WORCESTER– Mission accomplished.
With Saturday’s 64-57 win over Putnam at Holy Cross, the English boys basketball team earned its first Division 1 state championship since 1939.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for a group of kids who deserve it,” English coach Antonio Anderson said. “All those kids worked their tails off. To reward them like this, it’s special.”
Putnam held a 3-point lead at the end of the first quarter. English stormed back with 21 points in the second quarter to carry a 9-point lead at halftime and never looked back.
Alonzo Linton finished his high school career with a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds.
“We felt they had no one that could guard Alonzo,” Anderson said, “and it showed. He drives me crazy but I love him. He understands. He said, ‘give me the ball, there’s nobody that can stop me.’ I said, ‘OK, you want it? Here you go.’ He’s just been such a huge leader.
“I’m on Alonzo tougher than anybody,” Anderson said. “It’s a good feeling seeing him go out on top like that.”
Justin Fitzpatrick, who struggled to hit his shots during the tournament, netted three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points.
“Justin hasn’t been making shots the last couple games but he made some shots (Saturday),” Anderson said. “He had to come out and open up the lane for Alonzo and Jarnel to get going. That was the plan. Once we got (Putnam) to change the way they play defense, I knew we had them.”
Rounding out the scoring were Jack Rodriguez (10 points), Mason Jean-Baptiste (9) and Jarnel Guzman (7).
Taelon Martin led the Beavers with 15 points, while Maikel DeJesus scored 13 and Cecil Villa (four 3-pointers) added 12.
Through the early minutes, it was the Beavers that ran out to an ideal start as English looked to find its rhythm. Putnam carried a 12-8 lead halfway through the first quarter before Linton got his Bulldogs back on track. A layup and slam dunk from Linton knotted the game at 12-12. Putnam ended the quarter on a 6-3 run and led 18-15 heading into the second.
Linton hit a layup to start the second quarter, bringing the Bulldogs within a point. That propelled a 7-1 English run, giving the Bulldogs a 22-19 edge and forcing Putnam to burn a timeout. Putnam whittled English’s lead to a point, 24-23, but the Bulldogs fired back with baskets from Linton and Jean-Baptiste. A 3-pointer from Fitzpatrick gave English its largest lead of the half, 34-25, toward the closing stretch. After Fitzpatrick closed the half with a blocked shot, the Bulldogs carried a 36-27 lead at the midway break.
Villa caught fire with back-to-back 3-pointers at the start of the third quarter. His second three cut English’s lead to 40-37 and prompted the Bulldogs to use a timeout. With Putnam hanging close, Jean-Baptiste swished a 3-pointer to give English breathing room at 48-41. Linton capped the third quarter with a bucket. The Bulldogs led 50-41 at the end of the third.
Facing a 9-point deficit with time working against them, the Beavers needed quick offense in the final period. Instead, the Bulldogs kept them off the scoreboard for the first four minutes of the quarter.
“We went into the game feeling we’re in the best shape of any team in the state,” Anderson said. “As the game goes on, the last couple games in the fourth quarter, the opposing guys get tired. We play full-court the whole game. (Martin) wore out, (DeJesus) wore out, (Jernigan) wore out. Our guys are capable of doing that. They put pressure on you. Teams aren’t used to seeing that. We don’t fear anyone. We put pressure on teams for 32 minutes, whether they like it or not.”
English started the quarter with a pair of hoops but Putnam answered with a 6-0 run. A Rodriguez layup put English ahead 56-49 with 2:45 remaining. A Fitzpatrick slam dunk in transition bumped the lead to 60-51 and closed the door on any hope of a Putnam comeback. Fitzpatrick’s slam sent the crowd into a frenzy, Anderson emptied his bench and the Bulldogs (with support from a strong Lynn crowd) celebrated their 64-57 win.
“In the fourth quarter, I knew they were going to dig in,” Anderson said. “They told me in the huddle, ‘we got this.’ I had to let them be.
“I give the credit to them,” Anderson said. “They hold the ship together. I’m just the captain. I’m just the guy walking and yelling, trying to direct things. Those guys lead the way.”
English finished the season at 23-2.
