LYNN— Tuesday afternoon’s game against Fellowship Christian Academy wasn’t the toughest of tests for the Tech boys basketball team. The Tigers sat a handful of their regulars and still ran off to a 52-27 win over Fellowship at Tech.
But a win’s a win, and the victory gets the Tigers one step closer to the first goal they had coming into the season: earning a berth in the state tournament for the second year in a row. With Tuesday’s win, the Tigers improved their record to 7-4 on the season and are now three wins away from cementing a tournament bid.
“That was one of our goals,” Tech coach Stevie Patrick said. “The other goal was to win the CAC Small again, repeating as champs. We’re on our way to doing that again, we’re undefeated in league play. We have four losses and three of them are to Division 1 schools: Classical, English and Chelsea.
“I’m happy with the way the team’s going right now and the way it’s looking,” Patrick added. “They’ve won games without me there, which proves to me that they players are understanding what we’re teaching them.”
Junior Buba Ceesay led all scorers with 15 points. Freshman Mehki Cronin tallied eight points and sophomore Haidar Bdaiwi added seven points.
“I was glad that I was able to get a look at some guys that usually don’t get a lot of minutes,” Patrick said. “It was a huge surprise to see Mehki play the way he played. I wasn’t expecting that from him as a freshman. I knew he had something in him but not what he brought today.”
Tech used its size advantage to grab the early lead, placing Fellowship in a deficit and forcing it to play from behind throughout the afternoon. At the midway break, the Tigers led 29-11 with full control.
After a Fellowship basket to start the third quarter, junior Chance Buono, who finished with five points, knocked home a 3-pointer from the wing. Tech’s Ceesay followed with back to back 3-pointers and the Tigers saw their lead peak into the 30’s midway through the third. After three quarters of play, Tech led 43-16.
“I think this game was a good confidence booster for Buba,” Patrick said. “We need him for the tournament. Down the stretch, we need him to produce for us. He’s one of the first guys off the bench. In the last few games, he hasn’t been producing but we’re trying to figure out a way for him to produce. He’s a key to the success of our team.”
That was more than enough for the Tigers to cruise through the fourth quarter and seal the 52-27 win.
The Tigers now turn the page and prepare for Thursday evening’s (5:30) contest against Hamilton-Wenham. Patrick expects a battle from Hamilton-Wenham, a Cape Ann League program, as the Generals are 6-2 this winter.
“It’s a huge game,” Patrick said. “They’re a tough team, very fundamentally sound. They can rebound, shoot, they play defense well and they play together well. It’s going to be a challenge but it’s not anything that I think we can’t handle.
“They’re a Division 1 team,” Patrick added. “A couple years ago (2014-2015 season) they went undefeated. They still have the same coach and a few of the same players. It’s going to be tough but I have confidence in our group. A lot of them are still feeling from the Boverini Tournament. They want to prove they can play and I believe in them 100 percent.”
