English boys reach hoop classic final

LAWRENCE – The game that could have been last year will be tonight.Lynn English – which could not engage in a rematch of its 2009 Division 1 North final with Central Catholic last winter – gets to do so tonight in the finals of the inaugural TD Bank/IAABO Board 130 Classic at the Central gym.The Bulldogs, who are 18-1, made sure of that with a resounding 90-71 win over Newton South in the preliminary, and Central easily defeated Fitchburg in the other first-rounder.This sets the stage for the game everybody wanted to see last year, but couldn’t, because an English team weakened by the suspension of coach Buzzy Barton and guard Ryan Woumn lost to St. John’s Prep by a point in the North semifinal.”That’s right,” said Barton, when apprised of the irony. “Last year was a daze. I still haven’t even seen a tape of that (St. John’s Prep) game. Now, we get a chance to play them.”I know a lot of people from both schools wanted to see us play again.”Central will get two good tests this week, as the Raiders travel to St. John’s Prep Wednesday to play the once-beaten Eagles.Sunday served as a good tuneup for tonight’s final (which is at Central, again, at 7 p.m.). Once the Bulldogs got their lead into double digits, they were rarely seriously threatened. And had it not been for Newton South’s D.J. Reid, who hit for six three-pointers en route to 30 points, the rout would probably have been much worse.But Reid’s 30 were equally offset by Keandre Stanton, who scored 30 himself. The Lions had no one down low who could have even hoped to contend with Stanton, who – along with Corey McMillan – owned the boards.”This was a good game for us,” said Barton, who noted that the team played its style for all 32 minutes to prepare for what it was certain would be a game with the Raiders tonight.”We brought 14 people to the game,” Barton said, “and all 14 saw action. We played hard and everybody contributed.”Four Bulldogs finished in double figures: Stanton, Travonne Berry-Rogers (16), Josh Castillo (10) and Freddie Hogan, who – playing in place of his cousin, Paradise Hogan (unable to play) – hit for three straight three-pointers in the third and fourth quarters and finished with 13 points.