LYNN — The Lynn English boys basketball team battled back from a double-digit deficit to get to within one point in Saturday’s Spartan Classic opener against Springfield Central, but the Bulldogs made a costly turnover in the final 30 seconds that allowed Springfield to hit some game-clinching free throws in a 70-66 loss at Tony Conigliaro Gymnasium.
“I was really proud of our fight in the second half,” said English coach Alvin Abreu. “Tyrese played a monster second half for us to help get us back in it, but we just ran out of steam at the end.”
Tyrese Melo Garcia had a massive game for the Bulldogs in the loss, putting up a career-high 43 points while also adding five rebounds and five assists.
It wasn’t a great start for the Bulldogs in this one, as they got off to a terribly slow start and fell behind 16-7 at the end of the first quarter. Things got worse in the second, as the Bulldogs found themselves behind 33-19 at the halftime break.
But things turned in the second half, and it was largely due to Garcia’s hot hand. After Springfield Central took a 51-34 lead into the fourth quarter, Garcia went crazy from the field. The senior put up 17 of his 43 points in the fourth, almost single handedly carrying the Bulldogs back into the fight. By the time there were two minutes left, it was a 66-61 game. About 40 seconds later, Garcia hit a deep 3-pointer to tie it up at 66-66.
But unfortunately for English, those were the last points that Garcia scored. A Bulldogs turnover with 42 seconds left earned Springfield Central a pair of free throws, which effectively sealed the win for them and sent the Bulldogs off to the consolation round.
English (12-5) plays Malden Catholic in the consolation round of the Spartan Classic Monday afternoon (1:45).
