English clinches No. 2 seed in Division 1 North tourney

EVERETT – Lynn English turned momentary failure into opportunity.
Just two nights after a harrowing loss at home, English came together to win, 92-81, on the road against Everett.
“There was a letdown coming into the game after that loss to Danvers,” said English coach Mike Carr. “But the kids stepped up and won this game on heart.”
The win allowed English (17-3) to lock up the No. 2 seed in the Division 1 North tournament.
Everett (14-6) controlled the opening half. The Crimson Tide grabbed a two point lead (24-22) after the first quarter, and looked to have the edge in the second quarter by dominating the glass and scoring at will in the paint. English found themselves down, 40-30, with three minutes to play in the half.
“We didn’t play any defense, period, in the first half,” said Carr. “Everett was shredding our press and we broke down fundamentally.”
Devontae Davis, Everett’s leading scorer (20 points), had 12 points in the second quarter alone by feasting on weak-side offensive rebounds.
“It was a tough first half,” said English’s Anthony Silfa, who had 24 points and seven rebounds. “Everett is a very tough team, but we just did our best to stay positive.”
The tide slowly turned in the third quarter. English forced eight turnovers in eight minutes, and though the Bulldogs still trailed (66-64) after three, Everett could no longer maintain its composure against such a relentless attack.
“Their pressure caught up to us,” said Everett coach John DiBiaso. “They’re a good test. If you can play with them, you can play with anybody.”
Everett High is located at 100 Elm Street, and English turned the fourth quarter, quite fittingly, into a nightmare for the home team.
“We just needed to stay focused,” said Bulldogs team captain Stevie Collins. “Everything won’t always go our way, so we need to keep battling.”
Erick Rosario (23 points, 11 assists, seven steals) ignited the offense, constantly finding Silfa and Johnny Hilaire on the fastbreak.
“When Erick runs,” said Silfa, “we all run.”
English received a boost in the fourth quarter from Tommy Rijo. The sophomore guard finished with 10 points, and scored eight straight points — including knocking down two three’s — in the fourth.
“I wasn’t nervous,” said Rijo. “I came in for Erick, and I just wanted to step up for him.”
Rijo’s offensive assault put English up, 72-70.
“We hoped someone would step in off the bench and grab the opportunity,” said Carr. “Tommy did just that for us.”
A 17-7 run then put the game out of reach.
“That fourth quarter was serious,” said Hilaire, who scored 13 points and gave English the presence on the glass (15 rebounds) necessary to win. “I just did what I could to help the team, but we need to keep playing strong and be ready for whatever comes at us.”
As impressive as the feat of outscoring Everett, 28-15, was in the fourth, Carr was most pleased with his team’s resiliency.
“Once we turn teams and get some transition buckets, we get in more of a flow with our sets on offense,” said Carr. “Our defense wasn’t where it should be, but we turned it on in the fourth quarter.”