Classical boys prevail for close win over Salem

SALEM – If the Lynn Classical basketball team earns a spot in the state tournament, then the conclusion of its 56-55 win over Salem on Tuesday might be looked back on as the moment that saved a season.The Witches were 13.8 seconds away from putting the Rams on the brink of elimination when Davon Morris knifed down the lane on an inbounds play and hit a layup to give Classical the lead and win when Christian Dunston’s jumper hit the back iron.”I can’t believe how wide-open Davon was on that play,” mused Classical coach Tom Grassa. “That was a great play and it breathes a whole new life into our season.”The Rams (9-9) now need a win over either English on Friday or Everett next Monday to clinch a spot in the tournament. It looked like Classical was going to have to win both of its remaining games after the Witches erased an eight-point halftime deficit and a seven-point gap early in the fourth period.The ringleader for Salem’s charge was Dunston, who scored 14 of his team-high 17 points in the second half. Yet Classical still led 54-49 with two minutes left after Jorge Perez knocked down a three.Dunston hit a pull-up jumper to cut the lead to three and Emelio Beato buried a shot from the left with 35 seconds left to make it a one-point game. The Witches called timeout to set their defense and it paid off when Dunston stole the inbounds pass and scored for a 55-54 lead.”We fought hard the whole way,” Salem coach Tom Doyle said. “We had a lot of guys step up big for us.”After a held ball under the Salem basket gave the ball back to the Rams, Morris found room down the middle for the go-ahead points.Salem didn’t call time, giving Dunston a chance to win it, but his foul-line shot came up short with 1.9 seconds left.”Salem played really good defense and forced us into a lot of turnovers in the second half,” Grassa said. “But the guys stuck with the game plan.”The teams came out blazing as the Rams burst out to a quick 16-7 lead. Salem fought back thanks to three long-range bombs from Billy Muse to cut the lead to 16-13 after one.The clubs traded baskets through the early moments of the second quarter before Jalen Brown, who led all scorers with 18 points, scored five straight for Classical to make it 28-19. It would be an eight-point lead at the half for Classical.”They got off to a real quick start and shot the ball extremely well,” Doyle said.It was a different story at the beginning of the second half as Salem switched to a pressure defense and it led to a 14-6 half-opening run that completely erased Classical’s lead in less than four minutes. Brown, however, gave Classical back the lead with a three that helped his team carry a 43-39 lead into the fourth quarter.