Last-second shots sinks English boys

LYNN – Johnathan Berchoff’s layup with 0.8 seconds left gave Beverly (11 7, 8 4 NEC Large) a 78-77 victory over English at Paul Cavanagh Field House on Friday night.The game winning basket came after a controversial timeout was awarded to Beverly. English (13-4, 10-3 NEC Large) held a 7-7,7-6 lead and Beverly was scrambling for a loose ball. When Beverly guard Chris Sinclair picked up the ball near the out of bounds line behind the net, the official in the backcourt blew his whistle as time ran out. The referees allowed Beverly a timeout and they put back 0.8 seconds left.”I’m a little disappointed with the official giving them the timeout,” said English head coach Mike Carr.When play resumed, Sam Traicoff made the inbound pass to a wide open Berchoff (15 points). “We ran a pick and roll for Berchoff,” said Beverly head coach Scott Lewis. “He did a great job of setting the screen and rolled.The final minute was filled with a crazy sequence. Sinclair provided Beverly with a 76 -74 advantage after English center Johnny Hilaire blocked a shot in transition. Sinclair scooped up the ball and laid in a basket.”They ran a fantastic set,” said Carr. “Beverly is playing as good as anybody in the league right now.”On the other end, English guard Erick Rosario missed a one and one free throw attempt. Rosario dove for the ball on the rebound and called timeout with 28.1 seconds left. After the Bulldogs were unable to connect on an inbounds pass, they used another timeout. Fred Hogan nailed a straightaway three pointer as English took a 77 76 edge.Steve Collins led English with 23 points. Rosario filled up the stat sheet with 19 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.This game featured back and forth play from both sides. English jumped out to a 4- 1 lead on a couple of baskets by Hogan. Beverly went on a 6 -0 run to end the opening quarter. The Bulldogs committed eight turnovers in the initial eight minutes of action. Beverly was making shots from the perimeter from Nicholas Cross (21 points) and Traicoff. The Panthers had a 12 -point lead on three separate occasions.After Beverly was ahead by a 34 22 margin, English finished the first half on a 10 0 spurt. The Bulldogs’ dynamic backcourt led by Rosario, Steve Collins, and Hogan forced 10 Panthers’ turnovers in the second quarter. This led to easy baskets in transition for English.Rosario got into a passing lane and scored on a layup to give English a 45- 44 lead in the third quarter with 3:50 left in the third quarter. This was English’s first lead since they were ahead, 13-12 in the first quarter.English used another big run to take a 62 51 advantage into the strange fourth quarter. “We fought so hard because we came out so sluggish,” said Carr. “They hung around and hit some big three-pointers.”