Boys Hoop: Tech wins first game of season

The Lynn Tech boys basketball team played needed to play its best against Whittier in the final quarter Friday night to come out with its first victory of the season.The Tigers were up to the challenge, and defeated Whittier 52-50 at Haverhill.”We are starting to peak at the right time of the season,” Tech coach Marvin Avery said. “We had a tough loss in our previous game against Northeast, as we were held a lead against them for most of the game. It was great to see our guys bounce back and pull out this game after trailing most of the way.”Tech found itself down 36-29 going into the fourth quarter. The Tigers kept chipping away, and tied the game 50-50 with 17 seconds left. Tech had possession coming out of a timeout, and Odell Tiggs hit the game-winner from the elbow that was assisted by Michael Anya with 2.3 seconds left. The Tigers picked off Whittier’s desperation inbound pass to put the game away.”If we can keep playing like this, I am very excited for the rest of the season,” Avery said.Tech was led the duo of Tiggs (20 points) and Anya (20 points, 8 assists). Billy Ferreras and Rafy Lora created havoc on the defensive end all game long for the Tigers. Tech is now 1-7, and next plays Chelsea Monday.English 73, Gloucester 68At Gloucester, the Bulldogs (9-3) came out with a lot of intensity, as they raced to a 20-point lead at the end of the first quarter. English held a 15-point lead for most of the fourth quarter, but with three minutes left saw the lead start to evaporate after Gloucester (9-4) hit three consecutive three pointers. The Bulldogs hit some big free throws at the end to ice the game away. Danny Lukanda set the tone for English, as he scored 26 points and brought down 15 rebounds. Johnny Hiliare (11 points, 11 rebounds) and Eric Rosario (10 points, 12 rebounds) both chipped in with a double-double each for the Bulldogs. English has a big showdown against Danvers Tuesday, and Stevie Collins will be back in the lineup on Tuesday.Manchester 71, Saugus 67At Manchester, the Sachems (6-7) were in a back and forth game; in which the biggest lead of the game for either team was seven. Saugus outscored Manchester 15-10 in the fourth quarter, which forced the game into overtime. The Sachems ran out of gas late, as they trailed for the entire extra session. Joe Bertrand had another monster performance for Saugus, as he scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Dan Cacciola (8 points) and Kyle Autilio (7 points) chipped in for the Sachems. Saugus next plays Ipswich Monday.Danvers 61, Peabody 57At Peabody, the Tanners (3-8) were down 45-34 going into the fourth quarter. Peabody outscored Danvers 23-16 in the fourth, but did not have enough to overcome the 11-point deficit.”I am really happy with my teams effort and performance tonight,” Peabody coach Thad Broughton said. “Danvers is a very good team and I give them a lot of credit. I am very pleased with the progression of my team lately, despite the results.”Brian Onessimo recorded a double-double for the Tanners (21 points, 10 rebounds). Bobby Sullivan (5 points, 8 rebounds) and Matt Correale (7 points, 4 assists) had strong performances for Peabody.St. Mary’s 72, Cathedral 31At Lynn, the Spartans shot well right off the bat with Anthony Silfa (27 points) hitting three threes in the first quarter to set the tone. The offense never let up, with Dennis Bailer scoring 10 points to help the cause. St. Mary’s is 9-2, 4-1 Catholic Central League.Beverly 73, Marblehead 66At Beverly, the Magicians led by a point with just over 30 seconds left in the game. Beverly’s Jon Berchoff put the Panthers up by two with a traditional three-point play and then the defense kicked in with a big stop. Chris Sinclair (career-high 27 points) hit two free throws to give the Panthers a little more breathing room.Josh Cairns had 18 points for the Panthers (7-5) and Gavin Sparkman (10 points), both of them career highs. Craig Saunders and Angel Perez each had 15 points for Marblehead.Salem 64,