PHOTO BY SPENSER HASAK
Chenysse Hill dribbles down the court.
By DILLON DURST
LYNN — It was important to Lynn Classical head coach Tom Sawyer to send his seniors out with a win on senior night.
After Friday’s snowstorm pushed the Rams’ anticipated matchup with Revere to Saturday afternoon, Classical capitalized on a second-half surge to sink the Patriots, 68-50, earning its 12th win of the season.
“Couldn’t be prouder of the kids,” Sawyer said after the game. “Couldn’t be prouder of the seniors.”
Two of those seniors, forward Paris Wilkey and point guard Chenysse Hill, combined to score 53 of Classical’s 67 points.
“Paris with 31 (points) and Chenysse with 22 was huge, and they got us off to a good start hitting jump shots,” Sawyer said. “We knew (Revere) was going to play a zone, and you have to hit shots to beat a zone or to get a team out of a zone.”
Wilkey wasted no time getting the Rams’ offense going in the first quarter, scoring 12 of Classical’s 14 first-quarter points.
Revere came out hot to start the second quarter, putting together a 5-0 run. Wilkey sunk a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding, but Patriots’ guard Tatianna Iacoviello responded with a long-range three to put Revere up 20-19 with 5:16 remaining in the half. The Patriots would eventually take a 25-22 lead into halftime.
Revere forwards Meagan Gotham and Valentina Pepic were a pair of menacing defenders in the paint for the Patriots throughout the first half, utilizing their height advantage over Classical to snag rebounds and contest shots. Meanwhile, Classical used its speed and quickness to track down loose balls and create turnovers.
“They were bigger than us. There’s no doubt about it,” Sawyer said. “They have something that the rest of the league doesn’t have in all that size. I just told the kids, ‘You have to fight. You have to be physical, and you have to make up for that lack of height with effort, intensity and tenacity.’ They did it today.”
After scoring just two points during the entire first half, Hill took over in the second. The senior point guard scored 20 points, including a breakaway layup off of a turnover that pushed Classical out to a 43-31 lead midway through the third quarter. Wilkey added eight more third-quarter points, while the Rams’ defense held the Patriots to just six.
Revere began the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run, cutting Classical’s lead to nine with 6:15 remaining in regulation. But the Rams went on to outscore the Patriots, 22-12, the rest of the way.
Junior guard Soneta Srey added six points for Classical, while Pepic and sophomore guard Pamela Gonzalez led Revere with 14 and eight points, respectively.
“I’m just so happy for the kids to get this win,” Sawyer said. “For our kids on Senior Night to come here and win was huge. Huge win for the kids.”
Dillon Durst can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDurst.
