Tech boys hoop soars past Swampscott

LYNN – For a half Monday night, it looked as if Swampscott would give the Lynn Tech boys basketball team a run for its money – and possibly win its second game of the season.But that’s before the Tigers’ shooters found their focus and their quickness on defense simply overwhelmed the Big Blue en route to an 81-61 victory at the O’Connor Gym.”I have to hand it to Swampscott,” said Tech coach Marvin Avery. “They never back down. Justin (Fucile, the Swampscott coach) asked if they could play us, and I said sure. Always. I love playing games against other leagues. It gives you a better look at what’s out there. And we don’t always get challenged in our league.”It’s been a bit of a rough start for Tech (4-4). The Tigers dropped one to English in the Boverini Tournament, and then lost games to Chelsea and Greater Lowell (the latter on a buzzer-beater).”All we can do is go forward,” said Avery. “I think we’ll be where we need to be come February (when the state tournament starts).”Swampscott came out gunning, and after a quarter, the Big Blue led 15-9. Much of the damage was done by sophomore Val Temin, who was starting his first-ever varsity game. The long range shooting Temin buried back-to-back threes to open up some distance on the Tigers (15-7) before Jerome Cooper (20 points) sank one to close the gap.”We knew he (Temin) could shoot,” said Fucile. “And lately, he’s been doing much better. This was his first start, and as I tell the kids all the time, once you earn your start, it’s up to you to keep it.”Backing up Temin (who finished with five three-pointers and scored 17 points) was Zach Beermann, who had 13, along with having to contend with a bevy of Tech rebounders, led by Charles Collins-Robinson.”He’s probably our toughest kid,” said Fucile. “He’s been battling injuries all year, but he’s really stepped up for us and played well.”However, by the end of the second quarter, Tech started finding the range, and that 15-9 deficit became a 36-32 edge going into the break.”When our shots fall, we’re dangerous,” said Avery. “We’re still not playing defense the way we’d like to, though.”Once Tech started connecting, Swampscott was forced to extend its tight zone and start going after the Tigers’ shooters, “and I thought Marvin adjusted to that well,” Fucile said. “In the second half, we got beaten by too many layups.”In all, four Tigers finished the game in double figures. Rich Warren Jr. led them all with 23 points, Cooper had 20, Trey Gallo 17 and Michael Duarte 17.After falling behind by 10 to open up the third quarter, Swampscott got back into it briefly, scoring seven straight points to close the deficit to three (42-39). But the Blue could get no closer, and the Tigers steadily pulled away.