English boys rally to down rival Classical

LYNN — Behind a furious fourth-quarter rally, Lynn English defeated city rival Lynn Classical, 76-64, Monday night in front of a packed house at English.”Our defense makes our offense go, and we turned it up late,” said English coach Mike Carr. “If we hadn’t, Classical would have won that game.”Classical (1-3) looked to amend for a disappointing start to the season with a win over the Bulldogs. Led by senior forward Phil Rogers (18 points, 11 rebounds), the Rams held a 17-11 advantage after the first quarter. Rogers had his way offensively, scoring six points and grabbing three offensive rebounds in the opening frame.Classical built its lead to 10 (25-15) in the second quarter, but English (3-0) forced 16 first-half turnovers to even up the game at 37 by the midway point.”Classical beat us three times in a row last season, so we had to take this game,” said English point guard Erick Rosario (22 points, seven assists, five steals). “It’s all about our defense. Our defense makes our offense.”Rosario led the defensive charge for the Bulldogs in the second half. Though Classical only allowed four turnovers, English forced the Rams to settle for long jumpers.”English was able to break our pressure and they took it to the basket,” said Classical coach Tom Grassa. “They had the bulk of their hoops in the second half in the paint, where we settled for jump shots.”Classical received contributions from 6-foot-3-inch senior Eli McConney (12 points, 10 rebounds) and a stellar two-way effort from junior C.J. Lights (three points, eight rebounds, five steals). Peter Mafo also added 12 points.”Records don’t matter with these two teams,” said English captain Stevie Collins. “You just never want to lose to the other side of the city, so we knew we needed to get up close and personal on defense.”The two teams traded hoops in the third quarter as English led, 55-54, entering the fourth quarter. The final eight minutes saw the Bulldogs win every loose ball, limit Classical to one shot per possession, and turned the long rebounds from Classical’s jumpers into fast-break opportunities.”We were selfish to start this game,” said Carr. “Each guy was playing to beat his man, but then we started running the things we do that make us successful.”Despite battling a stomach virus, Collins was steady all night with five points and five assists, and 6-foot-2-inch junior Anthony Silfa (19 points, 13 rebounds) teamed up with Johnny Hilaire (17 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks) to give English the defensive presence needed in the front court as they outscored the Rams, 21-10, over the final eight minutes.”We amped it up on defense,” said Silfa. “Coach always says to go harder and harder on defense in practice, and it paid off in the game.”Ultimately, Classical had no answer on either side of the ball for Rosario, who was consistently able to make stops on D, as well as penetrate, dish, and score on the offensive end.”As Erick goes, we go,” said Carr. “He’s one of the best point guards in eastern Massachusetts, and he’s the guy that makes us run.”Justin Barrasso can be reached [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.