English boys hoop shuts down Beverly

LYNN – If you want to take measure of how far the Lynn English High boys basketball team has improved this season, consider the Bulldogs needed a buzzer-beater to defeat Beverly back on Dec. 14.The rematch Friday night at Cavanagh Gym wasn’t anywhere near that dramatic, as the Bulldogs destroyed the Panthers, 88-53. Keandre Stanton led English (13-1; 10-1 NEC Large) with 20 points, while Travonne Berry-Rogers added 18. Josh Castillo and Corey McMillen chipped in with 10 points each.The only player in double figures for Beverly (6-7; 3-7) was Ronnie Alford with an impressive 20 points.After a sluggish opening couple of minutes, the Bulldogs took the lead for good just 2:25 into the game and were never threatened after closing out the first half with a 9-0 run.”When we’re playing defense like we can, we’re a tough team to beat,” English coach Buzzy Barton said. “And we’re playing very well right now.”Beverly had little choice but to play a zone, which forced English into some unwise shots early, and Zach Zigelbaum’s basket from the right box gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead 1:48 into the game.Then English got into high gear. Castillo and Berry-Rogers connected for 3-pointers, Castillo made a fast-break layup and then Stanton made a couple of free throws to close out a 10-2 run that gave the Bulldogs an 8-point lead at the end of the first quarter.A floater in the lane by Berry-Rogers upped the lead to 27-14, but Beverly hung in for a while and a free throw by Alford closed the Panthers’ gap to 31-23, with 1:50 left in the first half.Stanton took over at that point, closing out the half with seven points, the last four of which came on a pair of emphatic dunks that gave English a 40-23 lead at the break.Berry-Rogers slashed for a hoop and then made a spectacular steal and layup just 12 seconds later to open the second half and give the Bulldogs their first 20-point lead at 44-23, and it was pretty much over.The lead continued to build with Berry-Rogers scoring 11 points in the quarter, and Brendan Holey’s bucket gave English a 68-41 lead at the end of three.A nifty behind the back pass from Berry-Rogers to McMillen for a 3-point play got the lead up to 30 (73-43) and the starters retired for the evening shortly thereafter. English’s reserves continued to build on the lead with Erik Holey and freshman Freddy Hogan combining to account for the final eight points of the game.