Lynn’s Jarell Byrd on prep school national title team

Lynn English graduate Jarell Byrd has helped St. Thomas More (Conn.) win the national prep school basketball championship.St. Thomas More captured the title – its first – with a 90-76 decision over Notre Dame Prep of Fitchburg in the final on Wednesday. All games in the tournament were at Albertus Magnus University in New Haven – an hour’s ride away from St. Thomas More, located in Oakdale.Byrd had a double-double, his second of the tournament, in the championship game – 10 points and 10 rebounds – as fourth-seeded St. Thomas More finished first in the eight-team tournament.To get to the top, St. Thomas More needed to beat three teams it had lost to during the regular season. It handled No. 5 Princeton Day Academy, 89-51, in the first round, with Byrd posting his first postseason double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.Then came a rematch with undefeated (28-0) Hargrave Military Academy in the semifinals. Of the Hargrave starting five, one had committed to UNC, three to Virginia Tech and one to Xavier. However, St. Thomas More won 90-74.Byrd had eight points and eight rebounds in that game – including a momentum-changing dunk off a rebound of a missed shot. With St. Thomas More up 13, Hargrave cut the lead to seven. St. Thomas More tried a quick three, but missed. However, Byrd came down the lane for the putback.After that, it was on to the final, and the championship.