Boys Hoop: English, Classical both pick up wins

The English and Classical boys basketball teams both shot the lights out Tuesday with the Bulldogs defeating Peabody, 85-70, and the Rams doing the same to Revere, 72-62.At Classical, Philip Rogers helped the Rams recover from back-to-back losses with a 28-point night that included three threes. Rogers was relentless, scoring 12 points in the first half and 16 in the second.?We had trouble stopping him,” Revere coach Adam Rizzo said. “They were hot. No matter what we did for defense, they kept knocking down shots. When we got the ball out of his (Rogers?) hands, everyone else started knocking them down.”Grassa said Rogers was tough both offensively and on the boards, leading the team in rebounds.?It was a big game for Philip. He controlled at both ends,” Grassa said, adding the Revere is a much-improved team. “The kids were playing with confidence. Every time we opened up a five-point lead, they would hit a couple and get it down to one or two points. They were scrappy and hungry.”Jason Seigal had 18 points for Revere, Mike Dreeszen, 13 points and Tommy Chea, 11 points. Peter Mafo had 10 points for the Rams (12-7).English 85, Peabody 70At Peabody, Freddie Hogan shook off everything the Tanners threw at him defensively to finish with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Steve Collins had 19 points; Eric Rosario was good for 15 points and Dan Lukanda had 11 points. John Hilaire also hit double figures with 10 points.?English really turned up the pressure in the second half,” Peabody coach Thad Broughton said. “They?re a great team. We were trying to make a run at the end, but they were able to pull away.”Broughton had several players come up big as well. Jared McCarron had 18 points to go with four assists and four steals; Matt Correale had 15 points, Matt D?Amato, 13 points and Bobby Sullivan, 10. Peabody is 7-9. English is 12-3.?I was very impressed with what Peabody did,” English coach Mike Carr said. “They shot the three ball as well as I?ve seen all year.”Carr was happy with his defense (Peabody had about 25 turnovers) and he was pleased with the up-tempo pace of the game.Swampscott 68, G?ster 62At Gloucester, the Big Blue (3-12) got some big performances up and down the lineup. Joey Ragusa had 19 points including nine in the fourth quarter to keep the Fishermen (10-6) at bay. Chad Nelson, a senior captain, had 18 points, with eight coming in the fourth quarter. Andre Reeves, a freshman, had 11 points including some big free throws down the stretch.?This was our signature win this season,” Swampscott coach Dave Born said. “We?re really excited.”Saugus 70, Triton 43At Triton, the Sachems, 9-7, got a monster game from Joe Bertrand, who scored 27 points, pulled down 15 rebounds, handed out five assists and had four steals.Saugus led, 32-16 at the half and steadily pulled away.Dan Cacciola chipped in with eight points. The Sachems need one more win to qualify for the state tournament.St. John?s 61, Xaverian 43At Danvers, this one wasn?t the prettiest of wins. Ben Judson had 15 points and Max Butterbrodt, 14 points. Jake Burt had four points and seven rebounds. The Eagles are 12-3.Beverly 62, Salem 56At Beverly, the Panthers battled back from a 39-19 deficit at the half. Beverly (10-7) outscored the Witches 22-7 in the third quarter. Nick Cross had 26 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Sinclair, 15 points. Brian Martinez-Rodriguez had 19 points for Salem and Dan Kazadi, 14 points.Fenwick 68, Shawsheen 61At Shawsheen, Matt Costello had a big night for the Crusaders (9-8), scoring 34 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.?He put the team on his back tonight,” said Fenwick coach John Preziosa.Fenwick was down by 13 points midway through the second quarter before closing the half with a 9-0 run after switching from a zone to man-to-man. The Crusaders grabbed the lead during the third quarter and never let go of it.Dominic Leone had 13 points for Fenwick, 11 in the second half while Myles Connor pulled down 11 rebounds. Preziosa said Travis Maxner