LYNN — Monday night’s game between the English and Mansfield boys basketball teams was as close to a state tournament tilt as you’ll get just three weeks into the season.
With plenty of maroon and white support in the jam-packed Paul F. Cavanagh Field House, the Bulldogs aced a major test in a 79-71 overtime win.
“(Mansfield) coach (Michael) Vaughan and I spoke after last year’s game (74-64 English loss),” English coach Antonio Anderson said. “I saw him again during the season at the (TD) Garden. We spoke about our teams playing again. It’s something we want to do every year, early on in the season. In your fourth game of the season, you want these types of games. In front of your fans, showing them that you can play with the top teams. To match up with a team like Mansfield helps us out a ton, especially confidence-wise.”
It was a battle of inside and outside between English’s Ademide Badmus and Mansfield’s Matthew Boen. Badmus, who finished with 30 points and 15 rebounds, commanded the post.
“Ademide’s been working,” Anderson said. “He’s been in better shape, lost some weight and he’s playing his tail off. He’s doing everything we’ve asked of him and it shows.”
Boen, who scored a game-high 32 points, connected on five 3-pointers. Boen’s 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining in regulation knotted the score at 67-67, sending the heavyweight battle into OT.
“(Boen) can shoot it,” Anderson said. “We watched film and scouted him. He makes tough plays and tough shots. We knew it goes through him. For us to not hang our heads and hang in there when he hit that big three to send it into overtime showed our growth.”
Jarnel Guzman (17 points), Jack Rodriguez (15) and Mason Jean-Baptiste (10) also scored in double-figures.
In a back-and-forth opening quarter, the Bulldogs found themselves moving a bit too quickly. English settled in once the Bulldogs fed the ball to Badmus, who scored eight first-quarter points. English trailed 22-20 heading into the second frame.
The Hornets opened up a 29-23 lead midway through quarter No. 2 when Terrence Guy connected on a pair of free throws. English turned to Badmus, who powered a 6-0 run to knot the score at 29-29 before Mansfield regained the lead on Guy’s basket. The last run of the half belonged to English. Kanye Wavezwa drilled a three, Badmus hit a pair of free throws and the Bulldogs carried a 40-37 edge at halftime.
English looked to open up the game in the third quarter behind a 13-7 run. Down 53-44, Mansfield’s Boen reeled the Hornets back in with much-needed offense. He got Mansfield back on the board with a floater and splashed back-to-back three’s, keeping the Hornets close. Guzman’s 3-pointer beat the buzzer and the Bulldogs held a 56-52 lead after three quarters.
A pair of freebies from Rodriguez put English up 67-62 with 38 seconds to go. Again, the Hornets clawed back in. Andrew Rooney’s free throws with 30 seconds left brought Mansfield within three and Boen’s 3-pointer evened the score at 67-67.
English took over in OT with its transition game leading the way. Mansfield turnovers led to easy English baskets. The Bulldogs sprinted out to a 74-69 advantage within the first two OT minutes, forcing Mansfield into a timeout. Buckets from Jean-Baptiste and Badmus stretched the lead to 78-69, allowing English to seal the deal.
“I told the guys, let’s get out and run,'” Anderson said. “We had to wear them down a bit. In overtime I told them in the huddle, ‘they’re tired.’ We can dish it and run. We kicked it into gear a bit and it helped us.”
The Bulldogs (4-0) set out for a 3-day trip to South Dakota Thursday. English takes on Yankton (SD) Friday night (7) at Corn Palace.
“It should be fun for us,” Anderson said. “It’s a good trip for our guys and a learning experience. The Corn Palace is one of the top 10 high school gyms in the country. For them to experience that, it means a lot.”
Anderson thanked English’s fans and supporters from helping create a playoff-like atmosphere Monday.
“Our games have been just like this,” Anderson said. “To have that support from the people of the city itself and the students, it’s big.”
