LYNN — The English boys basketball team started the season with a 67-44 win over Charlestown Wednesday night at Paul F. Cavanagh Field House.
Defense was the story of the night for the Bulldogs, which held Charlestown to 19 points in the first half.
“It always feels good,” English coach Antonio Anderson said of the win. “I think we have a lot of things that we can work on, but a win’s a win. It’s fun to get back here and we have another one (Thursday) so we have to get right back out there.
“We just wanted to use our speed,” Anderson added of his team’s defense. “We want to put pressure on people and get after teams. That’s how we practice. We were able to do it without fouling, which is good. We just want to keep that up going forward.”
Senior Alonzo Linton had a big game for the Bulldogs with 17 points. Junior guard Jarnel Guzman added 16 points in his English debut.
“They both can play,” Anderson said. “Alonzo has had a huge role. Last year we asked him to score more and this year we want him to defend, which he is doing, and rebound. He probably had 15 or 20 rebounds tonight. You have to tip your hat to him on that part. I’m just happy he was able to step up for us.”
The Bulldogs started the game aggressive, forcing several key turnovers and jumping out to a 10-2 lead.
Charlestown made a small run to cut the deficit to five but the Bulldogs pulled away again before the half. Guzman had two steals and scored in the final seconds to help put English ahead 34-19 at halftime.
English dominated much of the second half, jumping out to a 48-28 lead to start the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs emptied their bench, rested their starters and coasted through the closing minutes for the season-opening victory.
Anderson was happy to start the season on the right note but knows there’s plenty of room for improvement.
“We have to play more unselfish,” Anderson said. “Even though we scored points guys were still missing guys who were wide open. That’s a big thing for me, you can’t play with your head down you have to play with your head up. We did have some moments we shared the ball well and made the extra pass but its something we need to work on.”
English’s back on the court Thursday (7) when the Bulldogs host Malden.