BOSTON — The state title is now just one win away.
Behind a strong defensive performance and a team effort on offense, the English boys basketball team knocked off Mansfield, 74-58, in the Division 1 state semifinal game at TD Garden Tuesday night. The Bulldogs got off to a bit of a slow start, but they took control in the second half and never looked back.
“Playing at venues like this is tough no matter whether you’ve done it before or not,” said English coach Antonio Anderson. “I think once we were able to settle down, we were able to slow (Mansfield) down and get some points in transition, and we rode the momentum from there.”
Three Bulldogs scored in double figures Tuesday, led by Jack Rodriguez and Jean-Baptiste Mukeba, who each notched 20 points and five rebounds. Jarnel Guzman was close behind with 19 points and three rebounds, while Ademide Badmus had eight points and 15 rebounds.
“That’s what these guys have been doing all season,” Anderson said. “Every night, someone else steps up. It’s hard to key on one guy.”
The two teams traded shots back and forth in the early part of the first quarter, going through two ties and five lead changes over the course of the frame. The Bulldogs ended up grabbing a bit of a foothold in the final few minutes behind some strong play from Mukeba, and English took a 22-17 lead into the first break.
The Bulldogs started to heat up a bit in the second quarter, getting baskets from Guzman and Rodriguez as well as some strong rebounding from Badmus. That all combined to help English take its largest lead of the night at 30-19 before cruising to a 38-26 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Bulldogs pulled away. After a shaky opening minute, Anderson called a timeout and fired his team up for the home stretch.
“I just told the guys to not let up,” Anderson said. “I didn’t want us to go away from what we were doing in the first half, so I had to light them up a little bit on the bench. But they responded well.”
Rodriguez and Guzman caught fire in the second half and helped English stretch its lead to 18 points, effectively securing the win.
The Bulldogs will now head to the DCU Center in Worcester for the Division 1 state championship game on Saturday. English will play Springfield Central, which won the Division 1 West title before beating Central Champion St. John’s (Shrewsbury) in the state semifinal.
English and Springfield Central will tip off Saturday night (TBA) at the DCU Center.
