,” Brown said, “and that was one of them. That was really huge.”Afterward, both Brown and Avery couldn’t say enough about their opponents.”I thought our guys were in shape,” said Brown, whose brother, Don, is a Tech assistant. “But they had us huffing and puffing all night long. They really played well, and really took it to us early.””They’re one of the elite teams,” said Avery, “and they showed why tonight. They’re disciplined, and they have experience. A very good team.”Fairweather finished with 12 points while Gallo had 14. Jake Connors, whose torrid shooting kept Winthrop in the game early, finished with 14 p