PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Deontae Plouffe scored 15 points off the bench in Classical’s 54-43 win at Salem.
By HAROLD RIVERA
SALEM– For two and a half quarters it seemed as though Tuesday night’s clash against Salem wasn’t going to end in the Lynn Classical boys basketball team’s favor. But, behind a 14-0 third quarter rally and a 15-point performance from Deontae Plouffe, the Rams stormed to a 54-43 win over the Witches at Veterans Memorial Field House. With the win, Classical clinched a spot in the state tournament.
It wasn’t exactly how Classical coach Tom Grassa drew it up as the Rams struggled with turnovers throughout the contest, totalling 18 giveaways on the night.
“We tried to emphasize at halftime that we had ten turnovers in the first half against a 3-2 zone,” Grassa said. “Salem wasn’t even pressuring us.”
The Rams raced out to a 7-2 lead in the opening quarter thanks to buckets from Gilbert Minaya, Dyrrell Rucker and three knocked in by Edwin Solis. Salem closed the quarter on a 7-4 run, capitalizing on Classical turnovers in the process.
“Usually when we win the steal-to-turnover ratio, that means we win the game,” Grassa said. “We didn’t have 18 steals tonight.”
The Rams led 11-9 at the end of the first quarter.
Classical opened up a quick six-point lead in the second quarter when Jonathan Nicosia and Jack Rodriguez drove to the paint for a pair of makes but the advantage was short-lived. Salem’s Anthony Pena answered with a pair of threes to tie the game at 19-19.
Nicosia fired back with a three of his own and Classical led 24-19 at the half. Again, turnovers and missed opportunities prevented the Rams from putting Salem away.
“(Salem coach) Tom (Doyle) lost his top six players from last year,” Grassa said. “Credit to Salem’s program and Tom Doyle that they rebuilt. Not one kid on his team this year got any minutes last year. It’s a completely rebuilt team.”
The Witches opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run to claim their first lead of the night at 25-24. That’s when the Rams finally answered the bell with a knockout punch.
“We used a timeout and we told the guys to stop taking chances doubling the ball and leaving people wide open,” Grassa said. “We needed to do a better job on defense and we put together a nice little stretch.”
Classical orchestrated a 14-0 run to build a 13-point lead at 38-25. Salem’s Isaiah Williamson ended the rally with a layup but the Witches trailed 41-29 after three.
“They were able to get out and run,” Salem coach Tom Doyle said. “They had some good defensive stops and they broke it open pretty quickly.”
Doyle added, “We were hoping to create turnovers and put hands in shooter’s faces. We were able to do it for most of the game but unfortunately that run was the key point of the game.”
Salem slimmed the deficit to six points in the fourth quarter but that’s the closest they could get it to. Classical capitalized on its opportunities in the closing run to win 54-43.
Plouffe led the Rams with 15 points off the bench.
“He’s really equivalent to being a starter,” Grassa said. “He’s our sixth man but he’s as good as any of our starters, all-around.”
Minaya added nine points for the winning side.
Salem’s Pena scored 19 points, while Vinnie Gaskins added ten points and seven rebounds.
The Witches (6-4) visit Marblehead on Friday while Classical (11-2) visits Beverly.
Harold Rivera can be reached at [email protected].
